Box Score

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Behind a balanced offensive attack and a quartet of effective outings on the mound, Rutgers baseball earned a 9-2 victory over Florida Gulf Coast Wednesday at Swanson Stadium. The win split the two-game midweek series, as the Scarlet Knights now lead the all-time series over the Eagles, 3-1.

All nine starters reached base, combining for 13 hits and six walks. Senior R.J. Devish (Beachwood, N.J.) continued his consistency with three hits and two RBIs from the leadoff spot. He is now on a 15-game on-base and 11-game hitting streak, hitting .440 with a .594 on-base percentage this season. Freshman Luke Bowerbank (Bernardsville, N.J.) also had a productive night by reaching base all four trips with a double, a single, two walks and three runs. In addition, junior Tom Marcinczyk (Middlesex, N.J.) and freshman Nick Matera (Roxbury, N.J.) each picked up a pair of hits, with Marcinczyk blasting his team-leading third home run of the season.



On the mound, junior Christian Campbell (Sayreville, N.J.) (1-1) collected his first win of the season with three innings out of the bullpen with three strikeouts and no earned runs allowed. Freshman Dante Scafidi (Washington Township, N.J.) made his second start and permitted just one run and one hit over three innings. Also proficient in relief, redshirt junior Kevin Baxter (Waterford, N.J.) logged two scoreless innings, while senior Reed Shuttle (Lansdale, Pa.) struck out the side to seal the victory. The four pitchers combined to allow just four hits on the night.

The Scarlet Knights (7-9) struck first with a run right away in the opening inning. Devish and freshman Jawuan Harris (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) both singled to put runners at the corners. Fifth-year senior Chris Suseck (Flemington, N.J.) then stepped up to the plate and delivered an RBI fielder's choice. Responding, the Eagles (8-10) used a sacrifice fly to tie it up in the next half inning.

In the second, RU rallied to regain the lead for good. Freshman Carmen Sclafani (Toms River, N.J.) singled and Bowerbank walked to put two on with two outs. Devish then came through with two-run double on a full count, making it 3-1.

Scafidi put up two zeros on the board to keep the lead and allow the Scarlet Knights to pad the margin. The outburst came in the fourth with four runs on five hits. Bowerbank started it off with a single to center and moved up to third on a hit-and-run single by Devish. Bowerbank scored on an error, with Suseck knocking in another run on an infield single for his second RBI of the game. Marcinczyk capped the frame with a towering two-run home run to right field.

Bowerbank reached for the third time on a one-out double in the fifth. He came home two batters later on a wild pitch, expanding the lead to 8-1. The final run of the game crossed in the top of the ninth on an RBI double by fifth-year senior John Jennings (Berkeley Heights, N.J.).

For Florida Gulf Coast, starter Kenton Hering (0-1) suffered the loss with three earned runs and four walks permitted over 2.1 innings.

The Scarlet Knights will next head to Annapolis, Md., for the third leg of a seven-game spring break road trip. RU will take on Navy on Friday at 2 p.m. before facing NJIT on Saturday at 10 a.m.

NOTES
Rutgers reached double-digit hits for the sixth time this season … the last time the pitching staff held the opponent to four hits or less was March 29, 2015 versus Ohio State (3) … Marcinczyk stole his fourth base of the season to set a new best for steals in a season … the team is up to 31 steals in 33 attempts this year, having at least one swipe in 12 of the last 13 games … Campbell's three innings on the mound tied a career best, also doing so in a win at Fordham on April 8, 2015 … Rutgers improved to 3-0 on Wednesdays … the team matched its road win total from last season at five.

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