Blackwood, N.J. - The Cougars defeated the #7 NJCAA nationally ranked Bergen Bulldogs this afternoon in game 1 of the Garden State Athletic Series by a score of 12-10.
The Cougars jumped out to an early 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning as sophomore infielder, Dom Lopez Jr, knocked in Matt Jefferson for the first run of the game. The Cougars added two more in the second inning as sophomore outfielder, Hunter Brelsford and freshman catcher, Emmanuel Ocasio managed to cross the plate to give the Cougars the 3-0 lead.
The Bulldogs then responded in the top of the 3rd managing to scratch acrossed a run making the score 3-1. In the bottom of the 3rd, after a single and walk, freshman first baseman, Chris Maldonado, stepped to the plate and hit a 3 run blast making the score 6-1. The Cougars continued to tack on runs in 4th and 7th inning.
Sophomore starting pitcher, Pete Berenato, gave the Cougars 6 strong innings of work striking out 7 Bulldog batters. Berenato now picks up his 4th win of the season and currently leads in the Cougars pitching staff in innings pitched.
Skipping ahead to the 9th inning, the Cougars lead Bergen 12-10 after a four run 8th inning Bulldog rally. Freshman pitcher, John Archer, shut the door for the Cougars striking out the last two batters of the game to pick up his first save of the season.
The Cougars are now 29-15 on the year as they head to Bergen Community College tomorrow for their final two games of the 2018 regular season fighting for playoff position. GO COUGARS!