Clutch Hitting Propels Lions To Victory Over Rockland
Branchburg, NJ – The Raritan Valley Lions continued their good start on Thursday with a 13-7 victory over Rockland Community College for their second win of the season. The Lions flipped the game on its head in the bottom of the first, scoring five runs on four hits to take a 5-0 lead. The biggest blow in the inning was a grand slam to left field by freshman Tyler Giordano on a full count. In the bottom of the third Raritan Valley put up another five runs on five hits. Sophomore Mike Izzo hit a solo home run to left field, freshman Dovid Solomon had a 2-RBI single and sophomore Jake Knapp's double drove in another two runs. RVCC collected 17 hits in the game, Tyler Giordano lead the offense by going 5 for 5 with a grand slam. Mike Izzo, sophomore Eric Knapp, Dovid Solomon, and Jake Knapp each tallied multiple hits on the day. On the base paths RVCC stole four bags, one each by Dovid Solomon, Jake Knapp, freshman Logan Escamilla and sophomore Parker Muratore.
Freshman Nick Bentz earned the win for Raritan Valley. The right-handed pitcher allowed eight hits and three tuns (two earned) over six innings, striking out three and walking two. Sophomore Cristian Morel pitched a scoreless seventh, and Dovid Solomon came in to finish the game pitching a scoreless ninth.
The Lions will continue their home stand this Sunday, March 10th, as they welcome Orange County Community College for a double header starting at noon.