Tag: Chris Brito

Rutgers baseball: Chris Brito has caught fire at the plate

Chris Brito is trending in the right direction for Rutgers baseball.

Over the last few weeks, Rutgers baseball has been a winning machine. The Scarlet Knights have won six straight games and improved to 25-16 overall and 7-5 in the Big Ten. During that stretch, Chris Britio has come alive at the plate and provided a spark to Rutgers offense.

During Rutgers’s winning streak and rise up the Big Ten standings, Brito has hit five doubles and two home runs. He has also been one of the Scarlet Knights’s best run producers, with nine runs batted in over that stretch. In his senior season, Brito is finishing his college career on a high note after a slow start to the season.

Through 41 games, Brito is hitting .276 with 36 runs batted in. While those are solid numbers, in 56 games last year, the New Jersey native hit 16 home runs and drove in 74. However, with tournament play approaching, Brito has found his power stroke at the perfect time.

Additionally, the Perth Amboy High School product is proving to be a difficult matchup due to his ability to get on base. Over the last two weeks, Brito has four multi-hit games. His average has been on the rise, and the Scarlet Knights have been playing their best baseball of the season.

Brito will be a player to watch as the regular season winds down. He ranks third on the Scarlet Knights in doubles and second in runs batted in. For Rutgers to make a deep run in the Big Ten tournament, they will need Brito to keep up his recent play. As Rutgers has shown over the past week, this team is hard to beat when Brito is locked in at the plate.

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Sweep it: Rutgers baseball takes all three over Big Ten rival Northwestern

Rutgers baseball (24-16, 7-5) swept the Northwestern Wildcats (6-28, 3-9) over the weekend, outscoring the Wildcats 23 to 9 in the series.

Rutgers baseball (24-16, 7-5) swept the Northwestern Wildcats (6-28, 3-9) over the weekend, outscoring the Wildcats 23 to 9 in the series. On Friday, the Scarlet Knights kicked off their three-game series at Rocky Miller Park in Evanston, Illinois, defeating the Wildcats 7-1 in game one. On Saturday, Rutgers clinched their series win, defeating Northwestern 11-7 in game two. The Scarlet Knights completed the sweep on Sunday, defeating the Wildcats 5-1 in the series finale.

Game 1

On Friday, Rutgers right-handed pitcher Christian Coppola (3-3) picked up his third win. Coppola pitched six innings, letting up one earned run, five hits, and two walks. He struck out six Wildcats in his six innings of work. Rutgers redshirt sophomore Sam Portnoy relieved Coppola, pitching three scoreless innings.

The Scarlet Knights had 12 hits in game one, with third baseman Chris Brito leading the way. Brito had five at-bats, producing four hits and four RBIs. He had two home runs (Top 5th & Top 8th) and one double (Top 1st), sealing the victory for the Scarlet Knights.

Game 2

Rutgers continue their hot streak at the plate, producing 11 runs in game two. Brito picked up where he left off in game one, recording three hits, two RBIs, and three runs. Brito had three doubles and one walk, leaving one base runner on base in five at-bats.

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Along with Brito, left-fielder Evan Sleight had an excellent day at the plate, producing three RBIs. Sleight had one double (1 RBI) and one homerun (2 RBIs) in Saturday’s victory.

The Scarlet Knights’ right-handed pitcher Grant Besser (2-3) picked up his second win of the season. Besser pitched five innings, letting up one earned run, three hits, and two walks. Also, Besser struck out three Wildcats, locking down the victory for Rutgers.

Game 3

On Sunday, Rutgers completed their series finale against the Wildcats with a 5-1 victory. Rutgers right-handed pitcher Drew Conover had a dominant performance, pitching seven strong innings. Conover let up four hits, one earned run, and three walks, striking out nine batters through seven innings.

Outfielder Ryan Lasko provided a triple in the first inning, leading to the Scarlet Knights’ early lead. Lasko also contributed to Rutgers’ victory with a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning. Sophomore Josh Kuroda-Grauer recorded two RBIs on a single in the top of the fourth inning.

The Scarlet Knights are now sixth in the Big Ten Conference standings after the three victories over the Wildcats.

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Rutgers baseball struggles in the Swig and Swine College Classic

Rutgers baseball struggled at the Swig and Swin Classic in South Carolina, dropping two of three games over the weekend.

Rutgers baseball is struggling to start the season, the Scarlet Knights going 1-2 at the Swig and Swine Classic in South Carolina.

Rutgers, fresh off a second-place finish in the Big Ten last year, is now 2-4 on the season.

Against George Mason, right-handed pitcher Drew Conover received the nod for the Scarlet Knights. Conover was dominant, holding the Patriots scoreless over six innings in a 5-4 extra innings win. Drew finished the day with 6.0 innings, three hits, no runs, no walks, and seven strikeouts.

With the game tied in the 10th inning, George Mason would provide a go-ahead single for a 4-3 lead. The Scarlet Knights battled back in the bottom of the inning, with infielder Cameron Love leading off with an infield single. The Scarlet Knights played small ball, bunting Love to second. With the tieing run at second base,  Hugh Pinkney came in clutch, hitting a triple to tie the game. With only one out in the bottom of the inning, Chris Brito walked off the game with a sac fly to center, giving the Scarlet Knights the victory.

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After their thrilling victory on Friday, Rutgers returned to action on Saturday against Ball State. The Scarlet Knights and the Cardinals battled it out, with the Cardinals pulling out a 5-4 victory. The Scarlet Knights led the game 4-2 going into the seventh until they lost the lead. The Scarlet Knights left eight runners on the base path in the loss.

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In the finale of the Swig and Swine Classic on Sunday, Rutgers baseball fell to Boston College by a score of 6-4. The Scarlet Knights jumped out to an early 2-1 lead, but the Eagles were able to battle back to lead the rest of the way. Rutgers combined for 10 hits but left eight runners on the base path.

Due to the weather, Rutgers’ home opener against St. Joe’s was moved from tomorrow (02/28/23) to Wednesday (03/01/23) at 3 p.m.