Baseball Holds Off Lafayette, 4-2

Wednesday, April 11

Piscataway, N.J.

3:30 PM

Rutgers University

18-11

Lafayette

12-21

Lafayette

Rutgers

Apr 11 | Baseball

Box Score Statistics

Scarlet Knights improve to seven games over .500

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Playing errorless in the field, Rutgers baseball held Lafayette to four hits in a 4-2 victory Wednesday at Bainton Field. The triumph improved the Scarlet Knights to a season-best seven games over .500 at 18-11.

Graduate student Karl Blum began on the mound and pitched four scoreless frames with four strikeouts. It was his longest outing this year. Following up and being credited with the win, redshirt sophomore Tommy Genuario (2-0) dealt two innings and permitted just a single. Junior Serafino Brito later escaped a jam in the seventh to strand the tying runs on base, while redshirt junior Ryan Wares locked down his first career save in the ninth.

Offensively, freshman Mike Nyisztor and junior Nick Matera each collected two singles to spark rallies. The run production came via RBI triples from both fifth-year senior Chris Folinusz and junior Jawuan Harris. RU used the most of its baserunners by leaving only three on base during the game.

Making his second start of the season, Blum worked around two on in the first inning to initiate a stretch of eight-straight retired through the third. He ended his outing when Folinusz grabbed a liner at first base and tapped the bag for a double play.

The Scarlet Knights broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of runs. Nyisztor picked up the first hit of the day for the home team and Matera followed with another single to put runners at the corners. A wild pitch ensued to allow Nyisztor to break the deadlock, with Folinusz then coming through with an RBI triple to the right-field corner. It was his second career triple.

Genuario posted two zeroes on the scoreboard and Rutgers tacked on two more to make it 4-0 after six innings. Nyisztor hit a one-out single and Matera countered with one of his own again. A fielder's choice went down as the second out before Harris ripped a long shot to left-center and made it to third uncontested for his third triple of the year.

Lafayette (12-21) put its first four batters on in the seventh to score for the first time and added another on a wild pitch. That brought in Brito, who encountered runners at second and third in a 4-2 ballgame with one out. The right-hander preserved the lead by striking out the two opposing hitters on a combined seven pitchers. Then in the eighth, he sat down the side in order helped by a leaping catch from sophomore Kevin Welsh at second base.

Wares finished off Rutgers' fifth win in the last seven games. The last time the team was seven over at any point was at 30-23 following a victory over USF in the American Athletic Conference playoffs on May 21, 2014. In addition, the Scarlet Knights are just one victory away from matching the total from the entirety of last season.

Brian Lannino (1-3), who retired the first 10 faced, took the loss for Lafayette. The Scarlet Knights are undefeated in their last 23 matchups against the Leopards, going 22-0-1 back to 1994.

Rutgers, sitting at 4-2 in the league, will head back to the road this weekend for a Big Ten series at No. 18 Illinois. The matchup begins Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

VICTORY! #RBaseball holds off Lafayette, 4-2. Scarlet Knights improve to a season-best seven games over .500 at 18-11. pic.twitter.com/Vcu3lRXrWD
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) April 11, 2018

Another nice play by Welsh! He jumps to end the top of the eighth.

4-2 RU B8 pic.twitter.com/FQlCetYCJ7
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) April 11, 2018

Watch him run! Harris brings home two on a drive to left-center and easily makes it to third for a triple.

4-0 RU B6 pic.twitter.com/tA7GUjMoFK
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) April 11, 2018

Great play by Welsh! The second baseman ranges in the hole to end the inning.

2-0 RU B6 pic.twitter.com/lFLnwkgbMG
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) April 11, 2018

Triple! After Nyisztor scores the first run on a wild pitch, Folinusz brings home Matera with a drive to the right field corner.

2-0 RU B4 pic.twitter.com/FdhCZVbotc
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) April 11, 2018

Double play! Folinusz snares the line drive and taps first base to end the inning.

0-0 B4 pic.twitter.com/2hmFJg1FTS
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) April 11, 2018

Strike three! Blum picks up his second strikeout of the day to end a perfect second inning.

0-0 B2 pic.twitter.com/ZYGX1QvK0v
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) April 11, 2018

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