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Monday, April 2, 2007 By Mike Ballard RAPTOR OF THE WEEK Sophomore Jonathan Salamon earns his third Raptor of the Week honor this school year after setting a program record while winning the 800-meter run at the Danny Curran Invitational March 31 at Widener University. Salamon’s time of 1:55.62 broke the six-year old Rutgers-Camden mark of 1:57.77 set by David Lee, and came within .14 of tying the Danny Curran meet record. In addition, Salamon anchored the Raptors’ sixth-place 4x400 team. He qualified for the ECAC Championships in both events. Salamon was the Co-Raptor of the Week during the cross country season (Oct. 30) and won outright Raptor of the Week honors for indoor track (March 5), giving him a weekly honor during every season this school year. SOFTBALL (13-7/2-0 NJAC) March Upcoming Games April Tues. 3* Ramapo College (DH) 3:30 p.m. The Rutgers-Camden softball team finally returned to play March 31 after a 15-day layoff from its last game in Florida. The Lady Raptors shook off their rust and picked up where they left off with a 4-2, 4-2 doubleheader sweep at New Jersey City University in their first two New Jersey Athletic Conference games of the season. The sweep lifts gives the Raptors a 10-game winning streak, hiking their record to 13-7. It also runs their regular-season NJAC winning streak to 20 games entering a huge showdown with conference powerhouse Ramapo College April 3, which will mark the Raptors’ first home games of the season. Rutgers-Camden, which went 18-0 during the NJAC regular season last year en route to winning the national title, hasn’t lost a regular-season NJAC game since April 30, 2005, when it dropped the opening game of a doubleheader, 1-0, at William Paterson University. The second game that day ended in a 1-1 darkness-shortened tie. In the sweep at NJCU, senior shortstop Alaina Giles (Willingboro, NJ/Holy Cross) ripped a two-out, two-run single in the top of the seventh inning of the opener, snapping a 2-2 tie game and sparking the Lady Raptors to victory. Giles went 3-for-4 with the decisive two RBIs in the opener, while junior first baseman Kathleen Dreitlein (Berkeley Heights, NJ/Governor Livingston) was 2-for-3 with one run and senior catcher Mo Baney (Deptford, NJ/Deptford) went 2-for-4 with one RBI. Senior right fielder Autumn Millett (Richwood, NJ/Clearview Regional) went 1-for-4, but that one hit was a long solo home run leading off the fifth inning. It was her 10th homer of the season, tying the program’s single-season record of 10 by Becky Johnson in 2004. The round-tripper also extended her hitting streak to 14 games, and she went 2-for-3 in the nightcap to reach 15 games, two shy of Celeste Chinappi’s program-record hitting streak in 2003. Senior right-hander Megan Farrell (Medford, NJ/Bishop Eustace Prep) hurled a four-hitter for the Raptors, allowing two runs (one earned) and two walks. She struck out six to raise her record to 4-2. Sophomore righty Andrea Delucrezia was the tough-luck losing pitcher, scattering 11 hits and four walks, while striking out four. She allowed four earned runs. The Raptors’ winning rally started with a one-out single by Dreitlein, followed by a single from freshman third baseman Steph Skroski (Stratford, NJ/Sterling). After sophomore Valeri Bohn (Delran, NJ/Holy Cross) was inserted as a pinch-runner for Skroski, Baney singled to load the bases. Delucrezia collected the second out on a strikeout before Giles delivered her decisive single to left-center. Baney gave the Raptors a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the third inning, but NJCU scored a pair of runs in the fourth. Freshman first baseman Reannon Trogdon doubled and scored on a double by junior catcher Vanessa Nicolich. Nicolich scored on an error. Millett tied the game with her homer, setting the stage for Giles’ winning hit. In the nightcap, NJCU took an early 1-0 lead. Rutgers-Camden bounced back with a pair of runs in both the third and fifth innings. In the third, sophomore pitcher/center fielder Marissa Van Cleef (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) doubled home a pair of runs. In the fifth, Van Cleef and Millett each poked RBI singles. Van Cleef finished the game 2-for-3 with one run and three RBIs, while Millett was 2-for-3 with one RBI. Millett’s three hits in the twinbill raised her career total to 164, third on the career list and within two of the program record 166 by Chinappi (2002-05). Michelle Schlichtig finished her three-year career with 165 hits in 2006. Nicolich and junior shortstop Susie Matsutani (Gallup, NM/Gallup) each went 2-for-3 with one run for the Gothic Knights, while freshman second baseman Lacey Skowronski (Bayonne, NJ/Holy Family Academy) was 2-for-2. Van Cleef and sophomore Natalie Powell (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) combined on a seven-hitter, with Powell working the final four innings and picking up the win. She allowed three hits, one walk and one unearned run. She struck out two in raising her record to 4-2. The Lady Raptors return to action Tuesday when they play their home opener at 3:30 p.m. in a conference doubleheader against Ramapo College, the nation’s 12th-ranked team. BASEBALL (9-11/0-4 NJAC) March Thurs. 