Baseball Splits Doubleheader at High Point

Friday, March 8

Greensboro, N.C. (First National Bank Field)

2:00 PM

Rutgers University

10-2

High Point

3-11

Rutgers

High Point

Mar 08 | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Rutgers baseball split Friday's doubleheader at High Point, taking game one by a score of 7-4 before falling 12-2 in the nightcap. With no game scheduled for Saturday due to rain in the forecast, the series will be decided by Sunday's 1 p.m. finale.

Game 1 Recap
Rutgers won the opening game of the doubleheader thanks in part to a pair of home runs from Tony Santa Maria and Josh Kuroda-Gruer and another eight-inning start from Justin Sinibaldi.

After falling behind early and trailing 2-0 heading into the sixth, the Scarlet Knights rallied to take the lead with two outs. It started with a two-run home run from Santa Maria, his Big Ten-leading sixth on the season. Kuroda-Grauer followed with a booming solo shot to give RU a 3-2 lead.

Rutgers added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh on RBI singles from RJ Johnson Jr. and Trevor Cohen. Kuroda-Grauer and Pete Durocher both singled home two more in the top of the eighth to make it 7-2.

While the Panthers added two unearned runs in the bottom half to make it 7-4, Sinibaldi ended the frame with a strikeout to finish off his night.

Sinibaldi finished with a line of eight innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on eight hits, while striking out eight and walking just one, earning the win to improve to 3-0.

With a three-run lead, Joey DeChiaro shut down High Point in the ninth to earn his third save of the season.

Game 2 Recap
The Panthers got out to a quick lead in the second game, plating four runs in the first on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch, RBI groundout, error and another hit-by-pitch. They added another in the second on a two-out double to make it a 5-0 game. A two-run home run in the fourth would make it a 7-0 advantage for the home team.

After High Point scored a pair to make it 9-0, Ty Doucette led off the seventh with a solo home run – the first of his career – to make it 9-1.

JD Jones doubled to lead off the eighth for his first hit as a Scarlet Knight and came in to score on a fielder's choice from Cohen. That would be all for the RU offense, as the Scarlet Knights dropped the second game 12-2.

The series finale between Rutgers and High Point is set for 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday afternoon.