Rutgers Baseball defeats FIU, 6-3.

After sweeping Army, the Scarlet Knights baseball team traveled to Port Charlotte, FL for a midweek, neutral site game against Florida International (located in Miami) as a tune up for a set with FGCU this weekend.

Rutgers 6, FIU 3.

The Scarlet Knights (9-6) backed starter Eric Reardon with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Reardon could not get a batter out in the third, allowing two runs (one earned) after an error from Nick Matera, but Collin Kiernan (earned the W) put out the fire in a scoreless frame. The Rutgers offense responded with two of their own in the bottom half to regain a 3-2 lead. RU added a single run in each of the next three innings to go up 6-2 heading to the 7th. The bullpen continued to put up zeroes until the 9th when Serafino Brito entered the game, loading the bases with none out and the FIU clean up hitter at the dish. Brito responded by inducing a double play (though one run did score) and recording a strikeout to end the game. First baseman Milo Freeman was the MVP, going 3-3 with a home run and two RBI.

Decisive stat: Seven. Rutgers used seven pitchers in this game and none allowed more than one earned run. For trivia purposes they were (Reardon, Kiernan, Tommy Genuario, Jacob Kodros, Karl Blum, Ryan Wares, Brito)

Notable: Karl Blum returned to the bullpen and escaped his one inning of work without allowing a run. Four players stole a base (Kevin Welsh, Kyle Walker, Luke Bowerbank, and Mike Nyisztor). Bowerbank had two hits and scored two runs. Walker kept his batting average above .500 with two more hits plus a run and an RBI.

Statistical Review (through 15 games)

Batting leaders

BA: Walker (.515), Bowerbank (.340), Freeman (.333).

Hits: Welsh (19), Bowerbank (18), Nyisztor & Walker (17).

HR: Harris, Matera, Freeman, Sclafani, & Folinusz (1).

RBI: Nyisztor (13), Bowerbank & DiGeorgio (12).

Runs scored: DiGeorgio (14), Nyisztor & Welsh (12).

Stolen bases: Harris (7), DiGeorgio (4), Bowerbank & Nyisztor (3).

OBP: Walker (.585), McNamara (.571), Freeman (.462).

NOTE: Anthony Greco (walk) and Anthony DeRosa (hit by pitch) have a perfect (1.000) OBP in their only plate appearances of the season.

Pitching leaders

W: Kiernan (2), seven players with 1

SV: Karl Blum (2), Brito (1)

ERA: Heatter (1.59), Kiernan (2.00), Gerace (2.89)

SO: Rutkowski (18), Heatter & Brito (16)

IP: O’Reilly (21), Rutkowski (19.1), Heatter (17.0)

Next up:

The team returns to Ft. Myers for a three game set with Florida Gulf Coast University March 16-18 to close out the spring break trip. First pitch Friday night is scheduled for 6:30 pm.