SEWELL, NJ - The 4th ranked Northampton Baseball team dropped their opening game of the Region 19 Final Four, falling to top-seeded RCSJ-Gloucester, 11-8, on Friday at Roadrunner Park. 

Trailing 5-1 after 2 innings, the Spartans scored 3 runs in the 3rd to cut the margin to 5-4.  Jake Hendershot (Martinsville, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan (NJ)) got things rolling with a leadoff single and advanced to second on a passed ball.  Jeffrey Sabater (Lansdale, PA/North Penn) then singled on a bunt, which scored Hendershot.  Ryan Santangelo (Oxford, PA/Oxford Area) then hit his 13th homerun of the season, scoring Sabater to make the score 5-4. 

After a scoreless 4th inning, Northampton plated 4 runs in the top of the 5th to take an 8-5 lead.  The Spartans used an error, a walk and 4 singles to score their 4 runs, highlighted by a Luke Spencer (Dallas, PA/Lake-Lehman) line drive which scored Sabater. 

The Roadrunners responded with 3 runs in the bottom half of the 6th to tie the game at 8-8, and then added a run in the 7th and 2 in the 8th on a Mitchell Balint 2-run homerun to take an 11-8 lead.

The Spartans could not muster any runs in the top of the 9th, falling 11-8 and thus moving on to the loser's bracket to face 2nd seeded RCSJ-Cumberland, who lost to #3 Brookdale, 7-1, in their opening contest.

The winner of the Northampton vs. Cumberland game will move on to Saturday, while the loser will be eliminated. 

Luke Spencer (Dallas, PA/Lake-Lehman) finished 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and a RBI, Santangelo was 2 for 5 with 2 RBI and Josh Herman (Bethlehem, PA/Notre Dame Green Pond) went 2 for 5 with a RBI to pace the Spartans.

Cole McGourty (Asbury, NJ/Voorhees (NJ)) took the loss on the bump, throwing 6.2 innings, allowing 9 runs on 11 hits, while striking out 3 and walking 4.