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Monday, March 5, 2007 By Mike Ballard RAPTOR OF THE WEEK Sophomore Jonathan Salamon broke his own Rutgers-Camden indoor track record in the 500-meter dash and anchored the record-setting 4x800 relay team at the ECAC Division III Indoor Track Championships March 3 at Wesleyan University (Middletown, Conn.). Salamon’s 1:07.36 clocking in the 500 meters broke his old mark of 1:07.75 and gave the Raptors three points with his sixth-place finish. He helped the 4x800 team to a second-place finish in a record time of 7:57.68, producing eight points as the Raptors compiled 12 points and tied for 26th place out of 55 scoring teams. A day earlier at the ECAC Championships, Salamon helped the distance medley team produce one point with an eighth-place finish in a school-record 10:32.93 clocking. BASEBALL (3-3) March Thurs. 1 Rutgers-Camden 13, Haverford College 5 Upcoming Games Tues. 6 at Catholic University 3 p.m. Fri. 9 vs. Wabash College (IN) at Grand Canyon Univ. 11 a.m. The Scarlet Raptors achieved a pair of individual milestones during a 2-2 week, capped on March 4 when Head Coach Keith Williams won his 150th career game in a 10-8 victory against SUNY-Brockport. A day earlier, senior center fielder Nate Buchter (Blackwood, NJ/Highland Regional) became only the 11th person in program history to play in 100 games during his Rutgers-Camden career. Those two milestones, and some amazing hitting performances led by Buchter, senior catcher Tom Terrill (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township), senior third baseman Mark Wickersham (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) and junior right fielder Joe Midili (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township), highlighted a 2-2 week for the Raptors in which they played four home games in four days, March 1-4. Rutgers-Camden opened with a 13-5 win over Haverford, lost games against Franklin & Marshall (5-2) and Albright (6-5) and closed with a wild 10-8 comeback victory over SUNY-Brockport. The Scarlet Raptors rallied from a five-run deficit to outlast SUNY-Brockport on March 4, giving Williams his 150th career win. Rutgers-Camden, which evened its record at 3-3 and broke a two-game losing streak, bounced back from a 7-2 fifth-inning deficit in the game that was played in 35-degree weather with wind chills and occasional snowflakes. Williams, in his ninth season at Rutgers-Camden, hiked his record to 150-142-1 in his ninth season. After posting a 7-49 record in his first two seasons (1999 and 2000) while building the Rutgers-Camden program, Williams’ teams have produced a 143-93-1 in the six-plus seasons beginning with 2001. His Pitching Coach, John Wink, has been with him for all 150 wins. Trailing, 7-2, the Raptors climbed back into the game with a wild five-run fifth inning, featuring four hits, two errors and a pair of sacrifice flies, including one which was dropped for an error. The frame started with a single by junior shortstop Shawn Park (West Berlin, NJ/St. Joseph-Hammonton) and a double by senior left fielder Mike Morris (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township), both hit to right field. A walk to Buchter loaded the bases before Wickersham reached base when his sacrifice fly was dropped in right field. Senior designated hitter Butch Amato (Haddon Heights, NJ/Paul VI) followed with a short single in front of the plate, scoring Morris. Buchter scored from second when a throw by Brockport pitcher Jake Dennstedt eluded catcher Bobby Warne while trying to make a play on Morris. Amato reached second on the play. Terrill delivered Wickersham with a sacrifice fly and the Raptors tied the game when Midili singled home Amato. Rutgers-Camden tacked on three more runs in the sixth inning to take the lead for good. With two outs, Buchter singled to right field and Wickersham doubled down the left field line, stretching his season-opening hitting streak to six games. Amato singled home both runners, advanced to second on a throw to the plate and was replaced by pinch-runner Scott Fruits (Turnersville, NJ/Paul VI). Fruits scored on a single by Terrill, who went 2-for-3 with one run and two RBIs on the day to stretch his season-opening hitting streak to five games. Junior John Gladden (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township) picked up the win to even his record at 1-1. He worked 4.1 innings, allowing six hits, three earned runs and one walk, while striking out two. He worked into the ninth inning, but allowed a leadoff single to sophomore center fielder Mike Avery and a walk to sophomore right fielder Brent Nicholson. Junior Angelo Marchiano (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) relieved Gladden and worked out of the jam with a pair of fly outs sandwiched around an RBI fielder’s choice by senior third baseman Anthony Shallo. Shallo had an outstanding day for Brockport in his season opener, going 4-for-5 with two runs and four RBIs, including a two-run homer in the fifth inning. That round-tripper gave Brockport a 7-2 lead and came one inning after the Golden Eagles scored four runs to break open a 1-1 tie. The frame was sparked by a single from Shallo, a wild pitch and an RBI single by junior left fielder Jamie Rose (2-for-5 with one run and one RBI in the game). For the Raptors, Morris, Buchter, Wickersham, Amato, Terrill and Midili each had two hits. It capped a big week in which four Raptor regulars hit over .400, led by Buchter (.467, 7-for-15, seven runs, one RBI, two doubles, one triple), who at one point reached base nine straight times (five hits, four walks). Terrill hit .455 for the week (5-for-11, two runs, four RBIs, two doubles), extending his hitting streak to five games, while Wickersham hit .429 (6-for-14, four runs, nine RBIs, two doubles) extended his season-opening hitting streak to six games. In those six games, he has a team-high 13 RBIs and a .500 average. Midili also hit .429 during the week (6-for-14, three runs, three RBIs, one double and one triple). In the loss to Albright on March 3, junior center fielder Chad Mackey stroked a two-out single to left field in the top of the eighth inning, scoring junior shortstop Kyle Wenrich with the winning run as the Lions won their opener. Albright, which had trailed by scores of 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3, forged into a brief 5-4 lead before the game was tied. The Lions posted the victory in a wild game which featured 17 hits, 12 walks, three hit batsmen and four errors. Although Rutgers-Camden out-hit Albright, 10-7, the Scarlet Raptors also walked eight batters, hit two and made all four of the game’s errors. With the score tied at 5-5, Wenrich (2-for-4, three runs) reached base in the top of the eighth inning on a perfect one-out bunt single down the third base line. He was sacrificed to second by sophomore third baseman Jason Dunkelberger and scored on Mackey’s single to left. That final run made a winner out of Lions sophomore reliever Tim Flannery, who worked the final four innings in relief of junior starter Jordan Boyer. Flannery allowed the tying run in the bottom of the sixth inning when he surrendered a one-out single to Midili, a pair of walks and hit Morris with a pitch, forcing in the run. Flannery settled down to allow only one base runner the rest of the way on a seventh-inning walk, finishing the day with four innings pitched, one hit, one earned run, three walks and five strikeouts. Rutgers-Camden sophomore Pat Faulls (Laurel Springs, NJ/Highland Regional) took the loss, working 3.2 innings, allowing three hits, two walks and the one decisive run. Faulls (0-1) struck out two. The Raptors jumped on Boyer for a pair of first-inning runs, with Morris tripling home one run and scoring the second. Albright, however, bounced back to tie the game on a pair of unearned runs in the second off Raptor senior starter Greg Galbraith (Westville, NJ/Gateway Regional). Rutgers-Camden regained the lead in the bottom of the second on a wind-blown double by Midili, who eventually scored on a wild pitch. Albright tied the game again in the third when Wenrich doubled, advanced on a ground out and scored on an errant pickoff throw to third. Once again Rutgers-Camden took a lead, at 4-3, with a three-hit fourth inning. Park drove home Midili, who had singled, stolen second and advanced on a wild pitch. Albright bounced back with two in the top of the sixth on three walks, an error and a wild pitch. Dunkelberger collected one RBI on a bases-loaded walk. The Raptors received three hits apiece from Morris and Midili. Morris had two RBIs and Midili scored three times. Park went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI. The contest marked the 100th career game for Buchter. Franklin & Marshall College sophomore pitcher Matthew Metsch worked six strong innings in the Diplomats’ first game of the season to hurl his team over Rutgers-Camden, 5-2, in a non-conference game March 2. Metsch, who won all six of his decisions as a freshman, allowed four hits, two earned runs, one walk and six strikeouts. After Rutgers-Camden (2-2) tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth, the Diplomats scored an unearned run in top of the seventh inning off of Rutgers-Camden starting and losing pitcher Jason Ronca (Eastampton, NJ/Rancocas Valley), who fell to 1-1 