TCNJ TALLIES 5-2 WIN OVER ROWAN IN 2008 NCAA MID-ATLANTIC REGIONALS
Media Release May 16
Newark, NJ…The College
of New Jersey’s baseball team continued 
action in the 2008 NCAA Division III
Tournament with a 5-2 win over Rowan University on the second day Mid-Atlantic
Regional hosted at Eagles and Bears Riverfront Stadium. TCNJ improved to 30-10
and stands at 2-0 in the regional moving into the third day of competition,
while Rowan drops to 31-13. TCNJ will now play Kean University at 4:30 p.m.,
while Rowan takes on Gwynedd-Mercy College at 1:15 p.m.
The Lions struck first as senior centerfielder Dave Mebs (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) led off with a single to center field and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He was driven in on an RBI single by junior second baseman Adam Tussey (Brooklawn, NJ/Gloucester). Junior third baseman Vince Mazzaccaro (Gloucester, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) singled to left center and was driven in by senior catcher Rich Gawlak (Plainsboro, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro South) who had an RBI double to put TCNJ up 2-0 after their first at bats.
Rowan threatened in the bottom of the third, but the Lions were able to get out of the jam after Paul Urbanovich (Rutherford, NJ/St. Peter’s Prep) doubled and was stranded at third. In the bottom of the fourth, with two outs, Tom Reindel doubled down the right line but was picked off to end the inning.
In the fifth inning, junior Garrett Mull (Chatsworth, NJ/Lenape) connected on a solo home run to left center field to put the Profs on the scoreboard. The home run was his fourth of the year.
Gawlak tacked on a run for the Lions with an RBI single to left center to drive in junior short stop Jeff Toth (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville), who reached with a lead-off single. Sophomore left fielder Chris Esperon (Union, NJ/Union Catholic) drove in a run with a single to right center, but the Profs were able to stop the Lions getting Gawlak out at home on the play and Esperon out at second on a key defensive play as the Lions sent the runners.
TCNJ’s right hander senior Mike Oliver (Crosswicks, NJ/Hamilton West) got the nod as the Lions’ starter. Oliver worked seven innings for the Lions, yielding one run off five hits with three walks with five strikeouts. Oliver collected the win to improve to 6-2 and now stands at 19-4 with 168 career strikeouts, while making his 36th career appearance.
Senior reliever Brad Kittle (Millville, NJ/Millville) came in the game in the middle of the eighth inning and worked 1.2 innings with a pair of strikeouts. Kittle moved into the eighth spot on TCNJ’s career appearance list after making his 50th career appearance.
Rowan’s left handed senior Brian Cichy (Vineland, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) worked six and a third innings and allowed five runs off 11 hits with a walk and eight strikeouts to drop to 5-3 with two of those losses coming at the hands of TCNJ this year. Rookie Chris Zagyi (Summit, NJ/Oratory Prep) came in the game in relief and got the Profs out of the jam.
Rowan’s junior John McMullin (Woodbury, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) drove in Urbanovich with an RBI double in the bottom of the ninth after Urbanovich doubled to left center. With two outs, junior Eric Gertie (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) came in the game in the bottom of the ninth with runners on first and second and got Mull to pop up to the catcher to end the game. Gertie earned his ninth save of the year while adding his team-leading 18th appearance of the season.
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