In a home and home dual over Thursday and Friday, the William Paterson Pioneers couldn’t figure out the formula in their cross county rivalry against Ramapo College being swept, 13-10 and 6-1, led by a pair of sophomores in first baseman Nick Pellegrino and second baseman Jack Tallent.
On Thursday, the Pioneers welcomed the Roadrunners to Jeff Albies Field for a New Jersey Athletic Conference matchup, but the visitors applied pressure immediately.
Sophomore pitcher Daury Rodriguez took the mound for William Paterson, but a throwing error by senior shortstop Dylan Santos on the first play allowed Tallent to reach base and eventually score.
The Roadrunners extended their lead in the second inning by stringing together four straight singles to pull ahead 4-0. Ramapo continued to manufacture runs through the middle innings, including a third-inning surge aided by two Pioneer errors. While William Paterson attempted a rally in the fourth with a two-run double by sophomore catcher Alex Gomez, Ramapo led 8-3 heading into the final frames.
The Pioneers mounted a late-game charge in the eighth inning. After trailing 13-4, senior Julian Pinto delivered a pinch-hit, three-run triple to center field, cutting the deficit to 13-9. However, the comeback fell short as Ramapo graduate student reliever Hunter Sabbers struck out two batters to end the threat.
In the second outing, senior starter Julian Salinas threw a complete game, but the Pioneers’ bats remained cold in a 6-1 loss. Salinas pitched eight innings, allowing 10 hits and six runs, only two of which were earned, while striking out four.
The Pioneers threatened in the first inning when junior second baseman Devin Daproza walked and freshman first baseman Matt Caruso singled, but the rally stalled. Ramapo took a 2-0 lead in the second following hits by graduate student catcher Dan Maglio and sophomore left fielder Julian Caruso.
Errors once again plagued William Paterson in the fourth. Two miscues on a single play allowed senior third baseman Eric Knapp to score, and a third throwing error in the frame pushed the Ramapo lead to 4-0. Salinas found his groove late, allowing only one hit over the final three innings, but the Pioneers could only manage one run on a sixth-inning wild pitch.
The Pioneers fell to 12-18 on the season and more importantly 5-7 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, still holding a top six spot. Ramapo advances to 23-8, 9-3 in the NJAC holding the third spot behind Rowan and Montclair State.
William Paterson travels to Galloway, New Jersey, to face Stockton in a pivotal NJAC doubleheader Saturday. Stockton is currently tied for seventh in the conference with a 4-8 record in league play with The College of New Jersey.
This incoming matchup carries significant weight for conference standings with the regular season concluding next week, with only six going to the playoffs.
