PISCATAWAY, N.J. – After seven games over 10 days in Florida, Rutgers baseball returns to Bainton Field Tuesday to host Stony Brook at 3 p.m. It will be the first meeting between the teams and the start of five-straight home games for the Scarlet Knights. Big Ten play opens Friday versus Ohio State.
 
The game is set to stream on BTN Plus and WRSU 88.7-FM will provide the radio call with Raj Shah and Randy DeGregorio. Live stats can be followed at ScarletKnights.com. Admission and parking are free, but all vehicles are required to be registered to comply with a new Rutgers University policy. Only one registration per vehicle is needed for the season.
 
RU finished spring break with a 1-6 mark, with four of the losses coming by one or two runs and another in extra innings. Most recently, the Scarlet Knights dropped the series versus Indiana State, a team ranked No. 15 in the latest RPI with a 19-2 record. The Sycamores, starting eight seniors in their lineup, broke open a 1-1 game with two in the ninth to win the Friday opener before plating six in the first inning on Saturday. Rutgers bounced back to score the next five runs, including the first career home run by freshman Chris Brito, before ISU closed out a 7-5 victory. The finale saw Indiana State fend off a 4-3 win, tallying three in the opening frame and holding the lead from there.
 
The Rutgers bullpen combined for a 1.96 ERA over 18.1 innings in the three games last weekend. Junior Tommy Genuario, who is tied for first in the Big Ten with 12 appearances, pitched a career-high 5.2 scoreless innings Sunday, while junior Tevin Murray struck out six in 4.2 innings Saturday to match his longest collegiate outing. Murray has struck out 32 in 22.1 innings for a rate of 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings this year, ranked 28^th nationally. In addition, junior Steven Acosta, a transfer from Stony Brook, permitted just one run in eight relief innings over spring break.
 
Freshman Jared Bellissimo is set to make his second start Tuesday. The left-hander logged two scoreless innings to begin his outing last Wednesday versus Harvard.
 
Offensively, redshirt freshman Tim Dezzi posted a team-high .467 on-base percentage on the trip and is at .402 for the season with a .749 OPS. Senior Carmen Sclafani has slammed two homers and junior Kevin Welsh has reached base in each of the last 15 games.
 
THE OPPONENT
Stony Brook comes in winners of its last eight games, currently holding the second-longest active winning streak in the nation. The Seawolves swept Sacred Heart last weekend and previously beat Army and LIU-Brooklyn and took all three in a conference set against UMBC. The bats rank No. 27 nationally with 1.06 homers per game, slugging .447 as a team. Michael Wilson is slashing .468/.522/.855 with five homer and 23 RBIs. Nick DeGennaro, from Toms River, is the probable starter, having allowed four runs in 1.1 innings in his last outing on March 17 versus UMBC. Matt Senk is in his 29^th season leading the program.
 
THE SERIES
Rutgers will face its fourth new opponent this season, previously playing Butler, New Orleans and Chicago State for the first time in February.
 
UP NEXT
Rutgers opens Big Ten play Friday versus Ohio State. First pitch at Bainton Field is scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
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