March 31, 2007

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - New Jersey Institute of Technology scored three times in the sixth inning and then three times an inning later to take control in its 8-6 road baseball win at the University of Maryland Baltimore County Saturday afternoon.

The NJIT win evened the weekend series between the teams after UMBC took Friday's opener. The rubber game is scheduled for 1 pm Sunday at UMBC.

The Highlanders, 6-11 in their first season of Division I competition, banged out 13 hits, led by three apiece for senior captains LF Derrick McCain (3-for-5) and 1B Austin DeRogatis (3-for-3).

DeRogatis was making his first start since March 11, when he was hit in the face by a pitch against St. Bonaventure. DeRogatis was taken to a Florida hospital after the beaning and returned to game action for the first time when he walked as a pinch-hitter in Friday's game vs. UMBC.

2B Matt Schlitter and SS Miguel Lugo had two hits apiece for NJIT and each man scored two runs, while Schlitter also drove in two for the Highlanders.

Steve Bowen led UMBC (7-12), going 4-for-5, with two RBI. CF Scott Peddicord was 3-for-5 for the Retrievers and 3B Steve Russo was 2-for-5 with two RBI.

NJIT LHP PJ Saporito went seven innings to get the win, raising his record to 2-3. He allowed 11 hits and all six UMBC runs, striking out four batters and walking one. LHP Cory Kuzmik worked the last two innings without allowing a run for his fourth save of the season.

UMBC starter, RHP Dan Blewett (0-6) took the loss. He allowed nine hits and five runs (four earned), striking out seven and walking one.

The Retrievers scored first, getting a run in the bottom of the second. NJIT tied the score with a run in the fourth and then went ahead with a run in the fifth. However, UMBC surged back into the lead, 3-2, scoring a pair in the bottom of the fifth.

The Highlanders answered with three runs in the top of the sixth, to take the lead for good.

Schlitter led off with a home run, his second of the year, pulling the Highlanders back even, before McCain doubled, went to third on a line out to the outfield and then scored the go-ahead run on 3B Mike Turner's ground out. DH Rob Pietrocola then hit a two-out double, moved to third on a wild pitch and came in on DeRogatis' run-scoring single.

NJIT led, 5-3, before UMBC got a run back in the bottom of the sixth. The Highlanders gave themselves a cushion with three more runs in the top of the seventh. Lugo led off with a walk and CF Craig Binkiewicz reach on an error. Lugo scored on another error and Binkiewicz came home on Schlitter's RBI hit. Schlitter later scored on a sacrifice fly by RF Kwesi Mitchell, staking the Highlanders to an 8-4 lead.

UMBC answered with two more runs against Saporito in the bottom of the seventh, but Kuzmik came on to blank the Retrievers the rest of the way, stranding two on base in the bottom of the ninth.