Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. - Rutgers baseball broke open a tight game with nine runs in the top of the seventh to beat George Mason, 11-5, Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader at Spuhler Field. Senior R.J. Devish (Beachwood, N.J.) highlighted the offensive outbreak with his first career home run and four RBIs.

The Scarlet Knights improved to 1-3 and the Patriots dropped to 0-4. It was the second all-time meeting (split 1-1) between the teams and first since 1996.



On the mound, senior Howie Brey (Middletown, N.J.) (1-0) worked six innings with six strikeouts to claim his 13th career victory. The left-hander permitted one earned run, eight hits and one walk in the 113-pitch outing. He has now worked 99.0 consecutive innings without allowing a stolen base, the longest streak of its kind in the nation.

RU totaled 18 hits at the plate with six players having a multiple-hit game. Fifth-year senior Chris Suseck (Flemington, N.J.) led all with a 4-for-5 showing, while Devish went 3-for-4 with a career-high four RBIs and two runs. Junior Tom Marcinczyk (Middlesex, N.J.) and fifth-year senior John Jennings (Berkeley Heights, N.J.) also had productive games with two hits and two RBIs each. Freshman Carmen Sclafani (Toms River, N.J.) collected a triple and a single for his first collegiate hits, with classmate Jawuan Harris (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) notching two singles, two stolen bases and three runs scored from the nine-spot in the lineup.

With it being a 2-1 game into the top of the seventh, Rutgers sent 15 batters to the plate to score nine runs on eight hits. The rally all started when Sclafani pinch hit and tripled and Harris walked to bring up Devish. The catcher worked it to a 2-1 count and turned on a pitch that flew over the wall in left for a three-run homer. It would not stop there, as Suseck singled up the middle, Marcinczyk walked and sophomore Milo Freeman (Millburn, N.J.) laid down a bunt single to load the bases. Jennings then rocketed a two-run double to make it 7-1. Freeman wound up scoring on a wild pitch and two outs later Sclafani laced his second hit of the inning to drive in another. The last two runs of the outburst came on a run-scoring single by Devish for his fourth RBI of the frame and when Marcinczyk wore a pitch with bases loaded.

From there, redshirt junior Max Herrmann (Rutherford, N.J.), junior Colin Bohnert (West Caldwell, N.J.) and junior TJ Perkowski (South Brunswick, N.J.) all pitched an inning to preserve the first victory of the season.

The Scarlet Knights broke through with the first run of the game in the third inning. Devish lined a one-out single and Suseck followed with a shot off the pitcher that was thrown away to put runners at the corners. Marcinczyk then stepped up and laced a double to centerfield for his first RBI of the season, knocking in Devish.

Brey found his first trouble of the game in the bottom of the fourth when the Patriots put the first two on via single. After a sacrifice bunt to move two into scoring position, Freeman fielded a ground ball at third and fired home for the putout. Then Brey quelled the situation with a strikeout.

That led to the fifth when RU added another run. Harris beat out an infield single and stole second to start the inning, moving to third on a sacrifice bunt by Devish. Next up, Suseck drilled an RBI single up the middle to put the Scarlet Knights up 2-0. In the bottom of the inning, freshman Luke Bowerbank (Bernardsville, N.J.) kept the two-run lead with a strike to home from left field for his already third outfield assist this season.

George Mason would break through for a run in the sixth on a two-out double by Tim Quinn. However, Rutgers quickly responded in the top of the seventh to take an insurmountable 11-1 advantage.

Tyler Zombro (0-2) took the loss for the Patriots with two runs surrendered over five innings. Brady Acker added a home run in the ninth for the hosts.

Game two of the doubleheader followed from Spuhler Field.

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