on the year. Junior shortstop Tom Miller walked to open the frame and the Diplomats’ junior center fielder Jeff Lawrence laid down a sacrifice bunt. He was safe when the flip from Ronca was dropped at first base after sailing into the late-afternoon sun glaring down on the right side of the field. Miller advanced to third and Ronca was relieved by junior southpaw Andrew Lihotz (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast). Lihotz retired three straight batters, including the final two on strikes, but his first batter, junior second baseman Rob Stern, delivered a sacrifice fly to right to plate the eventual winning run. The Diplomats tacked on single runs in the eighth and ninth innings. They scored in the eighth on an RBI pinch-hit single by freshman Frank Hurd and added a run in the ninth on an RBI double by junior left fielder Rich Gallugi. Gallugi finished the day 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and one RBI. Rutgers-Camden threatened in the ninth when it collected a pair of one-out singles off Diplomat senior reliever Jeffrey Rowand. The Raptors had hits by Midili and sophomore second baseman Dean Straga (Mullica Hill, NJ/Clearview Regional), but Franklin & Marshall brought in junior Dan Tischler to get the final two outs. The Diplomats took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run double by Rowand, who was in the game as the designated hitter. They nearly added a run in the second, but Raptor shortstop Park made a great diving play to take a two-out hit away from Stern with a runner at third base. The Raptors, who were held to only one hit by Metsch over the first three innings, made it a 2-1 game in the fourth when Buchter blooped an opposite-field double down the left field line. He scored on Terrill’s one-out single. Buchter, who went 3-for-4 with a single, double and triple on the day, had a one-out triple in the sixth. He scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly by Wickersham. Buchter scored both runs for Rutgers-Camden, while Straga added a pair of hits, including a double. In the Raptors’ home opener on March 1, Wickersham went 2-for-2 with a double, a sacrifice fly and six RBIs to power the Rutgers-Camden to a 13-5 non-conference win over Haverford College. The Scarlet Raptors took advantage of 12 hits, seven walks and six hit batsmen in the game which was called in the middle of the eighth inning due to darkness. The game was the season opener for the Fords. The Raptors scored a single run in the first inning off Fords starting and losing pitcher Travis Zier. Amato plated the run on a two-out double down the right field line, scoring Buchter, who had singled and stolen second. The Raptors broke the game open in the fourth off Haverford senior Justin Marlowe, the second of six Fords pitchers. Marlowe allowed four hits, one walk and five earned runs in one-third of an inning, including RBI singles by Straga and Morris and a two-run single by Wickersham. The Raptors added single RBIs on a fielder’s choice by Terrill and when Midili was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Rutgers-Camden added a four-run fifth inning, featuring a three-run double by Wickersham and an RBI fielder’s choice by Midili. The Raptors closed their scoring with a two-run sixth as Wickersham collected a sacrifice fly and freshman designated hitter Chris Buckingham (Audubon, NJ/Audubon) added an RBI single. Wickersham, Buchter, Morris and Terrill each collected two of the Raptors’ 12 hits. Buchter reached base safely all five times on a pair of singles and three walks, while Wickersham added a hit batsman, a walk and a sacrifice fly to his six-RBI, 2-for-2 day. His six RBIs were three shy of the team’s single-game record shared by John Capone and Gerry Gatelein, both coming against Widener in consecutive seasons (March 26, 1996 for Gatelein and March 25, 1997 for Capone). Midili, with two RBIs, was the only other Raptor with multiple RBIs. Amato, meanwhile, had a double and then reached base three straight times as a hit batsman, tying the Raptors’ single-game record with the three HBP. The last person to accomplish that feat was Evan Graham against Wesley College on April 23, 2003. Senior southpaw Tim Whitman (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East), making his first appearance at Rutgers-Camden after transferring from Camden County College, collected the win with six innings of four-hit ball. He walked two, struck out eight and allowed three earned runs. Whitman threw shutout ball until the Fords scored twice in the fifth inning on a two-run single by freshman designated hitter Jake Kaden. The other run off Whitman came in the sixth on a