Knights Suffer Non-Conference Loss to NJCU

FISHKILL – Playing its final game before its spring break trip to Florida, the Mount Saint Mary College Baseball team was handed a 5-1 non-conference loss by NJCU on Wednesday afternoon. Senior Matt Cahill led the Knights with two hits in the game.

NJCU got the scoring started early on Wednesday, plating a run in the top of the first inning. Dmitri Rueger led off the game with a walk and later stole second to give the Gothic Knights a runner in scoring position with no one out. Rueger advanced to third on a groundout and scored the first run of the game on a single off the bat of Joe Coutinho.

The visitors got the eventual game winning run in the fifth when Matt Jacobsen doubled home Nick Ruscingno with one out in the frame and broke the game open with three more runs in the top half of the sixth. Ruscingno drove in two runs with a single in the sixth and later scored on a double from Taylor Born, giving the Gothic Knights a 5-0 lead.

Mount Saint Mary broke through with its only run of the game in the home half of the seventh, taking advantage of two hits, a walk and a hit batsman. Albert Estwick Jr. walked and Louie DeAngelis reached on an infield single to start the rally. After Blake Keenan was hit with a pitch, Tom Huvane drove in the team’s lone run with a single through the left side to close out the scoring in the game.

Eastwick and Cahill each collected extra base hits for the Knights, with Estwick doubling in the third and Cahill tripling in the fifth. Eastwick reached twice, drawing a walk, and scored the team’s only run of the afternoon.

NJCU was led by a 2-for-4 effort from Ruscingno, who scored twice and drive in two runs. He also stole a pair of bases for the Gothic Knights.

Christopher Ruggiero suffered the loss, working 5.0 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits. Joe Stone picked up the win in relief for the Gothic Knights, working 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing a pair of hits and fanning two hitters.