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Monday, March 22, 2004 By Mike Ballard CO-RAPTORS OF THE WEEK Freshman catcher Maureen Baney and senior designated hitter Mike Carlino tore the cover off the ball during their spring break trips as they stretched their hitting streaks to 12 and 11 games, respectively. Baney hit .458 (11-for-24) during the week as the Lady Raptors won all eight games at the Florida Coast Spring Training Camp. A rare left-handed catcher, Baney also has been outstanding behind the plate for the 11-1 Lady Raptors, gunning down all four runners who attempted to steal on her, and handling a pitching staff which has posted a 0.46 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 75-1/3 innings. Carlino went 11-for-21 (.524), including a pair of doubles, one triple and one home run. He ripped four hits against Claremont Mudd-Scripps (Game One, March 19) and three against Occidental (March 20). He added five runs and four RBIs during the week. SOFTBALL (11-1/0-0) UPCOMING SCHEDULE The Rutgers-Camden women’s softball team took the Florida Coast Spring Training Camp by storm last week. By the time the Lady Raptors were finished with their eight-game southern trip, they had rolled up eight victories, five shutouts and outscored their four opponents – Husson College, Nyack College, Molloy College and Ripon College – by the lopsided composite score of 58-6. In those games, the Raptors ripped 78 hits to their opponents’ 20. They hurled three one-hitters and allowed only three earned runs in 50 innings for an 0.42 ERA. Pitchers Michelle Schlichtig (Barrington, NJ/Haddon Heights) and Becky Johnson (Bridgeton, NJ/Cumberland Regional) combined for 76 strikeouts and only 11 walks in that span as the Lady Raptors stretched their winning streak to 10 games. SCARLET RAPTORS REPORT 2-2-2-2 Offensively, freshman catcher Maureen Baney (Deptford, NJ/Deptford) continued the unbelievable start to her college career, extending her hitting streak to 12 games. She went 1-for-3 in each game and capped her outstanding week by catching the complete-game performances of Schlichtig and Johnson as the Raptors completed their Florida trip with a doubleheader sweep over Ripon College, 2-1 and 3-0, March 19. In the opening game, Schlichtig (6-1) struck out the first seven batters she faced, on her way to a 15-strikeout performance. She didn’t walk a batter. Schlichtig hurled perfect ball until allowing a two-out home run in the fourth inning by Ripon sophomore catcher Rose Reichhart. That home run broke a streak of 23-2/3 consecutive scoreless innings by Schlichtig, who didn’t allow another baserunner until back-to-back singles with one out in the ninth inning. The first single was by Reichhart. Schlichtig closed out the Red Hawks’ threat with a pop up to Baney and a strikeout. Rutgers-Camden scored a run in the second inning on a triple by freshman right fielder Autumn Millett (Richwood, NJ/Clearview Regional) and an RBI single by Baney. The Raptors added the eventual winning run on a leadoff home run in the fourth inning by Millett, her second of the season. Millett and junior shortstop Celeste Chinappi (Bellmawr, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) each went 3-for-3 in the game, with Millett adding one RBI and two runs. In the nightcap, Johnson was outstanding while raising her record to 5-0. She allowed only a leadoff single in the first inning by freshman left fielder Nikki Beck. The only other runners against Johnson came on a second-inning walk and a seventh-inning error. Johnson struck out five while recording her second shutout of the year. Rutgers-Camden scored all three of its runs in the fourth inning off losing pitcher Michelle Erickson, who hurled a six-hitter, walked eight and struck out five. Freshman first baseman Ashley O’Brien (Phoenixville, PA/Spring Ford) opened the frame with a walk, was sacrificed to second by freshman left fielder Tara Fisher (Upper Deerfield, NJ/Cumberland Regional) and advanced to third on a single by junior center fielder Beth Laputka (Berlin, NJ/Overbrook). Laputka stole second and both runners scored on a single by freshman second baseman Stacy Haas (Florence, NJ/Florence). Haas, who went 2-for-4 with one run and two RBIs, stole second and advanced all the way home on a pair of passed balls. On March 18, Schlichtig tossed a four-hit shutout, struck out 13 batters and scored the only run in the first game, sparking Rutgers-Camden to a 1-0, 