29* Richard Stockton College 5, Rutgers-Camden 3 Upcoming Games April Wed. 4 Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham 3:30 p.m. The Scarlet Raptors had a tough opening week in New Jersey Athletic Conference play, going 0-4 in a three-day span March 29-31. Rutgers-Camden dropped road games at Richard Stockton College March 29 (5-3) and at Rowan University March 30 (5-2), before being swept in a home doubleheader by Ramapo College March 31 (12-2 and 11-3). In their NJAC opener, the Raptors committed four errors with two outs in the seventh inning, leading to three unearned runs as they lost to Richard Stockton College, 5-3, in Atlantic City March 29. Leading, 3-2, with two outs in the seventh, the Raptors’ defense came unraveled following a single by Ospreys junior shortstop Pat Goodwin. Junior right fielder Joe Sacerdote followed with a single and both runners advanced on an outfield error. Senior left fielder Mike Liquori reached on an infield error, which plated Goodwin with the tying run, then stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error as Sacerdote scored the eventual winning run. Liquori scored on another error. The Scarlet Raptors held a 3-0 lead before the Ospreys rallied for the win. Rutgers-Camden scored an unearned run in the first inning off freshman winning pitcher Matt Hunt on a hit batsman, a two-out error and an RBI single by senior first baseman Butch Amato (Haddon Heights, NJ/Paul VI). The Raptors added a run in the third on a walk to senior center fielder Nate Buchter (Blackwood, NJ/Highland Regional), a stolen base and an RBI single by senior third baseman Mark Wickersham (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson). In the sixth, senior left fielder Mike Morris (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) hit an inside-the-park home run to give the Raptors a 3-0 lead. Stockton cut the gap to 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth when Goodwin hit a one-out double and moved to third on a single by Sacerdote. After Sacerdote stole second, both runners scored on a double by Liquori. Hunt worked seven innings, scattering nine hits and two walks, while striking out four to earn his first collegiate win. Freshman John O’Hara nailed down his third save with one shutout inning, allowing just one hit. Rutgers-Camden sophomore Damien Wright (Millville, NJ/Millville) worked 5.1 innings, allowing four hits and three walks. He surrendered two runs while striking out four, and left with the lead. Sophomore Adam Sanchez (Leominster, MA/Worcester Academy) took the loss, allowing two unearned runs in his 1.1 innings. He is 1-1 on the season. The Raptors, who collected 12 hits, left 15 runners on base. Both Amato and senior catcher Tom Terrill (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) went 3-for-5 for Rutgers-Camden, while Buchter and Morris each added two hits apiece. Stockton received two hits apiece from Goodwin, Sacerdote and freshman third baseman Matt Allen. The next day, it was a little play that turned into a big one as the Raptors dropped a 5-2 decision at Rowan University. With the two teams locked in a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth, a little bad-hop sacrifice bunt turned into a huge play that triggered the Profs’ decisive three-run frame. With the game tied at 2-2 entering the bottom of the eighth, Rowan junior catcher Paul Urbanovich drew a leadoff walk against Raptor reliever Sanchez. Junior right fielder Frank Hasenauer dropped a bunt down the first base line that was curving toward foul territory before hitting a chunk of dirt, kicking it fair for a sacrifice bunt. On the play, Urbanovich raced all the way to third when the Raptors left the bag uncovered. Junior John Gladden (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township) relieved Sanchez (1-2) and hit pinch-hitter Bryan McLaughlin. McLaughlin stole second and pinch-hitter Robert Fox grounded an infield single off the glove of the Raptors’ drawn-in