May 26, 2007

Box Score

OREM, UT - New Jersey Institute of Technology closed out play Saturday in the 2007 Independent Championship baseball tournament with a 2-2 record, coming up short against North Dakota State, 9-6, in the fourth and final day of play hosted by Utah Valley State.

The Highlanders also closed their first season of Division I competition and the team's four seniors--outfielders Derrick McCain and Kwesi Mitchell; first baseman Austin DeRogatis, and right-handed starting pitcher Brian Ascolese --figured prominently in what was the final game of their college careers.

NJIT's final 2007 season record was 15-28 and its record of 9-10 from April 18 on underlined NJIT's improvement as it progressed through its first season at a new, higher level of play.

Highlights among the 15 victories were wins that came against teams that later advanced to the championship games of their respective conference postseason tournaments in 2007.

After a 2-5 start, NJIT defeated Manhattan, 5-3, on March 17 in Florida. In 2006, Manhattan was champion of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and reached the NCAA Regional final game. In 2007, Manhattan reached the championship game of the MAAC Tournament.

On April 24, the Highlanders defeated Army, 7-2, on the first Division I complete game in NJIT history, tossed by Ascolese. Army went on to reach the 2007 Patriot League final. The win over Army was part of a season-best four-game winning streak for NJIT.

On May 13, NJIT scored a 3-1 win over Binghamton, as sophomore Rob Pietrocola went the distance on a three-hitter. Binghamton was the regular season champion of the America East Conference and reached the America East postseason conference championship game.

Additionally, on May 4, the Highlanders got their first Division I shutout, as sophomore PJ Saporito threw a five-hitter against New York Institute of Technology which had won five of six coming in.

And on May 25, NJIT got its 15th and final win of the season with a 7-4 victory over South Dakota State, which came into the game with 34 wins overall, including the last nine straight. Saporito got the win and Cory Kuzmik got his seventh save for a new school season record.

In Saturday's finale, Ascolese got the start in his last game and he lost despite allowing just three earned runs in seven and two-thirds innings. He allowed only five hits and two walks, while striking out four. However, he was on the wrong end of four unearned runs and took the loss, finishing the season at 2-6.

McCain and Mitchell, who were teammates at Piscataway High School before playing at NJIT for four years, each got two hits to lead NJIT in that category against North Dakota State. McCain was 2-for-4, with a run scored and a run batted in. Mitchell (2-for-5) scored two runs and stole his 12th base of the season. He was named to the Independent Championship all-tournament team.

DeRogatis, another four-year member of the Highlanders, drove in two runs and scored one, while going 1-for-3. The hit was his third home run of the year. He was named to the Independent Championship all-tournament team, going a combined 6-for-13, with four RBI in the four tournament games.

The other hitting star for NJIT on Saturday was sophomore RF Rob Pietrocola, who drove in two runs with a 1-for-4 day.

North Dakota State reliever Matt Mossey went to 3-3, picking up a 'vulture' win. He entered the game with his team leading, 4-2, at the start of the seventh inning and eventually gave up the lead, 5-4. However, he benefitted when the Bison struck for five runs in the bottom of the eighth to take the lead for good. Mossey, the second of three pitchers, worked two innings, allowing five hits and three runs.

Infielder Ryan Langlais did most of the hitting damage for NDSU, hitting a single, double, triple and home run for the cycle, while driving in four runs in a 4-for-4 day. He played third base and shortstop against NJIT. The rest of the Bison team combined for just three hits, but CF Greg Plecki's hit was a double and he drove in two runs. Substitute RF Luke Otto drove in a run and scored a run in a 1-for-2 game.

North Dakota State scored first with two unearned runs in the bottom of the third inning on one hit, as the Bison took advantage of two NJIT errors.

NJIT's first run was unearned, as well, with Mitchell, leading off the fifth inning, getting a single and taking second on an error. He scored two batters later on a ground out RBI for DeRogatis. NDSU answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 4-1 lead.

The Highlanders gradually came back with single runs in the sixth and seventh and then grabbed a 5-4 lead with two runs in the top of the eighth.

With two outs in the sixth inning, McCain hit the first of what would be two doubles, driving home Randy Scott, who had led off with a walk and moved up to second on another walk. NJIT's seventh-inning run was a one-out home run by DeRogatis.

The Highlanders grabbed the lead on two runs in the top of the eighth. With one out, McCain was hit by a pitch and Mitchell followed with a single, making it runners on first and second with one out. McCain moved to third base on a fly out and Mitchell then stole second.

DeRogatis was hit by a pitch to load the bases, before Pietrocola's two-out single chased McCain and Mitchell home with the tying and go-ahead runs, respectively.

Ascolese had held the Bison off the board in the sixth and seventh innings, but NDSU exploded for five runs (four unearned) in the decisive bottom of the eighth inning.

Langlais led off with his 10th home run of the season, completing the cycle and tying the score, 5-5. After an out, Sebastian Miles singled before Ascolese got the second out. However, an error on what would have been the third out, kept the Bison alive and Ascolese gave way to reliever Spiro Molfetas.

Otto greeted Molfetas with a run-scoring single that pushed North Dakota State into a 6-5 lead. Another error allowed NDSU to take a 7-5 lead and Greg Pilecki's subsequent two-run double made it 9-5 for the Bison.

NJIT managed one run in the top of the ninth, as McCain, in his last college at-bat, doubled to advance 2B Matt Schlitter to third base, putting him in position to score on an ensuing wild pitch.