9-4 sweep over Molloy College. Johnson went 4-for-7 with two runs and two RBIs on the day, including a two-run triple in the fourth inning of the second game. She was the winning pitcher in that contest, hurling a four-hitter, walking two and striking out four. Only two of the four runs she allowed were earned. Baney, meanwhile, went 2-for-3 in the opening game, including a triple. She had a two-run single in the third inning of the nightcap, when the Raptors broke the game open with five runs. Schlichtig hurled her third straight shutout and stretched her scoreless innings streak to 20 in the opening game. She walked two and struck out 13. She also scored the game’s only run after getting hit by a pitch in the fifth inning and advancing to third on a single by Chinappi. Schlichtig stole home on a botched pickoff play. The Raptors collected six hits off of losing pitcher Francesca Romano. Rutgers-Camden drilled 15 hits in the nightcap, led by Haas, who went 3-for-4 with one run, and Johnson’s three hits. Millett and O’Brien each went 2-for-4, with Millett scoring two runs and O’Brien driving home two. Chinappi also went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI. The Lady Raptors scored the only runs they needed with their five-run third inning, sparked by a leadoff single from Haas. She scored on a single by Chinappi. Baney hit a two-run single and O’Brien had a two-run double later in the frame. The Raptors swept Nyack College March 16 in a pair of five-inning games, 10-0 and 13-1. Chinappi led the 23-hit attack by going 4-for-5 with three runs and four. Schlichtig tossed a three-hit shutout in the first game, striking out nine. Johnson hurled a three-hitter in the nightcap, allowing only one unearned run while fanning. Both pitchers walked two batters. In the opening game, the Lady Raptors broke a scoreless deadlock with six runs in the third inning. The rally started with a one-out walk by freshman third baseman Alaina Giles (Willingboro, NJ/Holy Cross) and a single by Fisher. One out later, Chinappi poked a two-run single to start the scoring. Schlichtig followed with a run-scoring triple. Following a walk to Millett, Johnson drilled her fifth home run of the season. She is only two shy of the school single-season mark of seven that she tied last season, and increased her program career record to 12. SCARLET RAPTORS REPORT 3-3-3-3 The Raptors added a pair of runs in the fourth inning on a triple by Giles and RBI singles by Fisher and Chinappi. They capped the scoring with a two-run fifth, aided by an RBI single from Baney and a run-scoring double by Giles. Johnson and Chinappi each went 2-for-3 with three RBIs in the game. Johnson scored two runs and Chinappi added one. Giles went 2-for-2 with one RBI and two runs, while Fisher went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI. In the nightcap, Nyack scored an unearned run in the top of the first inning before Rutgers-Camden exploded for six in the bottom of the frame. Haas opened the inning with a single and scored the tying run on a double by Chinappi. O’Brien eventually plated the winning run with a ground out. Later in the frame, Baney ripped a two-run double. The Raptors added another six-run inning in the second, sparked by a Chinappi single and a run-scoring triple from Schlichtig. Haas added a two-run single later in the frame, and finished the game 2-for-3 with one run and two RBIs. Baney went 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs. The Raptors opened their week at the Florida Coast Spring Training Camp March 15 by sweeping a twinbill from Husson College of Maine, 7-0 and 13-0. Johnson hurled a one-hit shutout and clubbed her fourth home run of the season in the first game, and Schlichtig added a one-hit shutout in the second game. They both collected 12 strikeouts. Johnson barely missed a no-hitter in her gem, allowing the only hit with two outs in the seventh inning on an infield looper over her head that was hit by the Braves’ first baseman Stacy Wright. Johnson hurled perfect ball until issuing her only walk, to No. 9 hitter Carolyn McAvoy, with two outs in the third inning. The only other Husson batter to reach base was right fielder Krystal Boone, on a fifth-inning error. Johnson, who also was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Player of the Week on March 15 after hitting three home runs and slugging 1.154 in her first four games, delivered the only runs she needed with a two-run