FORT MYERS, Fla. – Senior John O'Reilly came out on top of a Friday pitcher's duel to lead Rutgers baseball to a 5-1 win over Army West Point in the series opener at City of Palms Park. It was the first meeting between the teams since 2000 and started up a seven-game spring break trip in Florida for the Scarlet Knights.
 
Making his 39^th career start, third-most in program history, O'Reilly (1-1) dealt 7.2 innings to earn his first victory of the season. The right-hander did not allow a run until two outs in the seventh to extend his personal scoreless streak at the time to 12.2 consecutive innings dating back to last week. He struck out five in the outing, stranding six runners on base by holding the Black Knights to 2-for-11 with men on. Junior Serafino Brito followed up to leave the tying run on base in the eighth, striking out all four batters faced for his first career save.
 
Offensively, redshirt sophomore Kevin Blum made his first start in the outfield and went 2-for-2 with walk and the go-ahead RBI. Freshman Mike Nyisztor and sophomore Kevin Welsh both added two hits in the nine-hit attack, while fifth-year senior Chris Folinusz and junior Luke Bowerbank also knocked in runs. For Folinusz and junior Nick Matera, the duo have made it safely on base in all 12 games this season.
 
Both O'Reilly and Army (6-5) starter Tyler Giovinco matched zeroes through the early innings in a Friday night duel. Finally in the fifth, RU (6-6) broke free with one run to take the lead. Nyisztor hit a leadoff single, advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Welsh and read a ball in the dirt to make it to third. Then with two down, Blum delivered an RBI single up the middle.
 
O'Reilly worked around an error in the sixth to strand a runner at third, but faced first and third with only one down in the seventh. The veteran was able to induce a short pop to Nyisztor in left field for the second out before Blum tracked down a fly ball in center to quell the situation.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Welsh drew a two-out walk and scored all the way from first when Bowerbank dropped in an RBI double down the left field line to make it 2-0.
 
The Black Knights, who own wins over Michigan and Maryland this season, put one across with two outs in the eighth, but were limited by a diving grab by Blum earlier in the inning. O'Reilly relayed the ball to Brito to protect the 2-1 lead. A strikeout ended the rally.
 
The Scarlet Knights next opened up a four-run lead with three more runs in the bottom of the eighth. Senior Kyle Walker started it with a walk as a pinch hitter, with Matera singling to put two aboard. A balk moved both up for Folinusz, who lined a two-run single to center field. He would then cross two batters later on a double play to up it to a 5-1 ballgame.
 
Brito struck out the side in the last to preserve the victory. Giovinco (2-2) took the loss for the Black Knights.
 
RU will next seek its second consecutive weekend series triumph in game two set for Saturday at noon. Freshman Harry Rutkowski will make the start on the mound.
 

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