ROCK HILL, S.C. – Rutgers baseball clinched its opening series of 2024 with a 3-1 victory over Winthrop on Saturday afternoon. The Scarlet Knights (2-0) rode a strong start from Justin Sinibaldi to take down the Eagles (0-2) for the second straight day. 

RU struck first to take control of the game in the top of the first. RJ Johnson Jr. reached on an error, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch with one out and was driven in on an RBI single from Tony Santa Maria. 

In the top of the second, Rutgers doubled its lead when Josh Kuroda-Grauer lifted a deep sac fly to score Johnny Volpe and make it 2-0.

That would ultimately be all the offense the Scarlet Knights needed thanks to a dominant effort from Sinibaldi.  

He controlled the game from the jump, starting things off with a 1-2-3 first which he capped off with a swinging strikeout. He worked efficiently, throwing just 69 pitches across 7.0 innings, allowing just one run on a solo homer, while yielding four hits and striking out two with no walks. 

The Eagles threatened in the second with a two-out double down the right field line, but Trevor Cohen started a relay to Ty Doucette and Jackson Natili to get the runner out at home. 

Making his first career start, Natili would also give RU an insurance run in the eighth with a sac fly to make it 3-1. Sonny Fauci made his Scarlet Knight debut and threw a scoreless eighth with a strikeout. 

Joey DeChiaro also made his Rutgers debut, setting down Winthrop 1-2-3 in the ninth to earn the save and clinch the series. 

Cameron Love (2-for-3) and Santa Maria (2-for-4) each collected their second straight multi-hit games to start the season. 

The Scarlet Knights will go for the sweep against the Eagles on Sunday, with a 1 p.m. first pitch. 

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