Box score
WEST POINT, NY—Army's Black Knights again showed why they are a leading contender to win the 2009 Patriot League baseball championship, combining a hard-hitting offense with shutdown pitching to defeat NJIT easily on Sunday and take all three games of the weekend non-league series between the teams.
Army, the 2008 Patriot League regular season champion and the co-leader atop the standings this season, scored five runs in the first inning against NJIT and went on to pour 17 runs across the plate on 18 hits, while four pitchers combined to blank the Highlanders on three hits in the Black Knights' 17-0 victory. The Black Knights now sport a 28-17 overall record.
The bright spots were few for NJIT, but one came when freshman LF Jeffrey Pizzi singled leading off the fourth inning to extend his consecutive-games hitting streak to 10. He is batting .438 (14-for-32) during the streak.
The other two Highlander hits on Sunday also led off innings, with a double to start the third inning by 1B Kyle McCarthy and a single in the eighth for freshman SS Vincent Del Vecchio.
Army's 18 hits included two home runs and four doubles. One of the four-baggers came from star sophomore shortstop Clint Moore, who homered in each game of the series. Moore, a freshman all-America in 2008, is in line for more honors this year. He came into Sunday's game batting .408 and now has nine home runs and 56 runs batted in.
CF Andy Ernesto went 4-for-6 on Sunday, with two doubles and three RBI. C JT Watkins, who had a big series, went 3-for-4 before exiting the game early and 3B Tony Capozzi also had three hits and drove in three runs. RF Kyle Fleming (2-for-5) drove in four runs.
The winning pitcher was starter Kirk Portner, who allowed two hits over the first five innings to raise his season's record to 5-3. Three relievers combined to finish off the Highlanders on one more hit.
The losing pitcher Sunday was junior RHP Chris Parenti (0-2), who was making his second start of the season. He and NJIT's first reliever Steven Ace were hit hard. Pizzi, making his first mound appearance of the year, worked around two walks to pitch a scoreless eighth inning.
The game, delayed for 28 minutes at the start due to rain, was played in a steady drizzle.
NJIT has one week remaining in the 2009 campaign. Next up is a Wednesday 3 pm visit to Wagner on Staten Island.
