HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. - Led by an incredible effort from the top of the order, the Drew University baseball team managed to tie the game late before putting things away for good in the 10th inning as the Rangers successfully came back to defeat Centenary University 7-6 in Thursday afternoon's non-conference game.
Batting in the two-hole, junior second baseman
Anthony Diaz (2-for-5)
drove in the game-winning run in the top of the 10th by singling to left to bring home senior shortstop
Cole Bosch (2-for-4),
who got into scoring position with a triple to right-center. This would be the fourth run of the game scored by Bosch who had a nearly perfect game batting leadoff.
Junior catcher
K.J. Hallgren finished 4-for-6 with a double for the Rangers, who won their second game in a row, while Bosch scored four runs and roped a pair of extra-base hits.
In the top of the first, Bosch also scored the first run of the game after coming home on a fielder's choice from senior left fielder
Shane Benson. Bosch would then score Drew's second run of the day in the third when he doubled to right-center and came around to score on a single from Hallgren, who would immediately score as well on a single from Benson and a throwing error by Centenary's shortstop on the relay throw, making it 3-2.
Later, after falling behind 6-3, the Rangers had their biggest rally of the day, scoring three runs in the top of the eighth to tie things up and eventually send it to extra innings. With the bases loaded, Bosch walked to force in a run, Diaz plated another with a sacrifice fly, and Hallgren tied things up with a single to left-center that scored Bosch.
For the day, Drew's 1-2-3 hitters - Bosch, Diaz, and Hallgren - went 8-for-15 with five runs and five RBIs.
On the mound, Drew used five different pitchers to get he job done. Freshman
Connor Ruscansky started things off by going three innings and allowing one earned run, followed by freshman
Kenny Yonker (2/3 of an inning) and junior
Joseph Caggiano (1 1/3 innings) who got Drew through the first five innings. Freshman
Dominic Goodenough wound up the pitcher of record after tossing four shutout innings, while senior
Teddy Hoxie earned his first save since 2020 by throwing a scoreless 10th.
The Rangers will now head to Bethlehem, Pa. to open a three-game Landmark Conference series with Moravian University starting Friday at 4 p.m.
