PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers baseball used a balanced team effort to cruise to an 8-2 victory over Rider on Tuesday afternoon at Bainton Field. 

The Scarlet Knights (14-6) posted three runs in the first to set the tone, while the pitching held the Broncs (2-14) at bay in the wire-to-wire win. 

Jordan Falco got the start for RU and quickly posted a scoreless first. The red-hot Rutgers offense then struck with a three-spot in the bottom of the first. With two runners on base, Josh Kuroda-Grauer doubled down the third base line to score Trevor Cohen and make it 1-0. With the bases loaded, Ty Doucette singled in two more to push the lead to 3-0. 

The Scarlet Knights added three more in the third thanks again to Kuroda-Grauer and Doucette. First was Kuroda-Grauer launching a solo home run – his third of the season– to make it 4-0. After a Pete Durocher single, Doucette launched a two-run home run to left-center to push the lead to 6-0. 

While the Broncs scored two in the fourth on a dropped fly ball that resulted in a four-base error, Falco limited the damage to just that. He finished off the fifth and earned the win to improve to 1-0, going five strong innings, allowing two unearned runs on three hits, with one strikeout and two walks. 

Joe Mazza got the ball for the sixth and tossed two scoreless innings with three strikeouts and no walks. Sonny Fauci closed out the win with another two scoreless, allowing no hits with two strikeouts and a walk. 

RU added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth on a double-play with the bases loaded and a ground-rule RBI double from Tony Santa Maria. 

Rutgers has its second midweek game in as many days on Wednesday when it hosts Lafayette for a 3 p.m. first pitch at Bainton Field.   

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