first-inning home run. Her shot followed a two-out double by Schlichtig, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI in the game. Baney also went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI for the Raptors, including her first collegiate home run, a solo shot in the fifth inning. In the nightcap, Schlichtig struck out the side in both the first and last innings of the contest, which was shortened to five innings by the 10-run rule. She allowed only one walk and one hit – a leadoff single in the second inning by McEvoy. Rutgers-Camden put the game away with a five-run first inning, highlighted by an RBI single from Schlichtig, a two-run single by O’Brien and a run-scoring double Millett. Giles plated the fifth run with a fielder’s choice. The Raptors added another five-run frame in the fourth inning, including a two-run double by Johnson, a two-run homer by Millett and a run-scoring single by freshman left fielder Kait Anzelone (Wildwood Crest, NJ/Wildwood). For the game, Millett had three RBIs, while Johnson and O’Brien each added two. Johnson and Millett had two hits apiece, while Millett and Schlichtig each scored three runs. BASEBALL (7-7-1/0-0) UPCOMING SCHEDULE SCARLET RAPTORS REPORT 4-4-4-4
On the final day of west coast action, the Raptors played a pair of games at Occidental College in Los Angeles. Murphy went 3-for-9 on the day to become the career hit leader at Rutgers-Camden, and freshman second baseman Shane McNichol (Blackwood, NJ/Highland) singled home the winning run in the top of the 10th inning of the nightcap as the Scarlet Raptors split a doubleheader March 20 at the California Invitational. McNichol’s single gave the Raptors an 8-7 win over Occidental College. Earlier in the day, the Scarlet Raptors lost a 9-6 game against Pacific Lutheran University. It was a record-setting day for Murphy, who went 2-for-5 in the opening game. He poked a first-inning single to tie the Rutgers-Camden career record of 176 hits, set by Gerry Gatelein from 1993-96. He broke the mark with his 177th hit, a run-scoring double in the seventh inning.
Murphy added another milestone in the second game with a two-run triple in the third inning. It was his 24th career triple, moving him into second place on the all-time NCAA Division III list. He had shared second place with Ben Motter of Dickinson (1995-98) and Tom Mahl of Marietta (1979-82). The only player in Division III history with more triples than Murphy is Matt Gelotti of Southwestern (Texas), who hit 38 triples from 1997-2000. The Raptors outlasted Occidental in the nightcap by plating the winning run in the 10th inning. Sophomore catcher Nick Turekian (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) opened the inning with a single, but he was cut down at the plate on a double by Calloway. He scored the winning run on the single by McNichol, his former high school teammate. Sophomore third baseman Tyler Inkster (Audubon, NJ/Audubon) went 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs for the Raptors, while Carlino went 3-for-5 with one run, stretching his hitting streak to 11 games. He was 2-for-5 with two RBIs in the opening game.
Right fielder Doug Tisdale went 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs for the Tigers (2-16), who lost to Rutgers-Camden for the second time in six days. The Raptors edged Occidental, 11-10, on March 14. In the opening game, Pacific Lutheran jumped to a 6-1 lead, aided by a three-run first-inning home run from catcher David Fox, and held on for the win. The Raptors chipped away with three runs in the seventh and solo homers in the eighth by freshman left fielder Mike Morris (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) and junior first baseman Dustin Roach (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee), but couldn’t get closer than a 7-6 deficit. Fox went 2-for-5 with one run and four RBIs for the Lutes. On March 19, Calloway slugged three home runs to set a single-game school record for homers and total bases as the Scarlet Raptors defeated Claremont Mudd-Scripps, 7-1, in the second game of a doubleheader, earning a split against the Stags at the California Invitational. Claremont Mudd-Scripps won the opening game, 6-5, despite the 20th career home run by Murphy. His solo shot in the eighth inning set the program’s career record and gave him five round-trippers on the young season. He passed the school mark of 19 set by Jamie Schwantes from 1994-97.
