NJCUBB faced Concordia College on March 11 in the RussMatt Invitational. After suffering three losses, the Gothic Knights’ newfound momentum set the tone for the rest of the game.

The team delivered three runs back to back in the first inning. A single to center field by Nick LoGatto permitted Tom Pulcine to score on a throwing error. Next was Juan Pena and he grounded out which allowed Jesse Kraft to score. Dan McLaughlin also grounded out and allowed LoGatto to be the final batter to score a run in the first inning.

Fernando Guerrero pitched for seven innings struck out eight batters and allowed one walk. Not only did Guerrero prove to be a stellar pitcher, but he played a crucial role when it came to preventing several Concordia batters from collecting a run. That prevention allowed NJCU to maintain had a three-point advantage for most of the game.

The Gothic Knights returned in the ninth with a single from Mike Albunia which allowed Pena to score. Immediately following Albunia, Matt Corsi also singled which allowed for Ricky Voss to score. Concordia came back in the bottom of the ninth to receive their first and only run in the game. The team did not have enough runs to win and NJCU won their first game of the season 5-1. 

Stay tuned here and on NJCU Gothic Knights for more information about NJCU Athletics.