Saturday's doubleheader between the Roadrunners and sister school RCJ Cumberland was billed as a showdown between the top two nationally ranked NJCAA Division III teams in the nation.
The billing indeed proved to be worth the wait as the No. 1 Roadrunners and No. 2 Dukes split their two games on the Cumberland field.
The Dukes hung on for a 2-1 win in Game 1 while the Runners bounced back to grab an 8-5 triumph in Game 2.
Now the two clubs will play a third game Monday in Deptford to close out the highly watched three-game series.
Click Here for Photo Highlights from Roadrunners vs. Dukes showdown
In Game 1 Saturday, first baseman Felix Diaz produced an RBI single in the sixth inning but it wasn't enough as the Runners lost a heart-breaking 2-1 decision. Sophomore pitcher Angel Cespedes hurled six strong innings, striking out 9 in defeat.
In Game 2, John Cristino struck the big blow with 2-run homer while teammate Eric Sabato collected two hits and an RBI. Winning pitcher Joe Marino surrendered just one earned run over four innings to improve to 7-0 on the season,
The Runners broke open the game with a three-run sixth inning to take an 8-4 lead before closing out the victory.
The rubber match of the series is slated for a 3 pm first pitch on Monday, April 11th at the RCSJ Gloucester field.