PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers baseball scored five runs in the first two innings and used six shutout frames from senior John O'Reilly to roll to an 11-1 victory over La Salle in the series opener Friday at Bainton Field. The Scarlet Knights improved to 16-10 on the season to match their high-water mark of six games over .500.
 
Junior Nick Matera led the offensive attack by going 4-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, four RBIs and three runs scored. It was his second career game with four hits and fifth time knocking in at least four. The catcher now has a team-high 11 extra-base hits on the season with three long balls. In addition, fifth-year senior Chris Folinusz and junior Luke Bowerbank both added two knocks to the lineup's 12-hit showing. The total of six extra-base hits was the most in a game this season.
 
On the mound, O'Reilly (4-1) won for the fourth time in five starts with five strikeouts and no runs allowed in six innings. The right-hander permitted just five baserunners in the outing. Freshman Collin Kiernan, redshirt sophomore Tommy Genuario and graduate student Karl Blum all worked an inning to close out the victory. RU has now won six-straight series openers dating back to the first weekend of spring break.
 
The Scarlet Knights jumped on top early with five runs in the first two innings. Junior Jawuan Harris started the outburst with a ground-rule double in the bottom of the first and immediately scored on an RBI single up the middle by Matera. After Folinusz doubled to put two in scoring position, junior Carmen Sclafani made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly.
 
Freshman Mike Nyisztor and Bowerbank struck consecutive singles through left side to start the second. The two then executed a double steal and scored on an RBI triple down the right field line by redshirt freshman Dan DiGeorgio. Matera added the fifth run on a two-out RBI double.
 
O'Reilly retired 11 batters in a row from the first inning through the fifth to keep the Explorers (7-20) in check. The defense did not commit an error for the third time in the last four games.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Rutgers broke the game open with three runs to establish an eight-run advantage. Matera opened the rally with a double and advanced on a single to center by Folinusz. Sclafani lifted his second sacrifice fly to bring home Matera, becoming the first Scarlet Knight since Michael Zavala in 2014 with multiple run-scoring fly balls in the same game. Nyisztor later walked and came in with Folinusz on a two-out single by Bowerbank.
 
Matera expanded the lead to 10-0 one inning later with a two-run homer that stayed inside the left-field foul pole. The lined shot was his ninth career. Later in the eighth, fifth-year senior AJ Gallagher plated the final run of the day after drawing a walk and eventually scoring on a wild pitch.
 
Michael Jenkins (0-4) took the loss for the visitors with five earned runs allowed in two innings. It was La Salle's first trip to Bainton Field.
 
Game two of the series is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. Freshman Harry Rutkowski will take the mound for the Scarlet Knights having won his three previous starts.
 

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