Holly Springs, N.C. (May 17, 2018) - Second-seeded The College of New Jersey (29-9) scratched out five runs on 11 hits in a 5-3 win over #5 Alvernia University (28-14) Thursday afternoon in Game Two of the NCAA Division III South Baseball Regional at Ting Park.

Alvernia is bumped down to the losers bracket and will face #6 LaGrange at 11 a.m. Friday in the first elimination game of the double elimination tournament.  TCNJ will face the winner of Thursday's game between #3 Denison and #4 Christopher Newport.

Alvernia opened the scoring of Thursday's game in the top of the first when junior Nathan Sides launched his third home run of the season out to centerfield.  

Fellow junior John Catchmark got the start for the Golden Wolves and worked around a pair of singles in the bottom of the first to keep the Lions off the board.

He went back to the mound with a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second and quickly got two outs before the Lions' offense strung together four straight hits and plated a pair of runs.  David Cardona hit a ground rule double to center and Jacob Simon followed with a run scoring single. Patrick Anderson doubled to the wall in left center and Simon scampered all the way home from first for a 2-1 lead.  TCNJ had runners on second and third threatening for more, but Sides made a great play up the middle on a ball deflected by Catchmark to end the inning.

Anderson doubled to lead off the fifth inning and scored and TCNJ added two more runs in the sixth.

TCNJ starter Joe Cirillo retired 12 straight Alvernia batters before Sides ripped a single to lead off the top of the ninth and Matt Briner put two on with another single.  Marcus Celiano grounded out to first and Franco Esposito brought in Sides with a sacrifice fly to center, and a fly ball from Alex Salesky ended the game.

Alvernia will need three straight wins to get back out of the loser bracket and have a chance to force the if necessary game.

#2 TCNJ 5, #5 Alvernia 2