Rutkowski and Heatter pitch Rutgers baseball to win over No. 24 Miami

Freshmen lefthanders Harry Rutkowski and Eric Heatter, making their mound debuts for the Rutgers University baseball team, combined to lead the Scarlet Knights to a 7-5 comeback victory on Sunday over Miami, which is ranked 24th in the country according to USA Today's coaches poll.

Rutkowski, a former Woodbridge High School star, allowed two earned runs on seven hits over four innings in his first college start before yielding to Heatter, a former Monroe High School star, who allowed no runs on four hits with eight strikeouts and one walk over four innings at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field in Coral Gables, Fla.

The duo earned mound appearances Sunday after Rutgers starting pitchers combined to allow 12 earned runs on 11 hits, six walks and three hit batsmen over five and two thirds innings during the first two games of the season-opening series, which Miami won 7-1 and 8-5.

Rutkowski, the Home News Tribune’s 2017 Player of the Year, and Heatter could prove to be a much-needed panacea for Rutgers, which struggled with a 6.11 staff ERA last season.

Rutgers pitchers were phenomenal out of the bullpen in the Miami series, allowing just one earned run and 11 hits over 15 and a third innings. Eric Reardon of North Brunswick, the Home News Tribune’s 2016 Player of the Year, hurled three scoreless innings of relief in the series, striking out three, walking three and allowing just one hit. Kyle Blum closed Sunday's victory with a scoreless ninth, retiring No. 3 batter Romy Gonzalez with a runner aboard for the final out.

Heatter, who holds Monroe’s all-time record for wins (18), strikeouts (263) and ERA (0.96) and set the single-season school mark with a 0.25 ERA last spring, was masterful in his college debut. He complemented a fastball in the mid-80s with a devastating changeup, relying on the latter to escape a two-out jam with two runners aboard in the eighth when he struck out the side for a second time.

A 28th-round selection of the Cincinnati Reds in the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, Rutkowski opted to honor his commitment to the Scarlet Knights rather than sign a professional contract.

Rutkowski ended his stellar scholastic career as the winningest pitcher in Greater Middlesex Conference history, compiling a 27-6 record with 348 strikeouts over 244 innings. He was the Home News Tribune’s 2017 Player of the Year.

After Rutkowski spotted Miami a 5-0 lead, the Scarlet Knights took him off the hook, sending 11 batters to the plate during a seven-run rally in the top of the fourth inning. Batterymate Tyler McNamara, a former East Brunswick star, and third baseman Kyle Walker, a former Pingry star from Piscataway, each had an RBI during the outburst.

Miami starting pitcher Evan McKendry retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced – seven via strikeout – but was less successful the second time through the order. The Scarlet Knights chased him with four hits and two walks during their fourth-inning outburst.

Rutkowski threw first-pitch strikes to 14 of the 20 batters he faced, but labored, throwing 79 pitches, 48 for strikes, during his outing. He worked the count full five times and was victimized by two errors which led to three unearned runs.

The rookie southpaw’s fastball, which he spotted well, topped out at 89 mph, but he did not have pinpoint control of his breaking ball, which contributed to a passed ball and a wild pitch, each of which led directly to runs. Rutkowski battled, despite the Rutgers defense, which was spectacular with Heatter and Blum on the mound, alienating him at times.

Miami took a 1-0 lead in the first. After getting ahead 0-2 on leadoff batter Tony Jenkins, Rutkowski issued four consecutive balls. Willy Escala laced Rutkowski’s next offering to left field for a single, putting runners on first and second. Rutkowski fanned No. 3 hitter Romy Gonzalez, catching him looking at a sweeping curveball on a 2-2 offering. During the at-bat, McNamara helped out his batterymate, erasing the lead runner at third on a double steal attempt (McNamara and Heatter teamed for a strike-out, throw-out double play on an attempted steal later in the game). With Escala on second following the theft, cleanup batter Danny Reyes clubbed his fifth extra-base hit of the series, lacing a slider over the head of left fielder Luke Bowerbank for an RBI double. Michael Burns followed with a swinging bunt that dribbled down the third-base line, putting runners on the corners before Rutkowski escaped the jam, getting Alex Toral to fly out on a full-count offering.

In the second inning, Miami parlayed a leadoff single, an ensuing double (that was actually a misplayed fly ball), an infield error, a passed ball and a wild pitch into a three-run rally to build a 4-0 lead. After Michael Amiditis singled through the left side of the infield and Raymond Gil doubled on a fly ball that turned around center fielder Jawuan Harris (the Big Ten’s top MLB prospect according to Baseball America), Rutgers second baseman Dan DiGeorgio committed an error on a grounder that hit him in the chest following a hard hop. With the middle infield playing at regular depth, Amiditis, who broke on contact, would have scored easily on the miscue anyway. Gil, who advanced to third on the error, crossed on a passed ball. Freddy Zamora, who reached on the infield error before stealing second and advancing to third on the aforementioned passed ball, crossed on a wild pitch. Rutkowski retired the last three batters of the inning, essentially setting down the top of the lineup in order. He induced Jenkins into a soft line out to first base on a full-count offering, got Escala to chase a 3-2 fastball up and away and retired Gonzalez on a groundout.

Miami tacked on another run in the third. Reyes led off with a single to center, stole second and took third on an infield error. With runners on the corners, Rutkowski, who has a fabulous move, helped himself out, picking Burns off first base. Reyes never broke for home while Burns was caught and eventually erased in a rundown, but did score on a sacrifice fly to give the Hurricanes a 5-0 lead.

Rutkowski pitched a scoreless fourth to preserve the 7-5 lead, which DiGeorgio, who doubled in his first at-bat, helped build, lacing an RBI single to make the score 5-5. An error allowed the go-ahead and insurance runs to cross.

Rutgers has opened the season nine of the past 10 years at Miami, which leads the all-time series between the schools 63-14.

The Scarlet Knights (1-2) return to action Friday, taking on Indiana, which is widely regarded as the favorite to win the Big Ten championship, at North Charlotte Regional Park in Port Charlotte, Fla. Rutgers plays single games in ensuing days at the same complex against St. Bonaventure and Boston College.

Rutgers' home opener at Bainton Field is Feb. 27 against Wagner.