NEWARK, NJ | The Rutgers University-Newark baseball team opened their 2022 campaign today with a split against Bard College at Weequahic Park.
Game 1: Bard 21, Rutgers-Newark 3
Lisandro Ulerio led the Scarlet Raiders (0-1) from the dish in game one, going 2-for-3 with two runs and a walk. Joining Ulerio in the two-hit club was Anthony Ricardo who finished the game 2-for-3 with a run. On the mound, Marcus James (0-1) pitched 3.1 innings and gave up seven runs, three earned, with four strikeouts in the loss.
Bard (1-0) was led by Jordan Meyers who finished 3-for-6 while Jared Toby and Justin Fiume paced the team with a pair of RBIs each. On the mound, it was Aidan Risse who picked up the win while allowing just one hit in four innings with two strikeouts.
After two scoreless innings, Bard cracked the deadlock in the top of the 3rd when they tallied five runs. Blunder in the infield allowed the Raptors to continue innings as they'd go on to add 15 runs in the next two innings thanks to seven errors by the Scarlet Raiders.
In the bottom of the 5th, the Scarlet Raiders recorded their first pair of runs in the new season. Robert Gonzalez brought home a run with a fielder's choice before Chris Suleski hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Ulerio.
The Scarlet Raiders would go on to add one more run in the 7th to close out the opening game of the doubleheader.
Game 2: Rutgers-Newark 10, Bard 8
Eric Recchia, Chris Suleski, and Jesse Evensen all tallied two hits in game two for the Scarlet Raiders (1-1) with Recchia and Suleski leading the way with two RBIs each. Daniel Reardon got the start on the mound but ti was Dan Greene (1-0) who picked up the win in three innings of action while Liam Winslow earned the save.
Spencer Checkoway and Jordan Myers each tallied three hits for Bard (1-1) while Myers led the charge with two RBIs. Bryant Reed picked up the loss in 2.2 innings of action.
Rutgers-Newark played cleaner baseball in game two which opened opportunities for them later in the game. Bard jumped out to a 7-2 lead after 4.5 innings of play, however, in the bottom of the 5th, the Scarlet Raiders' bats came alive.
After scoring one run in the 3rd and 4th inning the Scarlet Raiders exploded for five runs in the bottom of the 5th to tie the game up at seven. Recchia brought out his big bat in the 5th when he hit a two RBI double to right field which scored both Armando Alvarez and Ryan Lebow. Recchia wouldn't be stranded on the bases long as Anthony Ricardo singled to left field which brought in Recchia. With the hot bats, Suleski continued the streak and scored Ricardo with a triple to left-center to close out the scoring for the Scarlet Raiders in the 5th.
In the 6th, the Scarlet Raiders took their first lead of the day when Alvarez singled through the left side to plate Jamir Ramos. Rutgers-Newark added another pair of runs in the 8th inning to secure their first win of the season.
Up Next:
The Scarlet Raiders will remain home when they host St. Elizabeth on Wednesday, March 2 at 3:00 pm.
