Rutgers Baseball dropped a midweek game 10-5 against St. John’s yesterday, despite the Scarlet Knights racing out to a 4-1 start after the first two innings. The Red Storm used a strong fourth inning to overcome their early deficit before putting Rutgers away by scoring five runs in the final two innings.
Chase Krewson and Ryan Jaros had a good day for the Knights at the plate, as they blasted a home run each to help Rutgers build their early lead. Gabriel Rivera also knocked in two RBI’s on the day as well.
The Knights’ bullpen struggled late in the contest, letting up two walks and three RBI’s in the eighth inning, and a score on an error plus another RBI in the ninth inning while only striking out one batter over that time.
While it should be noted that St. John’s is not a bad team, having a 21-19 record overall, this match continues a concerning trend for Rutgers in their midweek matches. Midweek matches are supposed to be matches against much easier non-conference local opponents that the team can use to give their younger players more experience. Usually, these midweek matches provide an opportunity for the team to get right after a bad series, or to keep their winning momentum going during the team’s week off.
However, recently, these matches have given Rutgers headaches. Since their 8-0 win over Delaware, the Knights have dropped midweek games against teams like Hofstra, Marist, and now St. John’s. They have picked up wins against St. Joe’s and Seton Hall over that span, but the expectation is that they would have taken all five games if not gone at least 4-1.
Rutgers baseball has had a winning season every year since 2021. With the season coming to a close soon, and the Knights sitting at 20-21, not only will they have to perform better in their midweek games, but they will also need to take home some series wins to keep that streak alive.
Rutgers baseball will be back in action this weekend, hosting Ohio State for a three-game series, with game one set for 6 p.m. Friday.