Carlino went 4-for-5 with one run and one RBI for the Scarlet Raptors, while Turekian went 3-for-5 with one run. Murphy added two hits for the Raptors, who collected 15 hits as a team but left 14 on base. In the nightcap, junior pitcher Matt Ulmer (Beverly, NJ/Holy Cross) scattered eight hits and allowed only one run in earning his first win of the year. Ulmer, who owns a 1-2 record despite a sterling ERA of 1.60, allowed only a third-inning run on a sacrifice fly by senior shortstop Tyler Kimura. Ulmer walked two, hit a batter and struck out three. SCARLET RAPTORS REPORT 5-5-5-5 Rutgers-Camden scored the only runs Ulmer needed on Calloway’s three-run home run in the first inning. He added solo shots in the third and eighth innings to set the school record, passing the mark of two held by many players. The last Raptor to hit two home runs in a game was Murphy, who did it on the California trip against the University of the Redlands March 14, 2004. Calloway’s 12 total bases passed the single-game program mark of 11 shared by John Capone and Gerry Gatelein in games against Widener on March 25, 1997 and March 26, 1996, respectively. Calloway had five RBIs and three runs scored in the game. Carlino also added a solo home run for the Raptors while going 5-for-7 in the twinbill. On March 18, senior first baseman Chester Janke hit a three-run home run in the third inning and went 3-for-4 with four RBIs on the day as the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse defeated Rutgers University-Camden, 6-4, in a game played at Claremont Mudd-Scripps. The Eagles broke a 4-4 tie in the eighth inning following a leadoff single by junior second baseman Kellen Haynes and a one-out error. One out later, another infield error plated a pair of runs which gave Wisconsin-La Crosse the victory. The Scarlet Raptors (5-5-1) received three RBIs Morris, who had a run-scoring fielder’s choice in the third inning and singled home a both runs in the two-run seventh, when the Raptors tied the game at 4-4. Rutgers-Camden also collected a solo home run in the first inning from Murphy. The shot was Murphy’s 19th career round-tripper, tying him for the school’s career mark with Schwantes. Freshman Mike Denman collected the win in relief for the Eagles, working two shutout innings and allowing two hits. He struck out two. Senior teammate Eric Nevermann collected the last out of the game on a fly to left, stranding the tying runs on base to earn his first save. Junior Michael Wunderler (Blue Anchor, NJ/St. Joseph-Hammonton) was the tough-luck losing pitcher in relief, working 1-1/3 innings and allowing one hit and two unearned runs. TRACK AND FIELD March 20 Richard Stockton College Invitational Rutgers-Camden School Records: Rutgers-Camden Winners: UPCOMING SCHEDULE Freshman Donna-Marie Kirk (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) set a school record in the discus throw in her first collegiate meet and junior sprinter Tameka Jackson (Pennsauken, NJ/Sterling) continued her individual brilliance for the Rutgers University-Camden track and field team at the Richard Stockton College Invitational March 20. No team scores were kept in the meet. Kirk threw the discus 113-3 to finish sixth in the event, but she shattered the old program record of 102-10 set by teammate Amanda Thompson (Camden, NJ/Camden) at the Albright Invitational April 10, 2002. Jackson, meanwhile, raced to a first-place finish in the 100-meter dash (12.63) and finished second at 200 meters (26.05). SCARLET RAPTORS REPORT 6-6-6-6 Thompson, a junior, finished fifth in the shot put (35-6), while Kirk finished eighth in that event (31-6.75). Junior Tiffany Logan (Turnersville, NJ/Washington Township) finished fourth in the long jump (14-5.75) and fifth in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles (1:17.67). On the men’s side, the Scarlet Raptors had a strong showing in the 100-meter dash, placing three runners in the top seven. Leading the way was junior Taiwan Lamb (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City), who finished second with a clocking of 11.61. Raphael Fuentes (Yonkers, NY/Haddonfield) and sophomore Tyrell McGraw (Hammonton, NJ/Edgewood) finished fourth and seventh in that event in times of 11.69 and 11.85, respectively. Lamb also finished ninth in the 200-meter dash (23.63), while Fuentes placed 13th (24.04) and McGraw was 15th (24.38). Junior Matthew Weng (Lakehurst, NJ/Shawnee) finished third in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles in a time of 1:02.74. Sophomore Kevin Pang (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) finished 12th in the javelin throw (109-4). GOLF UPCOMING SCHEDULE The Rutgers-Camden golf team was snowed out of its scheduled opener March 18 at the Susquehanna University Tee-Off Tournament, which has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 25. The Scarlet Raptors now will open their spring season Monday, March 22, at the York College Invitational. Photos by Nancy Pope |
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