long solo homer to center field by senior shortstop Ben Einbinder. Einbinder, who set a program mark with nine home runs last season, extended his Haverford career record to 25 homers. SOFTBALL (2-2) March ATLANTIC VS. EAST CHALLENGE Fri. 2 Frostburg State 3, Rutgers-Camden 2 Upcoming Games 2007 NFCA DIVISION III LEADOFF CLASSIC Fri. 9 vs. Mt. Union College (Alliance, OH) 2:30 p.m. FLORIDA COAST SPRING TRAINING CAMP All dates doubleheaders Tues. 13 vs. Norwich University (Northfield, VT) 6 p.m. The Rutgers-Camden softball team opened defense of its 2006 Division III national championship by splitting four games at the Atlantic vs. East Challenge in Virginia Beach, Virginia, March 2-3. The Lady Raptors, who are ranked No. 2 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Div. III Preseason Top 25 poll, lost both games on opening day, falling to Frostburg State, 3-2, and losing 8-0 against No. 17 Methodist University. They bounced back with wins March 3 over North Carolina Wesleyan, 9-0, and host Virginia Wesleyan, 3-1. Rutgers-Camden defeated North Carolina Wesleyan, 9-0 in a five-inning game, behind the three-hit shutout pitching of sophomore Natalie Powell (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown). Powell added a save in the nightcap for sophomore hurler Marissa Van Cleef (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) as the Raptors defeated host Virginia Wesleyan College, 3-1. In the opening game, Powell (1-1) allowed only three singles. She didn’t walk a batter and fanned six in hurling her first career shutout. Rutgers-Camden scored all the runs she needed with a three-run first inning, highlighted by a two-run single from junior designated player Amber Parker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken). Senior catcher Mo Baney (Deptford, NJ/Deptford) added an RBI single in the frame. The Raptors put the game away with a six-run fifth inning, collecting seven hits in the frame. Van Cleef and senior second baseman Kim Zlupko (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) each singled home two runs in the inning. For the game, Van Cleef went 4-for-4 with one run and two RBIs, while Baney and Zlupko each went 2-for-3 with one run and two RBIs. Freshman left fielder Kate Braun (Audubon, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) went 2-for-3 with one run, while Parker had a 1-for-2 game with one run and two RBIs. Freshman third baseman Steph Skroski (Stratford, NJ/Sterling) added one hit and a pair of runs scored. In the nightcap, Van Cleef worked five shutout innings, allowing six hits and one walk. She struck out two in evening her record at 1-1. Powell worked the final two frames, allowing one hit and one unearned run. She had no walks and one strikeout in collecting her first career save. Rutgers-Camden scored all three of its runs in the fourth inning, sparked by a leadoff solo home run by senior center fielder Autumn Millett (Richwood, NJ/Clearview Regional). It was Millett’s second homer in as many days and increased her career record to 25. Later in the frame, Parker tripled home a pair of runs. Parker finished the game 2-for-2 with the two RBIs. In the Raptors’ season opener March 2, Frostburg State senior Lori Potts scattered nine hits and two walks, allowed a pair of earned runs and struck out nine in winning a pitchers’ duel over Van Cleef. Van Cleef allowed 10 hits, three earned runs and six walks, while striking out eight. The Bobcats grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a single, a walk and an RBI fielder’s choice grounder by junior right fielder Heather Proud. The Raptors bounced back to tie the game in the bottom of the frame on back-to-back singles by Van Cleef and Millett, setting the stage for an RBI single by junior first baseman Kathleen Dreitlein (Berkeley Heights, NJ/Governor Livingston). Frostburg scored a run in the sixth, breaking the 1-1 deadlock, on back-to-back two-out doubles by junior left fielder Meghan Dabkowski and junior third baseman Lindsay Seal. The Bobcats plated the eventual winning run in the seventh on a two-out RBI single by freshman first baseman Samantha Quirin. Rutgers-Camden rallied in the bottom of the seventh as Millett hit her first home run of the season with one out. The Raptors followed with back-to-back singles by Skroski and Dreitlein before ending the game with a pair of fly outs to the fence in right field. Seal and junior catcher Amanda Baldwin each went 2-for-3 for Frostburg State. Millett went 3-for-4 with two runs and one RBI for the Raptors, while Van Cleef and Dreitlein each added two hits. In the nightcap, an infield single by Van Cleef with two out in the third inning was all