May 4, 2008

Game 1 Box Score Game 2 Box Score

WEST POINT, NY - Army took both ends of a baseball doubleheader Sunday afternoon against visiting NJIT, sweeping the Highlanders, 9-0 and 13-4 in a pair of nine-inning games.

The two wins on Sunday pushed Army's overall season record to the winning side of .500 at 23-22 and also gave the Black Knights a 2-1 lead in the all-time series against the Highlanders, who were 7-2 winners last season when the teams met, also in West Point, on April 24, 2007.

After being rained out of Saturday's scheduled opener in what was to have been a three-game series, Army got a combined three-hitter in the opener from starting pitcher Drew Clothier, who allowed the three hits while striking eight and walking two in six innings, and reliever Ben Koenigsfeld, who tossed three hitless innings, allowing just one walk to the 10 batters he faced.

The Black Knights completed the sweep by pouring 11 runs across the plate in the first two innings of the nightcap, setting up the easy 13-4 win.

NJIT's losing pitcher in the first game was starter Bobby Wyrwa, who lasted into the fifth inning and was charged with Army's first six runs. Matt Melody relieved and allowed three runs (one earned) in 3.1 innings.

The winning pitcher in game two was Matt Fouch, who was listed as the second pitcher for Army in the box score, but who pitched the first five innings for the Black Knights, allowing one run on four hits. Three relievers combined to finish off NJIT over the final four innings.

NJIT starter PJ Saporito took the loss, pitching the first inning and then facing the first four batters in Army's seven-run second inning. Cory Kuzmik relieved Saporito for the next 4.2 innings and allowed 11 hits and three earned runs, while Spiro Molfetas finished up with 2.1 innings of scoreless one-hit ball.

Army had 10 hits in the opener, but they were spread throughout the lineup with eight different men hitting safely. RF Cole White was 2-for-4, including a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the first inning that gave Army all the runs it would need with Clothier and Koenigsfeld stifling the NJIT bats. 3B JP Polchinski was 2-for-3. He drove in two runs, as did 1B Kevin McKague.

Army built on its lead throughout the game, plating two runs in the third inning, two more in the fourth, one in the fifth and three in the sixth.

Two of NJIT's three hits in the game were doubles--one each from 3B Matt Marotta and 1B Mike Turner, while CF Ricky Petrosino added a single. Marotta's one-out double in the second inning was the first hit for the Highlanders.

Army knocked out 17 hits in the nightcap, as seven different men had multiple-hit games, led by CF Andy Ernesto, who was 3-for-5, with three RBI. White, McKague, C Chris Simmons, LF Mike Greco, RF Kyle Stramara and 2B Tony Capozzi all rapped out two hits apiece.

Simmons hit a grand slam for Army's four first-inning runs and White hit his second home run of the doubleheader with a two-out solo shot in the third inning.

For the Highlanders, Petrosino was 3-for-4 with an RBI in the second game, while LF Rob Pietrocola was 2-for-3 with an RBI and RF Dom Hayes was 2-for-5 with an RBI on two doubles, the only extra-base hits in NJIT's 12-hit second game total.

Army scored four times in the first on Simmons' grand slam and then added seven more tallies before the Highlanders got their first hit and first run in the top of the third inning. Ernesto hit a three-run double and White added an RBI double to highlight the Black Knights' seven-hit, seven-run second inning.

NJIT got on the board in the top of the third when Petrosino led off with a single and later scored on a two-out double by Hayes. Army answered with a run in the bottom of the inning for a 12-1 lead through three. The Highlanders outscored the Black Knights, 3-1, over the last six innings but it was far too little.

NJIT will take a break this week for exams before returning to action on Tuesday, May 13, when it travels to Philadelphia for a 3 pm game at Saint Joseph's (PA), which defeated the Highlanders, 14-5, on April 9 in Newark.