Finora Stellar In Baseball's Win Over Rutgers-Newark

3/28/2010 12:00:00 AM

NEWARK, N.J. (March 28, 2010) – Behind ace Joe Finora, the Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team earned a hard-fought 2-1 win over Rutgers University-Newark at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium in Newark, N.J. The Ducks, facing their second New Jersey Athletic Conference foe in as many days, moved to 7-10 on the season, while the Scarlet Raiders fell to 6-10 on the year.

Finora went the distance en route to his third win of the season, allowing one run on four hits, while striking out nine. Rutgers-Newark counterpart Ryan Williams (Kearny, N.J.) fell to 0-3 on the year, scattering seven hits, while allowing two runs, and striking out six in eight innings of work.

“Joe (Finora) was excellent out there today,” said head Stevens baseball coach John Crane. “We needed him to be solid and he wanted the ball. He did a great job and made some great pitches all day. This was a big win for us and gives us some momentum heading into next week.”

Finora looked sharp early, sitting down the Scarlet Raiders in order in the first, getting junior second baseman Matt Connors (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.) to line out to center before striking out Michael Cassese (Belleville, N.J.) and Patrick Reitemeyer (Kearny, N.J.).

Still scoreless in the bottom of the third, two Finora walks, put runners on first and second with two out, but the Mattituck, N.Y. native got senior Anthony Yeswita (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.) to hit a slow roller to third, ending the inning.

Finora continued to pitch well into the fifth, preserving the no-hit bid by striking out the side in the fourth before sitting down the Scarlet Raiders in order the following inning.

Stevens finally broke through in the top of the sixth taking a 1-0 lead. Senior Anthony Andrews got things started with double to right, just out of the reach of a diving Chris Ballester before senior Mark Rasulo ripped a double down the leftfield line – just inside the bag – plating the game's first run.

Rutgers-Newark wasted no time knotting the game, as Cassese led off the bottom of the sixth with a homer to left, breaking up Finora's no-hit bid. Reitemeyer then singled up the middle before a Stevens error on a Yeswita ground ball and a Joe Furnaguera (Springfield, N.J.) single through the left side loaded the bases with no out.

Finora then struck-out Rutgers-Newark senior first baseman Matt Lingo (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) before freshman Michael Donovan made a nice play, charging a softly hit Anthony Palladino (Emerson, N.J. ) ball and throwing home to cut off a would-be Scarlet Raider run for out number two. Finora later got junior Michael DiCenso (Wayne, N.J.) to fly out to center, ending the inning and avoiding any further damage.

The Ducks failed to push a run across in the top half of the seventh despite a Denis Ackermann's lead-off single up the middle, but Finora made quick work of Rutgers-Newark in the bottom half of the stanza, sitting the Scarlet Raiders down in order to preserve the tie.

Stevens regained the lead in the top of the eighth when junior Mike Pagliaro – who reached on a lead-off walk before advancing to second on a wild pitch – scored on a T.J. Alcorn bloop single to left.

After another 1-2-3 inning by Finora in the Scarlet Raider eighth, the Ducks threatened to tack on insurance runs in the top half of the ninth, loading the bases on a walk, hit-by-pitch and a Pagliaro infield single, but Rutgers-Newark reliever Michael Hansen (Secaucus, N.J.) got the strikeout to end the inning.

Finora issued a lead-off walk to begin the ninth, but quickly settled down, getting to two outs on a Palladino sacrifice bunt and a DiCenso pop-op in foul territory before retiring the Ballester on a grounder to second, sealing the Stevens victory.

Andrews finished 2-for-5 with a run scored, while Ackermann went 2-for-4. Rasulo and Alcorn combined for a pair of hits and two RBI, while Linden and Pagliaro each finished 1-for-3.

Cassese and Furnaguera combined for a pair of hits, an RBI, and a run scored, while Reitemeyer went 2-for-3.

Stevens returns to action on Wednesday, March 31, when it plays host to John Jay College.
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