BROWN PICKS UP 100TH CAREER HIT AS MIDDLESEX BASEBALL STOPS RCSJ-CUMBERLAND FOR 8TH STRAIGHT WIN

Middlesex College used a five-run fourth and then held off a late RCSJ-Cumberland rally as the Colts topped the Dukes 8-5 for their eighth straight win.

Middlesex is now 21-10 on the season and is one of just three teams in Region 19 to have reached 20 wins. They received votes in this week's NJCAA Division III National Poll and are knocking on the door of cracking the top 15. RCSJ-Cumberland fell to 10-13 with the loss.

The Dukes got on the board first, touching Middlesex starter Michael Wansaw (Freshman/Elizabeth, NJ) for a run in the first inning.

The game stayed 1-0 until Middlesex erupted for five runs in the fourth. RCSJ-Cumberland answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth and two in the bottom of the seventh to make the score 5-4.

However, the Colts answered back in the eighth when Joseph Haytas (Freshman/Sayreville, NJ) belted his second homer of the season. The Colts added two more in the top of the ninth to take an 8-4 lead into the bottom of the last.

The insurance runs proved important as a scrappy RCSJ-Cumberland team rallied against Gage Bendix (Sophomore/Piscataway, NJ) in the ninth. The Dukes were able to score one and brought the tying run to the plate with one out in the ninth. However, Bendix induced a grounder to short that Roberto Gonzalez (Freshman/South Plainfield, NJ) and Natanael Friedman (Freshman/Clifton, NJ) turned into a game-ending double play, punctuated with a great scoop at first from Haytas.

Wansaw (3-1) allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits over 6.2 innings. Bendix pitched the final 2.1 innings, allowing just one hit over that time.

Thomas O'Halloran (Freshman/Fords, NJ) went 3-4 with an RBI and walk, raising his batting average to .439. O'Halloran is 5^th in the nation in batting among NJCAA Division III players with at least 100 at bats.

Giovanni Aresta (Sophomore/Old Bridge, NJ) went 2-5 with a run and an RBI and Jordan Brown (Sophomore/Piscataway, NJ) went 2-4 with two runs. Brown is second on the team with a .434 average and picked up his 100^th career hit in the win over RCSJ-Cumberland.

Middlesex College has a quick turnaround as they are back on the diamond on Tuesday when they travel to Mercer County College for a single nine-inning game. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30PM.