third baseman, plating Urbanovich with the tie-breaking run. Junior second baseman Joe Franceschini followed with a two-run triple to right field for the final two runs of the frame. The rally made a winner out of Profs senior reliever Tyler Dempsey, who worked the final two innings, allowing two hits and one earned run in relief of junior starter Gary Winkler. Dempsey evened his record at 1-1, despite allowing the tying run that took Winkler off the hook for the win. Winkler worked seven innings, allowing seven hits, one earned run and one walk. He struck out two. Rutgers-Camden senior starter Jason Ronca (Eastampton, NJ/Rancocas Valley) worked the first six innings, allowing four hits, two runs (one earned) and seven walks. He struck out five. Rowan scored an unearned run in the third on a walk, a single by Urbanovich, an outfield error and a double steal, with Tim Edmeads scoring on the play. Rutgers-Camden tied the game in the top of the fourth on a single by Buchter, an infield single off the plate by Wickersham and an RBI single by Terrill. Rowan, however, bounced right back to take the lead in the bottom of the frame when senior first baseman Shawn Counard walked and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by junior center fielder Roger Turley. That run held up until the eighth when the Raptors’ junior shortstop Shawn Park (West Berlin, NJ/St. Joseph-Hammonton) opened the frame with a single. He was forced at second by Morris, who stole second and scored on a two-out single by Wickersham. For the game, Buchter and Wickersham each went 3-for-4 for Rutgers-Camden, which out-hit the Profs, 9-6. They were the lone players in the game with multiple hits. The Raptors’ biggest highlights in the doubleheader sweep by Ramapo College March 31 were a milestone by Morris and a big game by freshman catcher Vince Giunta (Sewell, NJ/Clearview Regional). Morris played in his 100th career game in the opener, becoming only the 12th Rutgers-Camden player to do so. In the nightcap, Giunta went 3-for-4 with a triple, a walk and one run scored. Ramapo boasted most of the other highlights as the Roadrunners pounded out 25 hits and scored 23 runs in a pair of games which each lasted 3:12. In the opening game, Ramapo junior righthander Chris Stanisce hurled three-hit ball over seven innings, allowing two earned runs, to raise his record to 3-0. Stanisce walked seven and struck out four. Ramapo scored all the runs it needed in a four-run second inning, which started with a single by junior designated hitter Jairo Jimenez. Following a pair of force outs, the Roadrunners received three straight batters, a hit batsman and two more walks. The Roadrunners went on to out-hit the Scarlet Raptors, 11-3, as they received a 2-for-4 game with two runs and three RBIs by junior center fielder Nick Sbarra and a 2-for-4 game, with two doubles, from freshman second baseman Joey Cacchiola. Cacchiola had two RBIs and scored one run. The Scarlet Raptors received only an RBI single in the second by freshman shortstop Dennis O’Hanlan (Riverside, NJ/Riverside), a run-scoring double in the fifth by Buchter and a third-inning double by Morris in his 100th game. The Roadrunners didn’t waste any time putting the second game away. Ramapo opened the game with a double by Sbarra, an RBI single by freshman left fielder Mike Ruggiero and a double by sophomore right fielder John Callandrello. By the time the Roadrunners finally recorded their first out, they had collected five hits and three walks, and the first eight players in their lineup scored runs in an eight-run first inning. Ramapo sent 13 players to the plate in the top of the first inning, which lasted 28 minutes. For the game, Ruggiero and senior shortstop Gary Miller each went 3-for-5 to lead a 14-hit attack. Ruggiero had three RBIs, while Miller scored three runs. Sbarra, Cacchiola and sophomore third baseman Gino Gallagher each added two hits. Junior Florian Wouters worked five innings of three-hit ball, allowing one earned run and seven walks to earn his first win. Wouters, 1-2, struck out 10. Freshman Michael Murano worked the final four innings to collect his first career save. He allowed five hits, two earned runs and two walks, while fanning four. Guinta went 3-for-4 for Rutgers-Camden, while Morris added two hits. For the day, Ramapo received four hits apiece by Cacchiola, Miller and Sbarra, with all four by Cacchiola being doubles. OUTDOOR TRACK March NO TEAM SCORES Rutgers-Camden winners: * Jonathan Salamon, 800 M (1:55.62) Rutgers-Camden School Records: * Jonathan Salamon, 800 M, 1:55.62 (Old: 1:57.77 by David Lee at the NJAC Championships, May 