Six Home Runs Power Brookdale Over Union, 14-4

Lincroft, NJ- The Brookdale baseball team came out swinging the bats in today's game against the Owls of Union County College. Sophomore outfielder Nick Vitale smacked 2 home runs and went 2-5 for the Blues.

Sophomore outfielder Jon Roszel, freshman first baseman Tim Carney and sophomore second baseman Troy Reynolds each hit a home run.

Sophomore pitcher Billy Worswick threw 7 innings for 4 runs, 4 hits and 4 strikeouts.

The team improves their record to 8-6-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The Blues are next in action on Saturday, March 29th against Bucks County Community College.

Article is courtesy of Mike Ready, a journalist for the Jersey Sporting News and Middletown Patch, who covers Brookdale Community College athletics.

Lincroft, NJ- The wind was blowing out Friday afternoon at MacLaughlin Field and Jersey Blues took full advantage, blasting five home runs in a 14-4 mercy rule shortened win over Union County.

A trio of Brick Township High School graduates smacked four of the five homers with sophomore left fielder Nick Vitale drilling two, including a sixth inning inside the park shot that careened off the fence in dead center field. Three batters later, freshman first baseman Tim Carney sent a two-run shot sailing over the right center-field fence and  freshmen second baseman Troy Reynolds blasted a fourth-inning solo shot to left that easily cleared the fence.

Sophomore right fielder Jon Roszel (Manchester H.S.) launched the home run barrage with a monster no-doubt blast with the bases empty in the bottom of the first after Union had gone ahead 2-0 in the top of the inning.

Sophomore pitcher Billy Worswick, an NJIT transfer, was brilliant in going the distance, giving up two earned runs on four hits, striking out four and walking only two in seven innings of work for his second win of the season without a loss. He got stronger as the game progressed, not allowing a run and giving up only two hits with two K's  through the final four innings.

The Jersey Blues trailed 4-1 after Union scored two runs in the top of the third in the only inning of the game where Worswick faced any real trouble.

Brookdale then countered with four runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 5-4 lead, with the big blow coming on a Carney two-run double into deep center field.

In the bottom of the fourth, Reynolds and Vitale hit back-to-back homers and the rout was on. The Blues tacked on seven more runs in the final three innings before the game was halted when freshman Mike Scagnelli's hard hit liner up the middle with two outs in the bottom of the seventh put Brookdale up by 10 runs. 

Roszel went 3-for-4 with a homer and a double, Young had three hits in five at bats including a double, triple and two RBI. Slugger Tim Carney homered, doubled and singled with a team leading four RBI, while freshman catcher Aaron Kane (Manchester H.S.) went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI.

The Blues (8-7, 1-1) are scheduled to play a doubleheader versus Bucks County today, Saturday 3-29-14, with first pitch at 12:00 p.m. weather permitting.

By: Mike Ready

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