Newark, NJ – Stockton University (6-21, 3-12 NJAC) began its home-and-home series against Rutgers-Newark (10-23, 2-13) with a 15-4 setback on the road. The Ospreys were within a run through five-and-a-half innings before a 10-run sixth frame determined the outcome.
 
Joe LaCava (Toms River/TR North) stroked three of Stockton's 10 hits and registered one RBI. Rico Viani (Monroe Twp./Monroe Twp.) went 2-4 and scored a run. Mike DeSenzo (Pompton Plains/Pequannock) had an active day, going 1-4 with a walk, stolen base and run scored.
 
Rutgers-Newark jumped quickly jumped ahead with four runs in the bottom of the first. Stockton began chipping away at the 4-0 deficit in the third inning. Garrhet Reedy (Tinton Falls/Monmouth) continued swinging a hot bat as he delivered a two-run single to score DeSenzo and Tyler Hobbs (Brick/Brick Memorial) to halve the margin to 4-2. Reedy extended his hitting streak to six with the safety.
 
The Scarlet Raiders answered with one run in the bottom half for a 5-2 count. Viani led off the fourth inning with a single and later came home on an RBI single by John Perrino (Wall/Wall) to make it 5-3. The Ospreys had a chance to do more damage, loading the bases with nobody out, but all three runners were stranded.
 
Stockton closed the gap to 5-4 in the fifth stanza as Joe Cashman (Bordentown/Bordentown) doubled and then scored on an RBI single by LaCava. The game spiraled in a discouraging sixth inning during which Rutgers-Newark plated 10 runs on 10 hits. An eighth-inning single by Viani was the lone hit for the Ospreys in the last three frames as they fell 15-4.
 
Stockton used three pitchers in the game, with Gavin Pabst (Manchester/Manchester Twp.) limiting the Scarlet Raiders to one run on three hits with two strikeouts in the last 2.2 innings of the contest.
 
Stockton and Rutgers-Newark are scheduled to square off again tomorrow, this time on the Ospreys' home field at 3:30 pm.