May 11, 2006

Box Score

DOBBS FERRY, NY - The New Jersey Institute of Technology baseball team notched its school-record 24th win of the season on Thursday, going on the road for an 8-1 non-conference victory at Mercy College in the regular season finale for both teams.

NJIT, now 24-17, surpassed the previous school record, set in 2004, when the Highlanders were 23-24. NJIT will await a possible Eastern College Athletic Conference postseason tournament bid to see if the 2006 season will continue. Mercy closes the year at 5-38.

NJIT freshman lefthander Matt Melody (1-2), made his eighth start and recorded his first college victory with a strong effort, shutting out Mercy over the first seven innings. He finally allowed a run in the eighth and faced one batter in the ninth, departing with a line of 8 innings pitched, 9 hits, 1 run, 1 walks and 6 strikeouts. Cory Kuzmik closed out the win, getting the last three outs and allowing a walk.

Rob Forbes was 3-for-5, including his fourth home run of the season--a two-run shot that keyed the Highlanders' four-run fifth inning. Forbes had three RBI on the day.

Craig Binkiewicz, Justin Racz, Mike Turner and Dan Morogiello all collected two hits apiece for the Highlanders, as all four men had a double and a single. Derrick McCain added a first-inning triple, scoring Racz with the first run of the game. Forbes followed with a single that scored McCain with the Highlanders' second run.

The Highlanders got an unearned run in the third inning, before erupting with the four-run fifth inning. In the sixth inning, Morogiello doubled to the fence in left center field with two out and then scored on a single by Binkiewicz, who raised his team-leading hits total to 53. The freshman is batting .445 for the season.

Binkiewicz, Racz and Morogiello each scored two runs and Binkiewicz and McCain had two RBI apiece.