PISCATAWAY, NJ - The Rutgers baseball team fell to Pace, 4-0, Sunday afternoon, marking
its first home loss in 17 home games this season. The Scarlet Knights move
to 28-17, while Pace improves to 13-28.
Rutgers could not solve Pace starting pitcher Patrick Stanley, who finished
with a complete-game shutout, giving up just four hits - all singles - and
striking out four.
Sophomore Jeff Grose (Iselin, NJ) had three of Rutgers' four hits on
the day, with junior Jason Grover (Montgomery, NJ) collecting the other. RU
could not capitalize on its opportunities and produce any run support for starter
Aaron Kalb (Middletown, NJ), who was chased out after 4.2 innings, surrendering
two runs on four hits, while striking out three. He took the loss, falling
to 5-2 for the season.
After three scoreless innings of play, Pace got on the board first as five-spot
hitter Doug Hehner drilled a ball just over the fence in left field. Grose
leaped at the wall in hopes of bringing it back in, but the ball sailed just
over his glove and over the fence for a solo home run.
The Setters staged a two-out rally in the fifth with Matt Bisbano and JC Pullum
drawing walks to put runners on first and second. Rob Faist singled up the
middle and Bisbano beat the throw to home for Pace's second run of the
game, signaling the end of Kalb's day.
Sophomore OJ DeChristofano (Pequannock, NJ) replaced Kalb, inducing a ground
out to the shortstop to end the inning.
Following scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh, Pace added an insurance
run off the bat of Faist, who registered a lead-off home run in the eighth.
After giving up a double to the next batter, DeChristofano was pulled in favor
of sophomore Matt Pustay (Hamilton, NJ). DeChristofano worked 2.1 innings,
allowing a run on two hits, while striking out one. Pustay got out of the jam,
inducing a pair of pop outs, and a strike out.
Grover rocketed a one-out single to right field in the bottom of the eighth
but Stanley kept his composure, getting leadoff hitter Graig Badger (Union,
NJ) to ground into a rare double play, ending the Rutgers threat in the eighth.
Pace tacked on another run in the ninth as Pullum recorded a two-out single,
stole second, and scored on a Faist single up the middle. Faist finished with
three RBI in the contest. Junior Tom Malafronte (Somerville, NJ) replaced Pustay,
registering the final out for the Scarlet Knights.
Grose singled to center field to lead off the bottom of the ninth, but Stanley
retired the next three batters to improve his record to 7-3 for the season.
Rutgers will be back in action on Thursday, May 12, when it travels to Newark,
DE, to face the University of Delaware at 3 p.m.
** 2004 RUTGERS BASEBALL **
Pace at Rutgers
May 09, 2004 at Piscataway, NJ (Class of '53 Complex)
Pace 4 (13-28) Rutgers 0 (28-17)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
JC Pullum ss............... 4 1 2 0 BADGER, Graig 2b........... 3 0 0 0
Rob Faist lf............... 5 1 3 3 GROSE, Jeff lf............. 4 0 3 0
Paul Bonaros rf............ 5 0 1 0 FRAZIER, Jeff rf........... 4 0 0 0
Mike Ferrauto c............ 4 0 0 0 CANUSO, Rich 1b............ 3 0 0 0
Doug Hehner 3b............. 2 1 1 1 DEFENDIS, Johnny cf........ 3 0 0 0
Mike Pahira dh............. 3 0 0 0 CERULO, Nick dh............ 3 0 0 0
Matt Castellano 1b......... 4 0 1 0 MILLER, Jeff c............. 3 0 0 0
Matt McNichol 2b........... 2 0 0 0 QUERNS, Tim 3b............. 3 0 0 0
Matt Bisbano cf............ 3 1 0 0 GROVER, Jason ss........... 3 0 1 0
Patrick Stanley p.......... 0 0 0 0 KALB, Aaron p.............. 0 0 0 0
DECHRISTOFANO, OJ p....... 0 0 0 0
PUSTAY, Matt p............ 0 0 0 0
MALAFRONTE, Tom p......... 0 0 0 0
Totals..................... 32 4 8 4 Totals..................... 29 0 4 0
Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
Pace................ 000 110 011 - 4 8 0
Rutgers............. 000 000 000 - 0 4 0
-------------------------------------------
DP - Pace 1; Rutgers 1. LOB - Pace 8; Rutgers 5. 2B - Bonaros. HR - Faist; Hehner.
HBP - Canuso; Defendis. SH - McNichol. SB - Pullum; Faist; Bisbano. CS - Grose.
Pace IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patrick Stanley W,7-3..... 9.0 4 0 0 1 4 0 0 2 0 29 32 9 12
Rutgers IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
KALB, Aaron L,5-2......... 4.2 4 2 2 3 3 0 0 0 0 16 20 6 4
DECHRISTOFANO, OJ ......... 2.1 2 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 8 10 2 3
PUSTAY, Matt .............. 1.2 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 7 8 3 1
MALAFRONTE, Tom ........... 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1
HBP - by Stanley (Defendis); by Stanley (Canuso).
Strikeouts - Pullum; Faist; Bonaros; Castellano; Bisbano; Frazier; Miller 2; Querns.
Walks - Pullum; Hehner 2; Pahira; McNichol; Bisbano; Badger.
Umpires -
Start: 1:00 Time: 2:30 Attendance: 150
Game notes:
ID-260465
DeChristofno faced 2 batters in the 8th.
