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(Photo credit: Ben Solomon/Rutgers Athletics)

Rutgers Baseball Annihilates Wagner in Home Opener

PISCATAWAY, NJ- After an impressive 9-1 road trip to start the season, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights returned to the friendly confines of Bainton Field on Tuesday to play the Wagner Seahawks.

The home opener for Rutgers interrupts what would be a span of 21 games as the visiting team, so despite the impressive start, a return home is exactly what the Scarlet Knights needed to recharge their batteries.

An easy opponent certainly helps, too. In sharp contrast to Rutgers, Wagner has been off to a very poor start to their season. Although they are in the middle of a lengthy long trip, the Seahawks entered Piscataway at a lowly 1-8 and with four straight losses.

As such, a reeling opponent would certainly be easy pickings for the Scarlet Knights, and the blowout that followed proved just that.

Although Wagner struck first with a home run from the game's first batter, the next 18 runs would all be scored by Rutgers. In yet another display of relentless offense, the Scarlet Knights clubbed six home runs, scored six runs in the second inning and eight runs in the fifth, and sent the Piscataway crowd home happy with a dominating 18-1 victory.

Things got so out of hand that after the fifth inning, both teams emptied their benches and had their backups/back-end relief pitchers play out the rest of the game.

The Scarlet Knights had three players- shortstop Danny DiGeorgio, designated hitter Evan Sleight, and first baseman Jordan Sweeney- drive in three or more runs, with DiGeorgio leading the way with five. The senior shortstop crossed the plate four times and hit two home runs along with a double. Sleight had four hits, including a home run.

On the pitching side, Wyatt Parliament, in his second collegiate start, shook off the leadoff homer and pitched three solid innings. With the offense in complete control, coach Steve Owens turned the game over to his bullpen, and seven different relievers combined to pin down Wagner for the rest of the afternoon.

Finally, Rutgers played error-free ball and continued to make difficult plays on defense. In sharp contrast, Wagner finished the game with an embarrassing five errors.

The game got off to a conspicuous start; Seahawks center fielder Maimu Kobayashi deposited Parliament's second pitch of the game over the left field fence, stunning the Piscataway crowd as Wagner immediately jumped ahead 1-0. However, this leadoff home run would be the equivalent of poking a sleeping bear.

In the bottom of the first inning, the Scarlet Knights went right to work against starter Nick DeCarlo. With one out, right fielder Richie Schiekofer singled to right before DiGeorgio hit a two-run shot to left field, giving Rutgers a 2-1 lead and setting the tone for the rest of the day.

In the top of the second, Parliament escaped a jam with two runners on, and his teammates blew the game open in the bottom half. Sleight and third baseman Tony Santa Maria led off the frame with back-to-back home runs, then after the first out, left fielder Mike Nyisztor and Schiekofer reached base on a hit-by-pitch and a walk before DiGeorgio blasted a three-run home run, his second big fly of the game and his fifth RBI in just two innings. DeCarlo then recorded the second out, but catcher Nick Cimillo followed with his third round-tripper of the season to make it 8-1 Rutgers. When the inning ended, DeCarlo's day was over too.

In the third inning, Kobayashi reached on a walk, but was caught stealing second to quash a potential rally. The Scarlet Knights, however, failed to capitalize against Brandon Demma during their half, stranding a pair of runners with no outs.

In the top of the fourth, Parker Scott replaced Parliament and worked around a two-out double by Seahawks catcher David Melfi by retiring the next batter. Rutgers then mounted a scoring threat, putting runners on first and third with one out. Second baseman Joshua Kuroda-Grauer then hit a tailor-made double play ball, but a throwing error by Wagner's second baseman Xavier Baker allowed DiGeorgio to score from third and allowed Kuroda-Grauer to advance to second. Sleight then drove him in with a single to right, extending the lead to 10-1.

Jayson Hoopes escaped a two-on, one out jam in the top of the fifth, and Rutgers turned their already massive lead into a complete rout in the bottom of the inning. Sweeney and Nyisztor reached on back-to-back errors by Baker and shortstop Mike Ruggiero, respectively, and Schiekofer drove in Sweeney with a single. With DiGeorgio up, relief pitcher Michael Cunningham uncorked a wild pitch, moving Schiekofer to second and allowing Nyisztor to score. DiGeorgio finished the at-bat with a bloop double to move the runner to third. The next batter, center fielder Ryan Lasko, extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a two-run double, making it 14-1 Rutgers. Cunningham got the next two batters out, but allowed an RBI single to Sleight and hit Santa Maria with a pitch before Sweeney capped the rally with a three-run home run, as the lead swelled to 18-1. Cunningham was left out to dry for the entire rally without receiving any help from his defense, as six of the eight runs he allowed were unearned. He was mercifully pulled in favor of Nick LePre, who held the Scarlet Knights scoreless for the rest of the game alongside two other relievers.

But after the inning ended, it was extremely clear the game was over, and both teams played with mostly backups for the rest of the day. Justin Sinibaldi, Nate McLain, Matt Rowe, Joe Mazza, and Sam Portnoy combined to pitch the final four scoreless innings for Rutgers.

What Does this Mean for Rutgers?

This game was exactly what the Scarlet Knights were expecting, but also was exactly what they needed. Coming off a long road trip and with an even longer road trip ahead, Rutgers needed to fill the tank back up with a stress-free game, yet not allow the red-hot bats to cool off or the pitching to falter. Even though they beat a very weak opponent, the Scarlet Knights now sit at 10-1 and have all the confidence in the world as they hit the trail.

Next Up for Rutgers

The Scarlet Knights travel to Honolulu to take on Hawaii in a four-game set. First pitch is at 11:35 PM this Friday.