Galloway, NJ – Stockton University (14-15, 3-7 NJAC) played their final non-conference game of the season and came away with 13-4 victory over Gwynedd Mercy (10-19) on Tuesday afternoon. Nick Avagnano (Paramus/Paramus) and Austin Beard (Toms River/Toms River South) led the 14-hit attack with three safeties each.

Stockton plated a pair of runs in t1he first inning on RBI by Joe Gmitter (Hamilton/Steinert) and Beard for a 2-0 lead. After the Griffins sliced the margin to 2-1 in the second frame, the Ospreys exploded for five runs in their half of the third inning. RBI by Beard, Dom Vizzoni (Trenton/Notre Dame), Russell Halvorsen (Howell/Howell) and two by Jordan Nitti (Hamilton/Steinert) gave the home team a comfortable 7-2 advantage.

The visitors scored one in the fourth to cut the lead to 7-3 but Stockton answered with a run in the fifth on a Nitti home run, which gave him 100 RBI for his outstanding career and an 8-2 lead. He becomes the fourth player in Stockton history with 100 or more RBI in a career.

Five more runs in the next stanza put the game out of reach. The Griffins scored one more in the top of the ninth to set the final score at 13-4.

Nitti and Beard drove in three runs each, with Avagnano driving in two and tying Nitti with three runs scored.

Freshman Justin Prekop (Hamilton/Notre Dame), the second of four hurlers for the Ospreys, earned his first career win with 4.2 innings of work, allowing two hits, one earned run and fanned two batters.

Gwynedd Mercy was led by Jimmy DeCarlo with two of the four hits in the game for the Griffins.

The Ospreys will host Rutgers-Camden on Thursday of the first of their home-and-home series on Thursday afternoon. Game time is scheduled for 3:30 in Galloway.