the Raptors managed against Methodist sophomore pitcher Lesley Hewitt. Hewitt walked one and struck out 10 in her complete game, which was called in the bottom of the sixth after the Monarchs pushed across their eighth run on a sophomore third baseman Kayla Talbert. Methodist collected 12 hits and four walks off Raptor starter Powell and reliever Skroski. The Monarchs scored a single run in the first inning on a double by junior catcher Rebekah Kelly and an RBI single by sophomore shortstop Sara Poling. The Monarchs put the game away with a four-hit, four-run third inning, sparked by Kelly’s leadoff walk. She scored on a double by senior center fielder Kristen Kennedy. Poling singled home Kennedy. On the day, Kelly went 3-for-3 with four runs scored, while Poling went 3-for-3 with one run and three RBIs. Kennedy and junior first baseman Candace Hudgins each went 2-for-3. INDOOR TRACK Fri. 2-Sat. 3 at ECAC Championships @ Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT) Men: 1. Brockport State, 52; 2. Plattsburgh State, 49; 3. Springfield, 40.50; 4. RIT, 38; 5. Eastern Connecticut State, 37; 6. Cortland State, 33; 7. Oneonta, 30; 8.(tie) Geneseo State and Southern Maine, 29; 10. Tufts, 28; 11. Trinity, 24; 12. St. Lawrence, 22; 13. Lincoln (PA), 19; 14.(tie) Rochester and Wheaton (MA), 18; 16.(tie) Farmingdale State and Williams, 17; 18. Medgar Evers, 16; 19.(tie) Coast Guard, Bates, Alfred and CCNY, 15; 23.(tie) New Jersey City and Nazareth, 14; 25. Muhlenberg, 13; 26.(tie) Dickinson, Colby, Salem State and Rutgers-Camden, 12; 30. Wesleyan, 11; 31. RPI, 10.50; 32.(tie) TCNJ and Frostburg State, 10; 34.(tie) Ursinus and Hamilton, 9; 36.(tie) Widener, Ramapo and Amherst, 8; 39.(tie) Washington & Jefferson, Lebanon Valley and Worcester State, 7; 42. Lehman, 6; 43. Stockton, 5.50; 44.(tie) Bowdoin and Westfield State, 5; 46. Fitchburg State, 4.50; 47.(tie) UMass-Dartmouth and Conn College, 4; 49. DeSales, 3; 50.(tie) Franklin & Marshall, Ithaca and Oswego State, 2; 53.(tie) Johns Hopkins, Stevens Institute of Technology and WPI, 1. Women: Rutgers-Camden did not compete Rutgers-Camden School Records: March 2: * Distance Medley (Frank Iwanicki, Stefon Coleman, Jonathan Salamon, and Mike Fox), 10:32.93 (Old: 10:35.49 by Salamon, Coleman, Akeem Lloyd and Fox, Feb. 19, 2007 at the NJAC Championships) March 3: * 500 M, Jonathan Salamon, 1:07.36 (Old: 1:07.75 by Salamon, Feb. 23, 2007 at NYU FastTrack Invitational) * 4x800 (Mike Fox, Frank Iwanicki, Akeem Lloyd, and Jonathan Salamon), 7:57.68 (Old: 8:08.94 by Lloyd, Iwanicki, Salamon and Fox, Feb. 3, 2007 at Frank Colden Invitational) Upcoming Meets March Fri. 9-Sat. 10 at NCAA Championships @ Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Terre Haute, IN) Sophomore Jonathan Salamon (Bridgewater, NJ/St. Joseph-Metuchen) broke his own school record in the 500-meter dash and anchored the record-setting 4x800 team as the Rutgers University-Camden men’s indoor track team set a pair of program marks March 3 at the ECAC Division III Indoor Track Championships at Wesleyan University. Salamon ran a 1:07.36 in the 500 meters to break his mark of 1:07.75 set at the NYU FastTrack Invitational Feb. 23. Salamon finished sixth in the 500-meter dash to collect three points. The 4x800 team of junior Mike Fox (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley), freshmen Frank Iwanicki (Edgewater Park, NJ/Holy Cross) and Akeem Lloyd (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) and anchor Salamon finished second in its event, notching eight points, en route to a school-record time of 7:57.68. That quartet broke the program mark of 8:08.94 they set at the Frank Colden Invitational Feb. 3. The Raptors also set a program record Friday at the ECAC Championships with a 10:32.93 clocking during an eighth-place finish in the distance medley. Members of that team were Iwanicki, sophomores Stefon Coleman (Penns Grove, NJ/Penns Grove), Salamon and Fox. They beat the old mark of 10:35.49 set by Salamon, Coleman, Lloyd and Fox at the NJAC Championships Feb. 19. The Raptors’ record-setting weekend translated into 12 points, tying Dickinson, Colby and Salem State for 26th place in the men’s competition out of 55 scoring teams. SUNY-Brockport won the men’s competition with 52 points. Rutgers-Camden did not compete in the women’s competition. The Raptors also received a strong performance by sophomore Travis Stewart (Runnemede, NJ/Triton Regional), who recorded a 9:04.40 clocking to finish 17th at 3,000 meters. Both Fox and Iwanicki competed in the 1,000-meter run, finishing 11th and 12th, respectively, in times of 2:36.60 and 2:37.84. |
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