| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 15 | 2 |
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| Win-McKay (5-1) • Loss-Baxter (1-6) • Save-Hunter (1) • T-3:31 • A-187 • Bainton Field |
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (April 13, 2014) - In an attempt to sweep the series, Rutgers baseball fell short in an 11-8 defeat to Hartford in the finale Sunday at Bainton Field. It was the 10th game in the last 13 days for the Scarlet Knights.
Led by two hits each by senior Nick Favatella (Washington Township, N.J.), senior Lou Clemente (Union, N.J.) and freshman Tom Marcinczyk (Middlesex, N.J.), RU (14-18) produced 12 hits in the game to reach double digits for the 16th time this season. Senior Pat Sweeney (Sparta, N.J.) drove in three runs and made his first career start at third base defensively.
Rutgers jumped up with a run in the second inning on a pair of extra-base hits. Clemente doubled with one out and eventually moved up to third with two outs. Sweeney then stepped up and laced an RBI triple to the left-center gap to bring in the first run of the game. RU looked to have added another in the third on a sacrifice fly, but the runner on third was deemed to leave early.
Then in the top of the fourth, Hartford (18-13) scored three unearned runs after RU committed a pair of errors. The rally featured only one hit.
The advantage did not last long, as RU scored two in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at three. Marcinczyk led off with a triple to left-center and scored on a sacrifice fly by Sweeney. The inning continued with sophomore R.J. Devish (Beachwood, N.J.) singling and freshman Mike Carter (Bloomfield, N.J.) walking to put two on with one out. Favatella next grounded a ball to shortstop for a fielder's choice, but the relay to first went awry to allow Devish to come around, unearned.
The Hawks regained the lead in the seventh on five runs and five hits, as four of the runs came home with two outs.
RU chipped back with three of its own after the seventh-inning stretch to cut it to 8-6. Clemente walked with one out and D'Annunzio entered as a pinch runner for the situation. Freshman Christian Campbell (Sayreville, N.J.) was next hit by a pitch and Marcinczyk walked to load the bases and force a pitching change. Sweeney followed with an RBI on a fielder's choice and reached safely via a Hartford error to keep the bases loaded. Junior Michael Zavala (Randolph, N.J.) then pinch hit and produced an RBI fielder's choice, with Carter capping the rally with a two-out single to plate Marcinczyk.
Hartford tacked on two more runs on a two-run single in the top of the eighth to make it 10-6. However, RU kept battling and plated two more to bring it to 10-8. D'Annunzio doubled, moved to third on a passed ball and came in on a RBI groundout by Campbell for the first one. Marcinczyk then blasted his second triple of the game and scored on a wild pitch immediately after.
Another two-out RBI hit gave the visitors an insurance run in the top of the ninth, as Brian Hunter closed out the ninth to earn his first save of the season for the Hawks. Sam McKay (5-1) picked up the win, while redshirt freshman Kevin Baxter (Waterford, N.J.) (1-6) suffered the loss.
Rutgers will continue it 13-game homestand Tuesday with a 3:30 p.m. game versus Lafayette at Bainton Field.
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