Box score
EASTON, PA—Left-handed pitcher Bobby Wyrwa tossed a complete-game nine-inning gem for visiting NJIT in its 3-2 baseball victory at Lafayette Wednesday afternoon.
Wyrwa, who also pitched a complete game two-hitter in his last outing, a 2-1 loss to Long Island University on March 20 in Florida, was more hittable by the Leopards, allowing nine hits, including four in the last four innings.
However, Wyrwa got two double plays in those innings, including one in the bottom of the ninth inning in a runners-on-first-and-third spot with no one out. Lafayette's second run crossed the plate on the double play, but it cleared the bases and the game soon ended as Wyrwa induced a grounder back to him for the final out.
The NJIT junior, now 1-2, finished the day Wednesday allowing nine hits and two runs—one in the first inning and one in the ninth—with five strikeouts and no walks. He hit two batters.
The losing pitcher was sophomore lefty Sean McGrath, the second of four pitchers for the Leopards. He pitched the fourth and fifth innings and allowed the second NJIT run, which put the Highlanders ahead to stay.
Senior Jeremy Atkins started for Lafayette and was staked to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. He allowed the tying run in the third inning before giving way to McGrath for the fourth.
John Gentile gave up another NJIT run in the seventh inning and closer Jeff Snell, who came in with two of the team's three saves and the lowest earned run average on the Lafayette team finished up with two scoreless innings. The four Leopard pitchers combined to allow nine hits and three runs, with nine strikeouts and three walks.
NJIT got seven of its nine hits from the first three men in the order, starting with freshman LF Matt Petrone, batting in the top spot, who was 2-for-4 and scored two of his team's three runs. He stole two bases and was caught twice, bringing his season total in that category to nine steals in 12 tries.
Freshman CF Teddy Bickert was 2-for-4 and drove in a run from the second spot. He is batting a team-best .355 on the season.
The third man in the Highlanders batting order, sophomore C Bryan Bleakley was 3-for-3 and drove in the first NJIT run with a single in the third inning. He pushed his season average above .300 to .309 to go along with his team-leading 12 runs batted in.
Sophomore SS Vincent Del Vecchio, did not get a hit (0-4), but he drove in the critical third NJIT run in the seventh inning with a ground out to shortstop that scored Petrone, who had singled to open the inning, stole second, and gone to third on Bickert's sacrifice bunt.
Del Vecchio, a reliable middle infielder, made his first start since March 17 in Florida. One of four regular position players who missed multiple recent games due to injury, he subbed into one game of NJIT's four-game series last weekend at Holy Cross and then returned to the starting lineup Wednesday, handling all six of his fielding chances in support of Wyrwa.
For Lafayette, senior 2B AJ Pisarri was the hits leader, going 3-for-4. Three other players collected two hits apiece, including senior RF Matt Hall, who had his team's only RBI with a first-inning single and later scored Lafayette's second run after doubling to lead off the ninth inning.
The Leopards opened the scoring in the first inning. Pisari, who singled, scored on Hall's one-out single before Wyrwa escaped the tight spot with a double play that ended the inning.
NJIT drew even in the third inning when Petrone singled with one out, stole second and scored on a two-out single by Bleakley.
The Highlanders went ahead, for good, it turned out, in the fifth inning. 2B Matt Tomczyk led off with a double and went to third when Petrone followed by reaching base on a fielder's choice. Petrone was thrown out trying to steal second base, but Bickert delivered the go-ahead RBI on a single to left.
NJIT got an insurance run that proved pivotal in the seventh inning. Petrone singled to lead off and stole second. The first out came on Bickert's sacrifice that sent Petrone to third base. Bleakley was hit by a pitch and Del Vecchio's infield ground out plated Petrone with the third run.
Lafayette, which failed to score despite two hits in the eighth inning, got Hall's double leading off the ninth. Alex Bechta, who did not start, but went 2-for-2 off the bench, singled on the infield, moving Hall along to third base.
Wyrwa and his teammates then combined for their second ground out double play of the game, an around-the-horn one that went from 3B Jeff Peterson to Tomczyk at second base and on to 1B Kyle McCarthy. With the lead down to a lone run, Wyrwa handled the coup de grace himself, inducing a grounder back to the mound for the final out.
Lafayette, which had started the season with 11 straight losses (10 on the road) against quality opposition, faced NJIT after having taken three of four last weekend against Penn.
NJIT's win snapped a seven-game losing streak that included three one-run losses.
The 3-2 win at Lafayette lifts the Highlanders' record in one-run contests to 2-5. They lost their first one-run game, 3-2, to USC Upstate before beating North Carolina A&T, 13-12, back March 6. After that, it was four straight one-run losses, including all three of the team's defeats in its Spring Break trip to Florida.
NJIT, which has played its first 19 games away from home (13 away and six neutral site games) is scheduled for its first home games of the season this weekend, with back-to-back doubleheaders at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium. The first doubleheader against powerful Maine is slated to begin on Friday at 1 pm.
Maine, the preseason favorite to win the America East Conference, is 10-13 overall, but that includes a combined 1-6 in away games against North Carolina and Oregon State, which were ranked 11th and 18th nationally, respectively, when they hosted the Black Bears.
