MADISON, N.J. - Junior infielder Anthony Diaz smashed a walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th, capping an outstanding game at the plate and giving the Rangers a wild 12-11 victory in the opener of a Landmark Conference doubleheader versus Elizabethtown College on Saturday at Doc Young Field.

The Blue Jays went on to win the nightcap 7-2.

Diaz came to bat with runners on first and second and two outs in the 11th, and he rocketed a ball that bounced off the third baseman and into leftfield. Freshman Ryan Jones came around to score give the Rangers a come-from-behind win and their first Landmark Conference victory of the season.

Diaz singled in his final five at-bats to finish 5-for-6 with three RBIs in the opener, as he tied for second in team history for hits in a game. Junior catcher K.J. Hallgren also turned in a big game offensively, going 4-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Junior Giovanni DeGiglio earned the win on the mound after blanking the Blue Jays while allowing just a walk over the final 2 2/3 innings.

Elizabethtown jumped to a 5-1 lead after two and a half innings versus senior starter Tim Jinks in the opener before the Rangers scored eight straight runs, including seven in the fifth to go up 9-5 and set up a back-and-forth finish. 

The visitors scored five times in the seventh to reclaim the lead (10-9) before Drew went up 11-10 with two in the bottom of the inning. The Blue Jays tied it in the top of the eighth to eventually send the game to extra innings - Drew's first extra-innings affair since 2019.

In the 11th, Jones led off with an infield single before a controversial play put him into scoring position. Freshman Dallas Lorenzetti grounded a ball that the third baseman fielded and threw to second. The throw was high and slightly pulled the second baseman off the bag as he pivoted to make the throw to first on the double-play attempt. Jones was initially called out, but was placed back at second after the umpires met and reversed the call. Two batters later, Diaz stepped up and delivered his game-winning hit.

Jones and sophomore Justin Cece finished with two hits apiece in the opener while DeGiglio turned in a gutsy performance. Entering the game with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the ninth and the scored tied at 11-all, DeGiglio induced a pair of outs, including a crucial infield pop-up for the second out to keep the go-ahead run from scoring. He went on to retire eight of the nine batters he would face while earning his first collegiate victory.

Jinks worked six innings while freshman Connor Ruscansky worked 2 1/3 innings, allowing just one run.

In the second game, the Rangers scored once in the bottom of the first before Etown scored seven straight runs from the second through the fourth versus freshman starter Kenny Yonker. Drew scored the game's final run in the fourth, but that was all they could muster versus stater Nicholas Ortega, who tossed seven innings to get the win.

Junior Nick Pellegrino was a bright spot for the Rangers in the nightcap, firing 4 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and two walks. Sophomore Dominic Goodenough came on to throw a scoreless ninth.

Freshman Mike Gallaro went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles for Drew while Bosch also collected a pair of hits.

The Rangers and Blue Jays conclude their season series on Sunday, when they play a single game starting at 11 a.m. The start time was moved up one hour due to impending cold weather.

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