Union, N.J. (3/1/22) – The Kean University baseball team used timely hitting, solid pitching and key defensive grabs to pull past FDU-Florham, 4-2 on Tuesday afternoon.
The win closes out the Cougars' home stand with a 9-0 record to start the season. Their nine straight wins to start the season is the best start known in program history.
Brett Hilsheimer, who finished with three hits on the day, led off with a single, advanced on a balk, then error and came across the plate for the game's first run on a fielder's choice RBI from Michael Lapczynski.
A tight pitchers' duel left the score that way until the fifth inning as the Devils tied things up. With two outs, Vincent Ferrigno scored on a wild pitch after leading off the inning with a full-count walk.
Kean pushed across the winning runs in their half of the sixth as Philip Mahlik singled to lead off the inning, advanced to second on a groundout, swiped third and scored on a sacrifice from Dylan Beyer. Later in the inning, Phil Marcantonio scored off a Michael Medvetz double in the gap.
The Cougars added one more in the bottom of the seventh (4-2) as Mahlik lofted a sac fly, scoring Hilsheimer who reached on a single.
Jimmy Finnerty homered to right to lead off the ninth inning, but Nolan Rowan was able to shut it down from there to earn his first win of the year.
Rowan (1-0) threw four and a third innings of relief allowing that one run in the ninth and two hits with no walks and four strikeouts.
Kean heads to the road for their spring break trip and will face Hanover on Friday from South Carolina.
