April 1, 2007

Box Score

BALTIMORE - The University of Maryland Baltimore County scored seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning Sunday, breaking open what had been a tense pitchers' duel in the Retrievers 8-2 win over New Jersey Institute of Technology, giving UMBC the rubber game of the three-game weekend baseball series between the schools.

The Retrievers had won Friday's opener, before NJIT bounced back to win, 8-6, on Saturday. And the Highlanders scored a run on Kwesi Mitchell's sixth home run of the season for a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh, before UMBC plated seven runs on five hits against three NJIT pitchers in the bottom of the frame.

Mitchell, the senior right fielder, was 2-for-4. The other NJIT run, which scored in the top of the sixth, was scored by SS Miguel Lugo and driven home on 2B Matt Schlitter's double.

UMBC SS Mark Lemon and LF Will Delawter hit doubles to key the Retrievers' seven-run outburst in the seventh inning. Lemon also had a two-run single in the big inning.

Retriever starter Steve Evans raised his season record to 3-1 with an eight-inning outing that saw him scatter six hits and allow two runs, striking out seven without a walk. Tom Schlein closed the UMBC win with a scoreless ninth.

LHP Rob Pietrocola (0-1) of NJIT held the home team to one run through the first six innings, but he took the loss when he was charged with the first three runs in UMBC's winning rally. His final line was 6.1 IP, 8 hits, 4 runs, 5 walks and 4 strikeouts. Relievers Spiro Molfetas and Bobby Wyrwa were charged with the other four Retriever runs.

The only score for either team through the first five innings was a single UMBC tally in the bottom of the fourth on a double by 3B Steve Russo that scored DH Steve Bowen.

The Highlanders pulled even in the sixth, when Lugo led off with a single and advanced to second on ground out, before Schlitter's RBI double to right field. Schlitter, in his first season as an everyday starter, is batting .361 with 11 RBI and a team-leading six doubles.

Mitchell led off the seventh with a home run, giving NJIT a 2-1 lead. He is batting .419, with six homers and 25 RBI in 17 games.

UMBC's Lemon led off the seventh with a double, went to third on a single and scored the tying run on 2B Joe Fowler's sacrifice fly to left field. Bowen later drove home what proved to be the winning run on a one-out single to right with runners on first and second. Later in the inning, Lemon hit a single with the bases loaded for the Retrievers' last two runs.

The Highlanders are off until Wednesday, when they are scheduled to host Lafayette in a 6 pm game at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium in downtown Newark.