NEW ORLEANS – Rutgers baseball took a 2-1 lead in the fifth, but New Orleans responded with four runs in the bottom half and added two late to claim a 7-2 win Saturday at Maestri Field. Part of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Baseball Classic, it was the first all-time meeting between the Scarlet Knights and the Privateers.
 
"We didn't have it today at the plate," head coach Joe Litterio said. "We are trying to find the right combination of guys to go up there aggressively. It's still early in the year. We have too many guys feeling for it right now and worried about too many different things rather than seeing it and hitting it. A couple young guys came up late and swung it pretty good. We are still looking for the right combination."
 
Junior Tevin Murray (0-2) struck out seven, matching his total from last week at Miami, over four-plus innings in his second collegiate start. Junior Kyle Gerace followed with two innings of relief, while redshirt sophomore Kyle Muller stranded three inherited runners over 1.2 innings.
 
At the plate, redshirt freshman Tim Dezzi, who had three hits with a walk-off single Friday, added his team-leading seventh hit of the season with a double. The Scarlet Knights (1-4) were held to four hits on the day.
 
The Privateers (4-1) scored first with a two-out RBI single in the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead. Murray was able to keep it there, posting three consecutive zeroes. The left-hander escaped a two-on, no-out jam in the fourth with a pair of strikeouts and a pop up.
 
Rutgers then rallied for two in the fifth to take the lead. Dezzi led off with a double to right-center and senior Carmen Sclafani walked to put two aboard. Next up, senior Luke Bowerbank laid down a sacrifice bunt, but the throw to first was wide to allow the bases to be loaded. Freshman Peter Serruto fell behind two strikes, with a breaking ball missing too far inside for an RBI hit by pitch. Sclafani crossed the plate on a double-play ball.
 
However, New Orleans struck back with three consecutive hits to start the bottom of the fifth. Collin Morrill had a two-run home run to put the home team on top. The Privateers tacked on two in the seventh.
 
Chris Turpin (2-0) earned the win with no earned runs permitted over six innings for New Orleans. John Barr worked the last three frames for his first save of the season.
 
UP NEXT
Rutgers wraps up the Allstate Sugar Bowl Baseball Classic with its first meeting against Chicago State Sunday at 10 a.m. ET.
 
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