LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - Junior Todd Frazier (Toms River, N.J.) and sophomore Tom Edwards (Caldwell, N.J.) each drove in four runs and sophomore Vinny Sangemino (Nutley, N.J.) added three RBI to lead the Rutgers baseball team to a 15-6 rout of Rider Tuesday afternoon at Sonny Pittaro Field. The Scarlet Knights improved to 11-10 overall with their fourth-straight victory, while Rider fell to 3-13 on the season.
RU scored six runs in the first, one run in the fourth and eight runs in the fifth en route to the nine-run victory - its largest of the season. The Scarlet Knights also collected a season-high 18 hits in the contest, led by three hits apiece from Edwards, Sangemino and senior Dave Williams (Franklin, N.J.).
Rutgers used six hits in the first inning to plate six runs, highlighted by a three-run double by Sangemino. The six runs chased Rider starter Dan Sasso out after just two-thirds of an inning.
Rider got on the board when designated hitter Brad States hit a two-out, two-run home run to cut the Scarlet Knight lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the second inning.
A two-out rally in the fourth scored the Scarlet Knights' seventh run. Williams started the rally with a single to left field and Tim Querns (Cherry Hill, N.J.) followed with a walk to set up an Edwards RBI double down the left-field line to score Williams.
Four hits, including a pair of doubles, coupled with a Scarlet Knight error, allowed Rider to stage a rally of their own in the bottom-half of the fourth. The Broncs scored four runs in the frame to chase Rutgers starter Sean Spicer (Pearl River, N.Y.) out of the game and cut the Scarlet Knights' lead to 7-6.
Rutgers used three home runs and three doubles to produce an eight-run fifth inning and blow the game back open en route to the victory. Frazier opened the scoring in the frame with a three-run home run to right field - his ninth of the season. Two batters later, junior Ryan Hill (Hillsdale, N.J.) hit his sixth home run of the season down the right-field line. Later in the inning with newly-inserted Erick Holck on the mound for Rider, junior Jon Gossard (Harrington Park, N.J.) followed a two-run double by Edwards with his third home run of the season to plate the final two runs of the frame and balloon the Scarlet Knights' lead to 15-6.
Reliever Jason Downey (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) worked through the sixth to earn the victory and improve to 2-1 on the year. Juniors Matt Patterson (Passaic, N.J.) and Tim Woodhull (Princeton Junction, N.J.) combined to pitch the final three innings with Woodhull closing it out in the ninth. RU's three relievers allowed just three hits in 5.2 scoreless frames. Spicer worked the first 3.1 innings for the Scarlet Knights, giving up four earned runs (six total) on four hits with a strikeout.
Lasso (0-1) took the loss for Rider with six runs on five hits in two-thirds of an inning.
Rutgers will be back in action tomorrow with a 3:00 p.m. game at Princeton.
