LYNCHBURG, VA - The Rutgers baseball team rallied for four runs in the eighth inning, scoring the winning run on a balk to defeat Liberty, 7-6 Sunday afternoon at Worthington Stadium in Lynchburg, VA. The Scarlet Knights (5-10) take the series from the Flames (17-5), 2-1.
Rutgers and Liberty traded runs in the first inning. For the third straight day, the Scarlet Knights capitalized on a Liberty error to push a run across. Ryan Hill’s (Hillsdale, NJ) ground ball was mishandled by the Liberty first baseman, allowing Jeff Grose (Iselin, NJ), who led off the game with a single up the middle, to score from second base. The Flames used three hits in the bottom of the inning to get back the run.
Liberty led off the second with a triple but Rutgers starter Matt Pustay (Hamilton, NJ) was not fazed, getting a pair of shallow fly outs and an infield pop out to get out of the inning unscathed.
Hill put Rutgers on top in the fourth inning with a solo home run – his fifth of the season – over the fence in right-center field.
The Scarlet Knights were back at it again in the fifth as Tim Querns (Cherry Hill, NJ) opened the frame with a single and was sacrificed over to second. He advanced to third on a perfectly-placed bunt single by Grose. Designated hitter Tom Edwards (West Caldwell, NJ) smacked a hard single through the right side to bring home Querns as RU built a 3-1 lead. Rutgers had bigger ideas in the inning, loading the bases with one out, but could not bring home another run in the inning.
A Rutgers error to start the sixth inning proved costly for the Scarlet Knights as Liberty scored three runs with two outs in the inning to surge ahead, 4-3. Back-to-back doubles to left and center field, respectively, followed by a single to right field scored three runs for the Flames, as they took their first lead of the game. Junior Steve Healing (Brick, NJ) relieved Pustay, to record the final out of the inning.
Pustay worked 5.2 strong innings, surrendering just one earned run and four overall on eight hits, while registering a pair of strikeouts. Pustay shook off two hits to start the game, giving up just two more hits to the next 15 batters he faced, while retiring 11 straight batters spanning the second to the fifth innings.
Liberty used a pair of doubles and a triple to score two more runs in the seventh inning to open a 6-3 lead. Sean Spicer (Pearl River, NY) relieved Healing, getting the final two outs of the inning.
Rutgers stormed back with four runs in the eighth to re-capture the lead, 7-6. The Scarlet Knights got their first two runners on thanks to Todd Frazier’s (Toms River, NJ) leadoff double and Hill’s walk. Friday’s hero Frank Meade (Linden, NJ) doubled home Frazier for RU’s first run of the inning. RU then loaded the bases before RU got its first out. Querns delivered with a single up the middle to score Hill and Meade, tying the contest. The Scarlet Knights then regained the lead after new Liberty pitcher Dustin Umberger balked home Steve Hook (Langhorne, PA), who reached base after he was hit by a pitch, from third base for the eventual game-winning run.
Liberty threatened in the bottom of the inning with a man on third and one out. However, Spicer got out of the inning with a groundout and a big strikeout to end the frame.
Liberty’s Chad Miller hit a double to open the bottom of the ninth. On the next play, an alert Frazier at shortstop fielded a ball and got Miller out as he was trying to advance to third base. The Scarlet Knights then sealed it with a game-ending double play.
Spicer worked 2.2 scoreless innings to earn the victory, improving him to 2-0 on the season. He allowed just three hits, while recording two strikeouts.
Sunday’s game concluded Rutgers’ seven-game, 10-day spring break road trip that included stops in Florida and Virginia. The Scarlet Knights return home where they will host St. Peter’s College in their home opener at the Class of 1953 Complex in Piscataway, NJ, Wednesday at 3 p.m.
2006 Rutgers Baseball
Rutgers at Liberty
Mar 19, 2006 at Lynchburg, VA (Worthington Stadium)
Rutgers 7 (5-10)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
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GROSE, Jeff cf........... 5 1 2 0 0 0 2 1 1
EDWARDS, Tom dh.......... 5 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
FRAZIER, Todd ss......... 4 1 2 0 0 1 2 3 0
HILL, Ryan lf............ 3 2 1 1 2 1 1 0 0
MEADE, Frank c........... 5 1 1 1 0 2 4 0 4
HOOK, Steve 1b........... 4 1 1 0 0 0 8 1 2
FELIZ, Luis rf........... 4 0 1 0 0 1 5 0 1
QUERNS, Tim 3b........... 4 1 2 2 0 0 3 0 0
BIONDE, Mike 2b.......... 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 5 0
PUSTAY, Matt p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
HEALING, Steve p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SPICER, Sean p.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Totals................... 37 7 11 5 2 6 27 11 8
Liberty 6 (17-5)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
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GAILLARD, Patrick ss..... 5 2 2 0 0 1 0 1 2
MILLER, Chad 3b.......... 5 2 3 2 0 0 0 1 0
JUST, Michael 2b......... 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0
GRIJALVA, Aaron 1b....... 4 0 1 1 0 1 8 0 0
TEUFEL, Shawn 1b........ 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0
LAURENT, Phillip lf...... 3 1 2 1 1 0 6 0 0
KELLER, P.K. cf.......... 4 1 2 1 0 1 3 0 2
HOLLINGER, Errol c....... 4 0 2 1 0 1 6 0 0
BUSSEY, Tommy dh......... 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
YEAKEL, Abe ph/dh....... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
JOHN, Phil rf............ 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
THOMPSON, Phillip p...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
JOHN, Tim p............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
UMBERGER, Dustin p...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
Totals................... 38 6 13 6 1 4 27 9 7
Score by Innings R H E
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Rutgers............. 100 110 040 - 7 11 1
Liberty............. 100 003 200 - 6 13 2
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E - QUERNS; GRIJALVA, A.; JOHN, P.. DP - Rutgers 1; Liberty 1. LOB - Rutgers
8; Liberty 7. 2B - FRAZIER; MEADE; GAILLARD, P. 2; MILLER, C.; GRIJALVA, A.;
LAURENT, P.; KELLER, P.; HOLLINGER, E; JOHN, P.. 3B - MILLER, C.; KELLER,
P.. HR - HILL, R.(5). HBP - FRAZIER; HOOK. SH - BIONDE; YEAKEL, A.. SB -
FRAZIER; HOLLINGER, E.
Rutgers IP H R ER BB SO AB BF
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PUSTAY, Matt........ 5.2 8 4 1 0 2 25 25
HEALING, Steve...... 0.2 2 2 2 0 0 4 4
SPICER, Sean........ 2.2 3 0 0 1 2 9 11
Liberty IP H R ER BB SO AB BF
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THOMPSON, Phillip... 7.0 9 6 5 1 5 29 32
JOHN, Tim........... 0.1 0 1 1 0 1 1 2
UMBERGER, Dustin.... 1.2 2 0 0 1 0 7 8
Win - SPICER (2-0). Loss - JOHN, T. (2-1). Save - None.
HBP - by THOMPSON, P. (FRAZIER); by JOHN, T. (HOOK). BK - UMBERGER, D..
Umpires - HP: Greg Woodhull 1B: Karl Best
Start: 12:00 Time: 3:00 Attendance: 81
Game notes:
ID-417268
THOMPSON, P. faced 3 batters in the 8th.
Game: 319LIB