5, 2001) * Travis Stewart, 3,000 M steeplechase, 10:09.71 (Old: 10:21.31 by Stewart at the Lions Invitational, April 29, 2006) Upcoming Meets April Fri. 6- at Duke Invitational TBA Sat. 7 at Osprey Open TBA Sat. 14 at New Jersey Invitational TBA Thur. 26-at Penn Relays TBA Sat. 28 at Lions Invitational TBA Sophomore Jonathan Salamon (Bridgewater, NJ/St. Joseph-Metuchen) set a Rutgers-Camden track program record while winning the 800-meter run, qualified for the ECAC meet in the event and anchored the men’s 4x400 relay which also qualified for the ECAC meet as the Scarlet Raptors competed in the Danny Curran Invitational March 31 at Widener University. Salamon’s time of 1:55.62 broke the school’s 800-meter mark of 1:57.77, set by David Lee at the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships May 5, 2001. Salamon’s time also was only .14 off the meet mark set by Franklin & Marshall’s Andrew Thompson in 2003. The men’s 4x400, meanwhile, posted a time of 3:26.34 to finish sixth in its event, less than a second behind the school mark of 3:25.86. Members of that team included junior Mike Fox (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley), freshman Akeem Lloyd (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City), sophomore Stefon Coleman (Penns Grove, NJ/Penns Grove) and anchor Salamon. Fox finished second to Salamon in the 800 with an ECAC qualifying time of 1:56.86, which also was faster than the old Rutgers-Camden school mark. Sophomore Travis Stewart (Runnemede, NJ/Triton Regional), meanwhile, posted a school-record time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, running a 10:09.71 to shatter his own mark of 10:21.31, set at the Lions Invitational April 29, 2006. In addition to running on the sixth-place 4x400 team, Lloyd finished seventh in the 800-meter run (1:59.43), while Coleman was 16th in the 200-meter dash (23.81). Other top-10 finishes from the Rutgers-Camden men’s team came from a pair of freshmen in their first collegiate meet. Jon Anderson (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) finished eighth in the javelin (163-11) and Jonathan Camacho (Lake Hiawatha, NJ/Parsippany) was ninth in the long jump (19-08.75). On the women’s side, the Lady Raptors’ top finishes came from freshman Ayla Maldonado (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown), who was making her collegiate debut. She finished 11th in the triple jump (31-00.50) and 12th in the long jump (14-03.00). The Scarlet Raptors return to action in a pair of meets next week. On Friday and Saturday, Stewart and the 4x800 relay team will run at the Duke Invitational at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The rest of the squad will be at the Osprey Invitational Saturday at Richard Stockton College. GOLF Upcoming Matches March Mon. 26 York College Invitational 1. York College, 293; 2. Messiah College, 300; 3. Dickinson College, 307; 4. Elizabethtown College, 310; 5. Gettysburg College, 314; 6. Alvernia College, 318; 7. Villa Julie College, 321; 8. Lebanon Valley College, 324; 9. Rutgers-Camden, 331. Incomplete Team – Hood College. Individual Medalist: Sean Leitzell, York College, 67 Rutgers-Camden Medalist: Dave Taraschi, 74 Rutgers-Camden Scores: Taraschi 74, Jim Spera 80, Michael Schaffer 88, Rob Burgess 89, Reginald Richter 93. Upcoming Matches April Mon. 2 Lebanon Valley College Spring Tournament 12:30 p.m. Thur. 5 Moravian College Spring Invitational 1 p.m. Tues. 10 Widener Invitational II 1 p.m. Wed. 18 Wesley College Invitational 12 p.m. Fri. 27 RU-Camden Scarlet Raptors Spring Invitational 12:30 p.m. Rutgers University-Camden freshman Dave Taraschi (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield Memorial) tied for fifth individually with a 74 as the Scarlet Raptors’ golf team opened its season at the York College Spring Golf Invitational March 26 at the Outdoor Country Club in York, Penn. York’s Sean Leitzell shot a 67 to lead the host team to victory with a 293 score. Rutgers-Camden shot a 331 team score to finish ninth out of 10 teams. Jim Spera (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) finished second on the Raptors with a round of 80, followed by Michael Schaffer (Vineland/Vineland) with an 88 and Rob Burgess (Sewell, NJ/Gloucester Catholic), who shot an 89. Rounding out the Rutgers-Camden team was Reginald Richter (Erial, NJ/Timber Creek), with a 93. WOMEN’S CREW Upcoming Regattas April Sat. 7 Johns Hopkins Invitational (Baltimore, MD) May Sun. 6 Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Crew Championships Fri. 11- Dad Vail Regatta |
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