CALDWELL, N.J. -- Junior righthander
Jonathan Gambone (Westville, N.J.) threw the first perfect game in Caldwell University baseball history, setting down all 21 Lincoln University hitters he faced in an 11-0 triumph in game one of a CACC doubleheader at Kiwanis Oval on Sunday afternoon. The Cougars edged the Lions, 7-6, in the second game.
Caldwell honored 13 seniors in a ceremony between contests.
Gambone was masterful from start to finish, and got a little help from his defense, notably senior shortstop
Christian Rinick (Marlboro, N.J.), who made a leaping catch of a liner in the second and a diving stop to his left of a grounder and strong throw to nip the runner to end the fourth and backhand stab and throw to first to end the fifth. He threw just 62 pitches in the contest.
His perfecto is the first in the history of the CACC, and the
34th in NCAA history.
While Gambone was shutting down the Lincoln bats, the Cougars (16-24, 13-18 CACC) were scoring runs in bunches, tallying twice in the third on consecutive RBI hits by senior left fielder
Jimmy Kurtz (Buena, N.J.) and junior center fielder
Jimmy Turchi (Bridgewater, N.J.). Caldwell broke it open an inning later with four runs, the last three coming on back-to-back homers by freshman 3B
Justin Levine (Staten Island, N.Y.) and senior 1B
Chris Hopf (Middlesex, N.J.).
Senior RF
Eli Santiago (Toms River, N.J.) launched a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth that put CU ahead 11-0, and when Gambone closed out the game in the top of the seventh the game was ended by the 10-run rule.
See the final out here.
Gambone picked up his fifth win.
In game two, Caldwell took a 5-2 lead in the third on Hopf's 12th home run of the year, a three-run blast just inside the left field foul pole. The Lions, who outhit CU, 16-5, in the contest, battled back to tie, but junior catcher
Enrique Beltra (Monroe, N.J.) drove in what proved to be the game winner with a single to left, scoring Hopf from second in the fifth.
Winning pitcher, junior
Vinny Sangataldo (Medford, N.J.) retired Lincoln in order in the sixth but when the first two Lions reached in the seventh and final inning, senior righty
John Rigas (Lincoln Park, N.J.) came in to quell the rally, getting a strike out, foulout and groundout to give the Cougars their fifth win in the last seven games.
Despite the victories, the results of other CACC contests on the day eliminated Caldwell from postseason consideration.
The Cougars close the season by completing the three game series with Lincoln in Lower Oxford Twp., Pa. on Monday at 3 p.m. and at Chestnut Hill on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
In addition to Hopf, Kurtz, Rigas, Rinick and Santiago, seniors honored included:
- Chris Bayo (Miami), catcher
- Ben Foote (Elmer, N.J.), pitcher
- Danny Keane (Union, N.J.), pitcher
- Matt Perez (Washington Twp., N.J.), pitcher
- Akkash Santiago (Toms River, N.J.), pitcher
- Ryan Silnik (Washington Twp.), pitcher
- Vin Vargas (Maywood, N.J.), infielder
- Stephen Young Jr. (Middlesex, N.J.), infielder
