Box score (Game 1)
Box score (Game 2)
JERSEY CITY, NJ—NJIT hit what could have been game-changing grand slams late in each of Sunday's two games, but Saint Peter's had an answer to each one and swept a doubleheader from the Highlanders, 10-5 and 14-13, at the Peacocks' windy home, Joseph J. Jaroschak Field.
Sunday's games, both of which had dramatic twists and turns, were the last two of the 2009 season for NJIT, which completed its third season of Division I competition.
Jaroschak Field, which is part of Hudson County Lincoln Park, is in an open area near the shores of the Hackensack River and not far from Newark Bay. As a result, it is subject to afternoon winds under the best of circumstances.
On a day when the winds are gusting all over the area, as they were on Sunday, conditions become that much more volatile and any fly ball can turn into an adventure, either by fooling the outfielders or sometimes pushing high fly balls beyond the outfield fence.
Sunday's doubleheader included misjudged wind-blown fly balls that fell for extra-base hits and it also saw four grand slams—two by each team.
The homestanding Peacocks took early leads in both games, jumping ahead, 6-1, through the first four innings of the opening game and then 9-2 through the first three innings of the nightcap. But NJIT made stirring late-inning comebacks in each game, only to come up short in the end.
In the opener, NJIT sophomore 3B John Berner hit a grand slam—his second home run in two days and team-leading fourth of the season—to pull the Highlanders to within a run at 6-5 in the top of the fifth inning.
Two more Highlanders got on base in that fifth inning and NJIT loaded the bases in the sixth, but could not push across a run in either instance.
In the sixth, with the bases loaded and two out, NJIT's DH, PJ Saporito, hit a smash down the first base line. But Brian Koster, who had entered the game on defense to start the inning, made a diving stab of Saporito's hot shot, preserving the one-run Saint Peter's lead. The Peacocks then poured across four insurance runs in the bottom of the frame to clinch the 10-5 win.
The nightcap was even more dramatic.
After the Highlanders had scored twice in the opening inning, Saint Peter's scored five runs in the second inning and four in the third for a 9-2 lead. The big second-inning blow was a grand slam by SS Conor Mullee and an inning later, all four runs scored on another grand slam, the first college home run for freshman CF Mike Garcia.
The Peacocks expanded their lead to 11-3 after four innings and they still led, 12-5, heading into the seventh and final inning.
Helped along by two errors, two hit-by-pitch and two walks, NJIT exploded for eight runs in the top of the seventh, highlighted by a grand slam far over the right field fence for starting pitcher PJ Saporito, whose blast put the Highlanders on top, 13-12.
The grand slam would be the final career at-bat for Saporito, who, remarkably, also hit a home run in his first college at-bat vs. Minnesota Duluth on March 12, 2006.
The senior left-hander, who had gutted out a similar high-scoring complete-game win when he beat Saint Joseph's, 10-7, in nine innings on April 29, then took the mound trying for a similar feat in seven innings in his last college game on Sunday.
Saporito, who has been the best pitcher in NJIT's three-season Division I era, was equal to the task when it came to fortitude and talent, but he lacked the luck to pull off the story book ending.
Saint Peter's 2B Justyn Carter, leading off the bottom of the seventh inning, fought off some tough pitches from Saporito and reached base on a swinging bunt dribbler. Carter, representing the tying run, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt.
Mullee, the Peacock shortstop, then hit a high fly ball to left field that fooled NJIT's Craig Binkiewicz, who appeared set as the ball reached it apex, onlu to rush forward as the ball dropped for a wind-aided double. Carter, already on second base, stopped at third after holding up to see if Mullee's fly would be caught.
The Highlanders walked the next batter intentionally to load the bases with one out, before OF Brandon Edwards hit a sinking, slicing fly ball that NJIT CF Jeffrey Pizzi had to dive to catch, allowing Carter to tag up at third base and score the tying run on the second out of the inning.
The next SPC batter, 3B Andrew Martirano, who had been 2-for-2 up to that point, hit Saporito's first pitch on the ground to third base and it looked as if the Highlanders would escape the jam with a tie. But the throw across the diamond from Berner sailed down the line, pulling 1B Kyle McCarthy off the bag and instead of the third out, Saint Peter's scored the winning run, unearned, as Mullee crossed the plate.
Saint Peter's had 14 hits and NJIT had 10 in the Peacocks' 10-5 opening-game win. Edwards, the sophomore outfielder, had three hits for the home team, while Carter, CF Sean McFadden, DH Mike McGuire and Martirano all collected two hits apiece for Saint Peter's. Garcia, who would hit his first college home run on the second-game grand slam, drove in three runs with a bases-clearing double in his only at-bat of the first game, leading the four-run sixth inning that put the opener out of NJIT's reach.
NJIT got two hits from four players, three of whom were seniors in their final day of college baseball. The seniors were: Binkiewicz (2-for-3); Saporito (2-for-4; and, OF Thomas Farina (2-for-3 in the game and 4-for-5 in the doubleheader). Berner, a sophomore, was 2-for-3, including the grand slam.
The winning pitcher for Saint Peter's was starting RHP Frank Flynn (1-3), who allowed all five NJIT runs. Senior RHP Miguel Sosa picked up his first save of the season with 2.1 innings of scoreless relief.
LHP Matt Melody (0-7) started and took the loss for the Highlanders in his final college appearance. He led the team in strikeouts for a second straight season, fanning three Peacocks to bring his team-best 2009 total to 47.
NJIT's 13 runs against Saint Peter's in the second game was the highest single-game total for the Highlanders this year. They had 11 hits in the game to 15 for the Peacocks.
For Saint Peter's, Carter was 3-for-4, while Mullee, Edwards, Martirano and C Andrew Case all compiled two hits each.
NJIT had four men with two hits each. Binkiewicz was 2-for-5; Saporito was 2-for-4, with a double and the grand slam to drive in five runs; Farina was 2-for-2, with three runs scored; and, McCarthy, the junior first baseman, was 2-for-4.
Saporito (3-8) went all the way, striking out a season-best nine batters in 6.2 innings.
The winning pitcher for Saint Peter's was Sosa. The senior, who had recorded his first save in the opening game, entered the second game as the third Peacock pitcher in the seventh inning with a three-run lead, the bases loaded and one out.
Sosa got one out, but then his save opportunity disappeared as Saporito's blast flew over the fence. But Sosa kept his composure got the third out and watched as his teammates rallied to win in the bottom of the frame and push his won-lost record go to 3-3.
NJIT set a new school record for team fielding percentage, finishing the year at .950 (66 errors in 1,330 total chances), topping the .944 set in the program's final season in Division II in 2006, when it won the ECAC championship.
The 2009 Highlanders also set a new school mark for double plays, turning 34 to top the old mark 30, set in 2007.
The top batting average among players with more than 80 at-bats belonged to freshman OF Jeffrey Pizzi, who finished at .295. He was hitless in the two games Sunday, breaking a 13-game hitting streak that began on April 15. The hot streak lifted Pizzi's batting average more than 100 points by season's end.
Berner led the team in doubles (7) and home runs (4) and finished second in runs batted in (19).
Saporito, who drove home nine runs in the last week of the season, including six in Sunday's doubleheader, finished as the season RBI leader, with 22.
On the mound, Saporito picked up three of the team's four wins and saved the fourth in back of freshman RHP Reid Okita, who got the other win and was a pleasant surprise with some solid outings as the season progressed.
Saporito, who pitched all five of the team's complete games, was also the leader in innings pitched, logging 72, followed next by Melody, who tossed 57.1 innings.
