FORT MYERS, Fla. – Rutgers baseball (4-11) fell into an early hole and could not recover in an 11-3 road loss to Florida Gulf Coast (13-5) Saturday at Swanson Stadium. It was the second meeting of a three-game series.
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"We've had too many games where we have fallen behind in the first inning," head coach
Joe Litterio said. "You take away those five runs, it's a 6-3 game and you learn from it and move on. But it's tough when you give up those early runs. This is not all on the pitching staff, it's on the defense as well. We are still looking for the right combination that is going to help us be successful."
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The Scarlet Knights had six freshmen in the starting lineup, with
Peter Serruto leading the group with a single, a double, a walk and two RBIs. Redshirt freshman
Tim Dezzi was on twice in three trips on a single and a walk, while redshirt junior
Kevin Blum hit an RBI single.
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Junior
Kyle Gerace (0-2) made the start on the mound and worked four innings. Junior
Tevin Murray, freshman
Garrett French, junior
Eric Reardon and freshman
Parker Scott all pitched an inning from the bullpen and combined to surrender just one unearned run. RU let in five unearned runs after committing four errors in the game.
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SCORING
- Florida Gulf Coast scored five in the first inning, including a three-run homer with two outs by Anthony Gonnella.
- The Eagles tallied three unearned runs in the fourth, adding one earned and one unearned in the fifth.
- Rutgers plated one in the sixth when Dezzi singled and scored on a two-out double to right-center by Serruto.
- A pair of errors led to a FGCU run in the sixth.
- Serruto knocked in freshman Andy Axelson, who walked as a pinch hitter, on a single in the eighth.
- Blum came through with a single as a pinch hitter to bring home junior Kevin Welsh in the ninth.
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NOTES
- Mason Studstill (2-0) earned the win for FGCU with 10 strikeouts and one run allowed over 5.2 innings.
- Dezzi extended his hitting streak to seven games.
- Rutgers stranded 13 runners on base.
