Box Score
LAKEWOOD, N.J. (May 16, 2012) – The #8 Kean University Cougars (34-10) scored five of the final six runs in a 9-3 victory over Drew (22-20) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional at FirstEnergy Park. The Rangers will take on Haverford tomorrow at 1:15 p.m. in the loser's bracket.

The Rangers, who came into the game ranked 13th in the country in sacrifice bunts, manufactured the game's first run of the night in the top of the first inning. Junior Michael Bodden (Toms River, N.J./Monsignor Donovan) drew a lead-off walk and was moved over to second by the next batter Steven DeBonis (Hamilton, N.J./Nottingham) on a sac bunt. Senior Tom Murray (Brick, N.J./Brick Memorial) gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead on an RBI single to right.

Drew took a 2-0 lead in the top of second inning on a Kean throwing error that scored Michael Chiarella (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) who reached on a single earlier in the frame. The Cougars posted their first run of the game in the bottom half of the inning on a RBI single by Vinny Galya to make the score, 2-1.

Kean captured their first lead of the night in the bottom of the second, posting three runs and making the score 4-3. Ranger starting pitcher Ken Myers (Sterling, N.J./Stratford) was charged with just one of the three runs that came across in the inning.

The Cougars opened the game up in the bottom of the fifth by plating three more runners, knocking Myers out of the ball game. Kean strung together four-straight hits to start the inning, including an RBI triple by Dylan Laguna. The senior was 4-for-5 on the day with two triples and three RBIs, falling a home run shy of the cycle.

The nationally-ranked Cougars added two more runs over their last three at bats to push their lead to 9-3. The Rangers got their final run across in the bottom of the eighth when DeBonis came in on a wild pitch.

Kean starting pitcher Mike Russo went the distance for his seventh win of the season. He struck out four batters and allowed three runs in nine innings of work.

The Rangers will move to the loser's bracket in the double-elimination Mid-Atlantic Regional and face Haverford at 1:15 on Thursday afternoon at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood, N.J.