Box score
HOUSTON—Pitcher Chase Hernandez dominated on the mound and was also the game's hitting star on Sunday, leading Houston Baptist to its third win in the four-game Great West Conference baseball series against visiting NJIT.
Houston Baptist, with five wins in its last six games overall, is 3-1 in the Great West, while the Highlanders are 1-3.
The Highlanders, who lost by one run in the series opener on Friday, but who came from behind for a 7-5 win in the nightcap to gain a split of Saturday's doubleheader, were looking to continue their momentum and ultimately split the four-game set at HBU.
Hernandez, a 6-4, 235, junior who played first base in the first two games of the series and pinch hit in the third game, did enough on his own to assure his team's 14-5 win on Sunday.
Making his second start of the season, he took a perfect game into the seventh inning and finished with an impressive line of seven innings pitched, two hits, no runs, a walk and a strikeout. He is 2-0 on the season, having pitched a complete-game shutout in a win over powerful Lamar on April 6 in his first start.
NJIT got all five of its runs in two innings against reliever Scott Moore.
At the plate, Hernandez was 3-for-5, with his second home run of the season and four runs batted in. 3B Robbie Buller, who also homered, his fourth, and drove in four runs was one of four Huskies to get two hits in the game. SS Zeke Zikeli, who got one hit, drove in three runs. In all, HBU got 12 hits, with a triple and a home run. The home team also drew nine bases-on-balls.
NJIT's starting pitcher, freshman RHP Kyle Burdi, was charged with the loss, allowing eight runs in three innings before the Highlanders used two relievers. The third, junior RHP Steven Ace, was effective, pitching 2.2 innings and holding Houston Baptist scoreless on two hits. Ace struck out two without a walk.
The Highlanders got six hits, including a two-run home run in the eighth inning for 2B Matt Tomczyk and a three-run blast for SS Vincent Del Vecchio in the ninth inning. Tomczyk's homer was his second of the season and second in the last two games, and for Del Vecchio, a sophomore, the ninth-inning shot was the first of his career.
Bryan Bleakley, serving as NJIT's designated hitter after catching the first three games, was 2-for-4, including a double.
He was the team's best hitter in a five-game week, getting nine hits in 19 at-bats (.474), with four doubles, a home run and four runs batted in. He also walked twice for a .524 on-base percentage. For the season, Bleakley's .313 average is second on the team and he leads NJIT in doubles (7), home runs (5) and RBI (16).
Houston Baptist had three big innings, taking charge quickly, with three runs in the first inning and later putting up four runs each in the third and fifth innings. NJIT did all its scoring in the last two frames, with two runs in the eighth inning and three in the ninth.
The Highlanders are off until Friday, when they open another four-game Great West Conference series at Chicago State. The Friday game will begin at 1pm (CDT) and the series will continue with a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday.
