PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Seniors
Tyler McNamara and
Carmen Sclafani both hits home runs in their final game at Bainton Field as Rutgers baseball (20-28, 9-11) took the series finale, 5-4, in the second game of a Saturday doubleheader against Northwestern (23-24, 10-11). Junior
Tommy Genuario pitched seven innings with only one earned run permitted.
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"The first game today was tough, but it was great to bounce back and get this win," head coach
Joe Litterio said. "The pitching was solid all weekend. It was nice to score some early runs and expand. Looking ahead, we are still in contention after not doing what we wanted this weekend. Still a series left at Indiana and we know what we have to do. That's why it was important to salvage this last game."
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Sclafani lifted a three-run shot, his seventh of the season and 14
th overall, in the first inning to put RU ahead early. He later singled and walked to reach three times in the game. McNamara blasted his second collegiate long ball in the fifth. Behind the plate, he threw out four runners attempting to steal in the series. Senior
Luke Bowerbank also drew a walk in his final home game as classmate
Serafino Brito, who is third in program history with 84 career appearances and eighth with 170 strikeouts, pitched in game one of the doubleheader. The quartet was honored in a postgame ceremony along with student managers Matt Bellantoni and Jimmy Catanzarite.
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"It was great that two of the seniors went deep in their last home game," Litterio said. "Carmen had hit some here before, but that was the first for Tyler. Those were memorable moments. This whole senior class has worked extremely hard for four years."
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Redshirt freshman
Tim Dezzi went 2-for-3 with the other RBI in the game. Sophomore
Mike Nyisztor scored twice as the leadoff hitter.
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On the mound, Genuario went seven innings for the second time this season to match his career high. The right-hander struck out four, stranded seven runners on base and permitted only one earned run. His ERA now stands at 2.58 in 2019. Junior
Eric Reardon preserved a two-run lead in the eighth by escaping a bases-loaded, no-out jam with nothing crossing. The left-hander rung up a called strikeout on a seven-pitch at bat before freshman
David Soto grabbed a liner up the middle and stepped on second base for an inning-ending double play. Junior
Steven Acosta collected his first career save by holding the lead in the ninth. He has now appeared in 28 games this year, tied for fourth in a single season in the school record books.
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Parker Hanks went through the lineup once for Northwestern in a 1.1-inning start with four runs surrendered. The Wildcats left 10 runners on base. Both team finished the game with nine hits.
SCORING