April 16, 2017 Box Score
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers baseball jumped out to an 8-0 lead and junior John O'Reilly carried it from there in dominant fashion on the way to an 8-2 victory Sunday at Bainton Field. The Scarlet Knights also defeated the Boilermakers, 7-6, on Saturday to clinch the Big Ten weekend series.
Making his 30th career start, O'Reilly (3-5) retired the first 19 batters faced to carry a perfect game with one out in the seventh inning. A walk would end the bid for perfection and a single with two down ended the no-hitter, but the right-hander continued on to finish the eighth inning for the first time in his career. He tied his collegiate high with seven strikeouts, holding Purdue to just three hits and two runs in the economical 95-pitch outing.
Freshman Joe Neglia came on and retired the side in order in the ninth to close out the victory and improve RU (13-19, 2-4) to 3-1 on the week.
Offensively, the Scarlet Knights collected 12 hits and scored eight times to bring the weekly total to 49 runs. Sophomore Jawuan Harris reached base four times on two walks, a single and an RBI triple, while junior Chris Folinusz banged two doubles. Sophomore Mike Martinez and senior Christian Campbell added two singles apiece in the balanced attack.
The Scarlet Knights quickly went ahead with three runs in the first inning. Senior Mike Carter and Harris each started with walks, but a double play threatened to quiet the rally. However, senior Tom Marcinczyk went against the shift and grounded a ball through the vacated shortstop area for an RBI single. Campbell would then single and advance on an error to put two in scoring position for Folinusz, who laced a two-run double on a full count to the right-center gap.
In the third, Harris drew a leadoff walk and ran to third when Martinez lined a single to left-center. Martinez would then steal second with the ball scooting into center field to permit Harris to trot home.
The lead ballooned to eight with a four-run rally in the fourth that included five hits. Folinusz started it off with a double and scored when freshman Kevin Welsh laid down a bunt for a hit that was thrown away. Sophomore Nick Matera followed with a bunt single of his own to put runners on the corner for sophomore Carmen Sclafani, who hit a sacrifice fly. After the second out, Harris drilled a line drive that went all the way to the left-center wall for an RBI triple. Martinez capped the inning with an RBI single.
That would prove to be plenty of run support for O'Reilly, who picked up 11 outs on the ground on the day and cruised through the first six innings. Harry Shipley drew a walk on a full count with one out in the seventh to end the perfect game and Skyler Hunter singled for the first hit with two outs. A two-run double by Jacson McGowan put the Boilermakers (18-17, 6-6) on the board. The last no-hitter by a Rutgers pitcher was thrown by Gary Malikoski in 1978.
O'Reilly worked around a leadoff double in the eighth, striking out two of the last three batters faced to end the career-long start. It was also the longest by a Scarlet Knight this season.
Mike Kornacker (1-2) was charged with the loss in a four-inning start for the visitors. The weekend series marked Purdue's first trip to Bainton Field.
After a 3-1 week, Rutgers will return home Tuesday to start a midweek home-and-home set against Seton Hall. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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