By Steven M. Glassman
Director of Sports Information
April 11, 2018
CRANFORD, NJ—Union County College (5-13 Overall, 1-6 NJCAA Region XIX Division III) freshman shortstop Calvin Colon went three-for-four, with three runs scored, three RBI as the Owls defeat the Manor College Blue Jays (1-7, 1-6), 15-7, in eight innings.
Union County opened up the scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore right fielder Tavis Brunson walked with two out, stole second, and sophomore catcher Drew Walicky followed with a home run to left field for the 2-0 lead. The Owls added to its lead in the second. Freshman center fielder Richard Bianchi reached on an infield single with two out, stole second, and scored on Colon's single to left.
Manor cut into the lead in the top of the fourth. Freshman first baseman Hector Morales (Philadelphia, PA/Esperanza Charter) led off with a single to center. Freshman left fielder Trevor Schmanek (Philadelphia, PA/St. Joseph's Prep) singled to left, moving Morales up to second base. Freshman starting pitcher Juan Morales' wild pitch moved Morales to third and Schmanek to second. Freshman catcher Abimael Mercado's (Philadelphia, PA/Juan Ponce De Leon [PR]) one-out double to center scored Morales and Schmanek. The Owls answered and increased its advantage to 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth. Bianchi led off with a double and advanced to third on Colon's bunt single. Sophomore second baseman Allen Cruz walk to load the bases and sophomore third baseman Luis Rullan's sacrifice fly to right scored Bianchi with two out.
The Blue Jays took the lead in the top of the fifth. Freshman shortstop Jose Romero (Philadelphia, PA/Frankford) led off with a single to right and stole second with none out. Freshman third baseman Sauriel Baez (Philadelphia, PA/Esperanza Charter) doubled to center which scored Romero. Freshman starting pitcher/designated hitter Nicholas Herrera (Philadelphia, PA/Frankford) singled to left, scoring Baez which tied game at four, and knocked Morales out of the game. Sophomore relief pitcher Denision Bello's wild pitch advanced Herrera to second and Morales' ground out to short moved Herrera to third. Schmanek's sacrifice fly to left with two out scored Herrera and gave Manor a 5-4 lead.
The Owls took the lead for good, scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Colon reached on a fielder's choice and scored on a two-out bases loaded walk by Walicky. Freshman left fielder Raymond Orta's followed with single to left, scoring Rullan and Brunson, and gave Union County the lead, 7-5.
The Blue Jays got within one in the top of the seventh. Morales led off with a single to left off of freshman relief pitcher Mark Cruz. Schmanek was hit by a pitch and moved Morales to second. Freshman third baseman Jorge Reyes (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast) walked to load the bases. Mercado' fielder's choice ground out to short scored Morales with one out. Union County sent 11 hitters to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, scoring five runs. Colon's none-out, three run home run to left scored freshman designated hitter Saul Paulino and Bianchi. Brunson's none-out, two-run double scored Allen Cruz and Rullan.
Manor scored its final run in the top of the eighth. Romero led off with a double to center. Baez' fly ball to center advanced Romero to third with one out. Morales' two-out double scored Romero. Union scored three times in the bottom of the eighth. Orta's one-out single scored Brunson to end the game.
Batting Leaders: Romero went three-for-four with two runs scored, two doubles, and a stolen base. Morales went three-for-five with a double, two runs scored, and a RBI. Schmanek was two-for-three with a run scored and a RBI on a sacrifice fly. Mercado contributed three RBI and a stolen base.
Orta had two hits and two RBI. Bianchi scored three runs, stole two bases, scored two runs, and walked twice. Walicky knocked in three runs and walked three times. Brunson scored three runs, two RBI, two walks, and stole a base. Rullan scored three runs, knocked in two, and stole two bases.
Pitching Leaders: Herrera (1-2) started and pitched six innings, striking out eight in the loss. Salcedo struck out two in 1 1/3 innings of relief.
Bello won the game in relief for the Owls. He pitched two innings of hitless and scoreless baseball, striking out two.
Next Game: Manor plays the NJCAA Region XIX and EPAC Division III Lehigh Carbon College Cougars (5-10, 2-2 Region XIX Division III, 1-1 EPAC) on Saturday, April 14 in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania at 3:00 p.m. This is a make-up game from March 22.