Box score
NEWARK, NJ—NJIT left-hander PJ Saporito tossed an old-school complete game and his teammates backed him with their second-highest run total of the season in a 10-7 win over visiting Saint Joseph's Wednesday afternoon at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium.
Saporito, a senior left-hander with two, perhaps three, pitching appearances remaining in his college career gave a performance that harkened back to the days before pitch counts in posting the complete-game win, allowing 12 hits and seven runs, while striking out eight and walking none.
The best pitcher in NJIT's three-season Division I era, Saporito has been a big part of all four of his team's 2009 wins. He was the winning pitcher in three of the wins and picked up the save in the fourth victory. Wednesday's complete game was his fourth of the season and the fifth of his career.
At the plate, the Highlanders generated 10 runs, a total they had topped just once before in a 13-11 loss to Long Island University on March 17 in Florida.
Against Saint Joe's, the Highlanders stacked 11 walks and two hit-by-pitch on top of their eight hits and actually left nine men on base along with scoring the 10 runs. NJIT did all of its scoring in the middle three innings, picking up two runs in the fourth inning, five in the fifth and three in the sixth.
Most of the run production came from the bottom third of the Highlanders batting order, as the seventh hitter, freshman SS Vincent Del Vecchio was 3-for-4, including a double, with three runs batted in, and the eighth hitter, 1B Kyle McCarthy drove in a game-high four runs—three on a two-out bases-loaded triple in NJIT's five-run bottom of the fifth inning.
Saint Joe's, which had two separate two-run leads, had four different batters with two hits apiece, paced by junior 2B David Valesente, who was 2-for-4 with three RBI. His hits were a double and a three-run homer that carried over the left field fence and cut the NJIT lead in half from 10-4 to 10-7 with no one out in the top of the eighth inning.
Saporito, who could easily have been lifted at that point, stayed on to retire the next two batters before allowing a triple to 3B Brian Hartsell, who was stranded when Saporito induced a ground ball for the third out. McCarthy, who has played terrific defense at first base for the Highlanders, saved Saporito NJIT from further damage by jumping to corral a high throw across the diamond and then hold onto the ball as the momentum of his leap dragged him into the oncoming runner's path for the third out.
Emptying the tank in the ninth inning, Saporito fought through a leadoff double to set down the last three Hawk batters.
Saint Joseph's, which will begin an Atlantic 10 Conference series at Xavier on Friday, used six pitchers against NJIT. Only the starting pitcher, sophomore right-hander Bryan Penalo, went more than an inning. Penalo, making his first start of the season after nine relief outings, pitched 3.2 innings and allowed two runs on two hits and five walks, plus a hit batsman.
The first reliever for the Hawks, junior LHP Doug DiSandro, was charged with the loss, allowing three runs in two-thirds of an inning. Having gotten the last out when he came on for Penalo in the fourth inning, DiSandro took the mound with a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth, but walked the bases loaded while getting one out before exiting.
DiSandro's replacement, junior RHP Adam Rivera, allowed a sacrifice fly by NJIT's 2B Matt Tomczyk that pulled the home team to within a run at 4-3. Next came a walk to reload the bases, followed by McCarthy's bases-clearing triple into the right field corner, as the Highlanders surged ahead. McCarthy then scored the fifth running of the inning, racing home on a passed ball.
Up, 7-4, through five innings, NJIT added on three more runs in the sixth, as C Bryan Bleakley was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Del Vecchio drove in two runs with a double to left field.
Early in the game, it appeared that NJIT, which often has trouble scoring a lot of runs, might be in for a frustrating day. Penalo, the Saint Joe's starter, notched five strikeouts in the first two innings and the game was scoreless entering the bottom of the third, where NJIT loaded bases with two outs, but couldn't get the hit it needed, stranding all three baserunners.
The visitors broke out on top in the next half inning, as the first run scored on an infield out and the second run scored on a sacrifice fly. But the Highlanders cashed in on their patience at the plate, tying the score at 2-2 in the bottom half of the fourth on two fielder's choice outs. Both NJIT runs were scored by men who had walked.
Saint Joe's quickly reclaimed the lead in the top of the fifth inning, as CF Mike Coleman (2-for-4) stroked a one-out single, stole second and came home on a double by LF Mike Plakis (2-for-5). C Phil Pursino (2-for-3) followed with a single that sent Plakis across the plate. But Saporito wiggled free, inducing a popup and then picking off Pursino at first base to end the inning. It was Saporito's second pickoff of the game.
NJIT, fielding exceptionally well recently, made another fine play in the sixth inning, as three different Highlanders combined concentration and hustle to get the first out.
Saint Joseph's 1B Dewey Oriente, who came in batting a team-leading .427, hit a hard grounder at NJIT's McCarthy. The ball took a tough hop and went up McCarthy's arm and then off toward second base. Tomczyk, moving toward the hole to back up the play, alertly picked up the ball and flipped to a hard-charging Saporito, who was hustling off the mound to cover first and nip Oriente on a close call.
NJIT, which has one home date remaining (a May 9 doubleheader against Saint Peter's), will travel to West Point, NY, this weekend to take on Army in a three-game series. The Highlanders and the Black Knights are scheduled for a doubleheader on Saturday, with first pitch slated for noon.
