Since the start of April, Rowan baseball has been on a skid, dropping all four games they’ve played this month, leading to a 13-8 overall record. During this four-game losing streak, the Profs have struggled to score runs.
In their road doubleheader against No. 20 Montclair State, Rowan failed to score a single run in both games and in the two-game series against Stockton, they lost the first game in Glassboro 5-2 and followed it up with a 5-4 loss in Galloway after having a 2-0 lead.
Thursday, April. 11, saw the first of a two-game set against the 18-7 Rutgers-Camden Raptors. Rowan hosted this game and would have to travel to Rutgers-Camden on Friday.
After their recent offensive struggles, the Profs flipped the script against the Raptors, with a dominant 20-5 victory.
Senior Thomas Sullivan got his fifth start of the season, and thanks to the run support from his hitters, was able to pick up his second win of the year.
The Profs’ bats were rolling to start the game, as they forced the pitcher to give up seven runs in two innings, and as a result, the Profs entered the third inning with a 7-2 lead. Senior Pat Defeciani opened up the floodgates with a two-run home run off Rutgers-Camden pitcher Daniel Robeson in the first. From there, Rowan took advantage of some defensive miscues from Rutgers-Camden, leading to their seven runs.
Rowan’s head coach Mike Dickson wasn’t satisfied with the early lead, however.
“It was important to keep the pressure on Rutgers-Camden if they can make it a 7-2 game and all of a sudden we don’t score for a couple of innings it gives the chance for them to get back in the game…so it was important to keep scoring,” Dickson said.
The Profs took their coach’s advice to heart, scoring 10 runs in the third inning to blow the game open. Junior Jason Morgan highlighted the inning with his first career grand slam.
“It was the best feeling in the world,” Morgan said. “There’s nothing better in any sport than hitting a home run, especially a grand slam.”
After a solo shot from Defeciani in the fourth and a two-run homer from junior Phil Sedalis in the fifth, the Profs would end up scoring 20 runs in just five innings.
Defeciani, who went 3-4 with two home runs and recorded a team-high 5 RBI, helped the offense produce those 20 runs.
“I was just seeing the ball well and having the guys in the dugout getting behind you, really gave me confidence at every at-bat,” Defeciani said.
Two other important players were senior Tylor Cannon and junior Chris Serrano. Cannon led the team in hits, with a 4-6 day at the plate and added 2 RBI while Serrano went 2-3 with 2 RBI of his own.
The win was important for the Profs, not only to end their losing streak but also to look to climb back up the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) standings after getting their second conference win on the season.
“We have nothing left to do but fight,” Dickson said. “That’s all you can do when you’re in last place in the NJAC and looking to win a NJAC title.”
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