PHILADELPHIA – The Thomas Jefferson University baseball team (10-11, 2-3 CACC) split its conference doubleheader versus Wilmington (Del.) on Sunday afternoon.
GAME ONE – W, 5-2
The Rams opened the scoring in the first inning.
Alex Gonzalez tripled with one out then scored on a groundout.
Jem Sisco was cruising on the mound for Jefferson, allowing just four baserunners and two hits through five. The Wildcats finally broke through in the sixth, however, tying the game with a two-out RBI single.
Sisco retired Wilmington in order in the top of the seventh before the Rams' offense produced two runs in the bottom half.
Arturo Figueroa scored on an error and
Chris McLean came home on
Alex Gonzalez's sacrifice fly. The Wildcats got one back in the eighth on another two-out RBI single but McLean blasted a two-run homer to left center, his fourth of the year, in the bottom of the frame to make it 5-2.
Matt Bukavich then had a 1-2-3 inning in the ninth to nail down his second save.
Quick Hits
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Alex Gonzalez: 1-for-3, 3B, RBI, R
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Josh Lopez: 2-for-4, 3B, R
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Zack Austin: 2-for-4, 2B
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Arturo Figueroa: 1-for-4, 2B, R
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Chris McLean: 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
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Jem Sisco: Win, 7.0 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 6 K
GAME TWO – L, 9-7
Wilmington got started early with a two-run home run in the first inning. The Rams cut it to 2-1 in the bottom of the first on an error. The Wildcats upped the advantage to five (6-1) with a four-run third. Wilmington registered a pair of RBI doubles and a two-run homer.
Jefferson started to rally in the fourth, scoring on another error to make it 6-2.
Efrain Santiago came home on a sacrifice fly in the fifth to get the Rams within three (6-3). In the sixth,
Alex Gonzalez drove in
Dylan Rees with two outs to close the gap to two (6-4).
Vince Barone followed with a single then a base hit by
Josh Lopez scored Gonzalez to make it a 6-5 game. After a pitching change, a wild pitch allowed Barone to scamper home with the tying run.
The Wildcats were not discouraged by losing the lead, tallying three runs in the seventh to go back on top. They hit a two-run double followed by an RBI single with two away to go ahead 9-6. Rees knocked in a run for Jefferson with a two-out base hit in the bottom of the inning but a fly out sealed the victory for Wilmington.
Quick Hits
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Alex Gonzalez: 2-for-2, 2B, RBI, 2 R, BB
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Vince Barone: 2-for-4, R, SB
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Chris McLean: 1-for-2, 2B, 2 R, BB
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Dylan Rees: 2-for-4, RBI, R, SB
NOTES
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Efrain Santiago scored his 100
th career run.
- The Rams' victory was the 800
th in program history.
- Jefferson batted .322 on the day.
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Jem Sisco lowered his season ERA to 1.63, which is third in the CACC. It was his second straight start in which he did not allow an earned run.
UP NEXT
The Rams head to Kutztown for a non-conference game on Tuesday, March 29 at 3 p.m.
