The Rutgers Camden Scarlet Raptors (29-15) advanced to their first New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship in over 10 years on May 7, as No. 16 Rowan (31-9) fell by a score of 19-7 in the semifinal round of the double-elimination NJAC tournament.

Rowan started the game with bases loaded and one out. They stranded the runners to keep the game scoreless. The game would take off from there. 

Rutgers-Camden scored seven runs in the first two innings to take a 7-0 lead. Rowan right-handed starter Zach Coluccio came into the game with a 2.31 ERA, but he wasn’t able to get through the second inning. Despite seven straight games for Coluccio going 6.0 innings pitched (IP) or more, he had his shortest start of the season to end the streak by going 1.1 IP. He allowed six earned runs on seven hits with two extra base hits.

Rowan responded with three runs off the bats of Jason Morgan and Brayden Davis on a pair of singles in the top of the third. A reachable game in the score was quickly squandered when the Scarlet Raptors scored nine runs in the next two innings to continue an offensive entourage.

Rowan pitching allowed 16 runs in the first four innings using four different pitchers. Head coach Mike Dickson saw a problem.

“It was our pitch location,” Dickson said. “I’ll go back and look at the video but I bet our pitch location was right down the middle. We walked the leadoff guy a couple of times. Between our pitch location and giving them some free bases.”

Rutgers-Camden tied their season high with 23 hits in the game. Rutgers-Camden had six different players in the lineup with three or more hits. They also had three players with three or more RBIs, with right fielder Brandon Petrick leading the way with five himself.

The bouncy turf at Rutgers-Camden led to a few infield singles. Rowan third baseman Brayden Davis didn’t put blame on the field conditions.

“The game of baseball is a weird game. It’s one and only,” Davis said. “Sometimes the baseball gods will go your way and sometimes they won’t.”

NJAC Rookie of the Year Damon Suriani led the profs going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles as Davis followed him with two hits and two RBIs. The 14 hits as a team for Rowan led to their seven runs.

The Rowan Profs 13 game winning streak came to a close. It’s another learning lesson for Rowan with their backs now against the wall in the NJAC Semifinal.

“They have to learn from it. If they play like this, the season is going to end,” Dickson said. “We are going to be in regionals. But if they play like that and are not communicating on the field, throwing to the wrong bags, and just sloppy, then the season ends. If that’s the way you want to go down then that’s the way you want to go down. To me, you want to go down in a good game.”

Rowan will face off against TCNJ for the fourth time this season in the NJAC semifinal. First pitch will be on Friday, May 4th at 11:00 a.m. at the Camden Athletic Complex. Rowan is 3-0 against the Lions including a win in the second round of the NJAC tournament.

Brayden Davis was the hero of the most recent game with his two-run home run to give them a 9-7 lead late in the contest. The offensive mindset remains the same for the sophomore.

“I’m just going to do whatever I can to help my team,” Davis said. “If I’m in a big spot, try to come through again for the team and pass it to the next guy.”

Davis is also taking a consistent approach to the postseason.

“I’ve been saying just take it one game at a time to the guys and to myself,” Davis said. “Let’s win Friday morning and then take it game by game”

Dickson is looking to see the fight out of his team following the tough loss.

“We will see what kind of fight we have with these guys,” Dickson said. “I’m sure TCNJ is fighting for a regional now as well, so they are going to give us everything they got.”

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