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Big Ten Conference
Chris Brito
Ben Solomon/Rutgers Athletics
16
Winner Rutgers RU 2-3
4
North Florida UNF 2-3
Winner
Rutgers RU
2-3
16
Final
4
North Florida UNF
2-3
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Rutgers RU 0 0 3 2 4 0 1 6 0 16 16 1
North Florida UNF 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 4 8 0

W: Genuario, Tommy (1-1) L: REITZ, Brandon (1-1) S: Scott, Parker (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Rolls North Florida to Clinch Series

Scarlet Knights put 30 runners on base in 16-4 victory

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Rutgers baseball (2-3) continued its offensive barrage from the series opener to take down North Florida (2-3), 16-4, Saturday at Harmon Stadium. The 30 runs scored the last two days against the Ospreys are the most for the Scarlet Knights in the first two games of a weekend series since posting 33 at Notre April 9-10, 2010.
 
"Yesterday we scored a lot of runs with groundouts and sacrifice flies, and today we scored runs with extra-base hits and hits with runners in scoring position," head coach Steve Owens said. "We did a great job of getting the big hits with runners on, including several times going the other way. That led to several big innings. We played really good defense again. Pitching-wise, Tommy had a couple good innings to start and then minimized their rallies. Parker came in next and we decided to roll with him all the way through to keep the bullpen fresh for tomorrow."
 
RU kept continuous traffic on the base paths with 30 baserunners, 16 hits, 10 walks and four hit by pitches. Redshirt junior Danny DiGeorgio reached five times on three hits and two walks, knocking in three and scoring three times. He has been on base 9-of-12 plate appearances so far this series. Junior Sam Owens also had a pair of hits game and was hit by a pitch twice to board four times, recording three runs and three RBIs of his own.
 
With the score at 5-2 in the fifth, DiGeorgio and Owens hit back-to-back two-out, two-run doubles to break open the game.
 
Sophomore Peter Serruto went 3-for-4 with three runs and his second homer of the season. The catcher is hitting .533/.611/.933 in the early part of the season. Junior Mike Nyisztor contributed three RBIs to up his team-leading total to eight in 2020. In addition, sophomore Chris Brito and freshman Grant Shulman notched two hits apiece, as freshman Jordan Sweeney joined Brito with two RBIs.
 
"Big hits in big spots," Owens said. "The hitters have done a great job of swinging at strikes and taking balls. We are getting big hits from different guys, which is great to see."
 
On the mound, fifth-year senior Tommy Genuario (1-1) posted a quality start to earn the win with three runs and six hits permitted over six innings. The right-hander left six runners on base. Sophomore Parker Scott followed with three innings of work and one run allowed for his first collegiate save.
 
Brandon Reitz (1-1) took the loss for North Florida with five runs allowed in 3.2 innings.
SCORING
  • After two scoreless innings to start, Rutgers broke through for three runs in the third to take the lead. DiGeorgio started off with a single through the right side and Owens was hit by a pitch to put two aboard. A wild pitch allowed both to advance into scoring position. Nyisztor then hit an RBI groundout to shortstop for the first run of the game. Sophomore Richie Schiekofer was hit in the foot and promptly stole second for Brito, who lifted a two-run double to right-center.
  • Genuario worked a perfect third and the Scarlet Knights tacked on two more in the next half inning. Serruto crushed a long drive to left for a leadoff solo homer. With one down, DiGeorgio notched another hit and moved to third on a single by Owens. Nyisztor came through again with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0.
  • North Florida put together two runs on four hits to cut it to 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth. Schiekofer made a lunging catch against the wall in right field to help limit the damage, as the bases were left loaded.
  • RU responded with a four-spot in the fifth, all scoring with two outs. Brito and Shulman sparked the rally with singles to start, with Serruto adding another single with one out to load the bases. A strikeout went down as the second out, but DiGeorgio one-hopped the left field wall for a two-run double and Owens followed with the same result on a rip to right-center that quickly added four and expanded the lead to 9-2.
  • After the Ospreys recorded one in the sixth, the Scarlet Knights matched in the seventh. Nyisztor connected for a two-out RBI single to plate Owens.
  • The lead swelled to 16-3 in the eighth after RU drew six walks, two hit by pitches and saw Sweeney hit a pinch-hit two-run single.
  • A solo homer by UNF's Tucker Horsley in the bottom of the ninth set the final score at 16-4.
NOTES
  • Rutgers now leads the all-time series over North Florida, 4-2, with four consecutive victories.
  • Rutgers clinched a road non-conference weekend series for the first time since taking 2-of-3 at Florida Gulf from March 16-18, 2018.
  • After posting 18 hits Friday, the Scarlet Knights added 16 Saturday to make it consecutive games with at least 16 for the first time since March 30 and April 2, 2013.
  • The 30 runs scored were the most for RU in the first two games of a weekend series since recording 33 at Notre Dame April 9-10, 2010.
  • RU drew 10 walks, the first time reaching double digits since taking 11 versus Michigan on May 4, 2018.
  • Rutgers has now won its last five games played on Feb. 22 to improve to 6-2 all-time on the date.
 
UP NEXT

Rutgers will seek a three-game sweep in the series finale Sunday at 1 p.m.



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