Box score
CHICAGO—NJIT used three runs in the sixth inning and four runs in the seventh inning to power a 9-6 win at Chicago State Sunday afternoon, completing a clean sweep of the four-game Great West Conference baseball series between the schools.
The Highlanders won the series opener comfortably, 14-0, on Friday afternoon, but they trailed all three of the subsequent series games at some point before coming back to win. NJIT won a doubleheader on Saturday, 9-7 and 8-5, before winning on getaway day, 9-6.
Sunday's win lifts NJIT's Great West Conference record to 5-3, while Chicago State falls to 0-8 in league play.
The Cougars broke out on top, scoring Sunday's first run in the bottom of the first inning. NJIT drew even with a run in the top of the third inning and the score stayed 1-1 until the Cougars added a single run in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The game went from 2-1, Chicago State, to 8-6, NJIT, over the next two innings.
NJIT put three runs on the board in the top of the sixth, but Chicago State answered with two in the bottom half to knot the score at 4-4. The Highlanders notched four runs and left the bases loaded in the top of the seventh and CSU picked up what would be its final two runs in bottom of the frame, making the score 8-6, NJIT, through seven innings. The Highlanders added another run in the ninth inning for the 9-6 final.
NJIT, which combined 15 hits with seven walks, got four hits from 1B Jeff Peterson batting in the eighth spot. Peterson, a freshman, picked up his third double of the year and drove home two runs.
Five different Highlanders added up two hits apiece, including CF James D'Aloia, who belted his second home run of the year, a two-run shot that keyed the three-run NJIT sixth inning.
Other NJIT players with two hits were: freshman LF Teddy Bickert; 3B John Berner; SS Vincent Del Vecchio, whose hits were both doubles; and, 2B Matt Tomczyk.
The winning pitcher for the Highlanders was their first reliever of the day, junior RHP Steven Ace, who got his first college win with 1.1 innings that saw him allow one earned run (two total).
Freshman Austin McAuliffe held Chicago State scoreless for the last 2.1 innings to get his second save of the season, with both saves coming in this series. He allowed two hits and a walk, while striking out three in Sunday's save.
Freshman Kyle Burdi started for NJIT and but not figure in the decision after yielding four runs on 10 hits over the first 5.1 innings before handing the ball over to Ace.
Chicago State, which got 14 hits, got at least one hit from the first eight men in its nine-man batting order. The leader was C Kevin Hussey, who finished 3-for-5. One of his hits was a double. Four Cougars got two hits each, including 3B Billy Les, whose 2-for-3 included two doubles, which helped him post a team-leading two runs batted in.
The losing pitcher for Chicago State was starter Dayton Dalman, who allowed eight runs on nine hits and six walks. He was credit with six innings pitched, but face four batters in the seventh inning, all of whom reached base and eventually scored.
Reliever Austin McDowell came on for Dalman and allowed all three runners he inherited from Dalman to score, but then he held the Highlanders to one more run and finished with a line of three innings pitched and one run allowed.
Chicago State manufactured the first run of the game with small ball in the opening inning, as Kellon McFarlin led off against NJIT's Burdi with a walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, stole third and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Prince.
The Highlanders got the run back in the second inning, starting with a one-out double for Del Vecchio, who moved up to third base on a ground out before Peterson stroked a two-out run-scoring single.
McFarlin got things going again for CSU, leading off the fifth inning with a single and then stealing second and third base, where he scored on a single by RF Patrick Hernandez.
The Highlanders picked up three runs in the sixth inning, as Berner walked to lead off and D'Aloia followed with his home run to left field and later Del Vecchio doubled and came home on an RBI single by Peterson.
Trailing, 4-2, Chicago State came right back and tied the scored in the bottom of the sixth on a run-scoring double for Les and a single down the right field line by Hussey that brought home Les.
NJIT finally took control in the seventh inning, scoring four runs and threatening to add more by loading the bases with one out before the Cougars escaped the jam.
The first run of NJIT's big inning came on a bases-loaded walk to Del Vecchio that forced home DH Bryan Bleakley. C John Bouck got an RBI with a bases-loaded ground out and then Tomczyk drove home the third run of the frame with a single to left field. With the bases still loaded, RF Jeffrey Pizzi walked to force in the fourth Highlanders run.
Down, 8-4, Chicago State got its final two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, as Les hit a two-out RBI double that chased Ace, who would end up with the win, off the mound. McAuliffe's first batter, Hussey, reached base on NJIT's only error of the day and Les scored an unearned from second base on the play.
Peterson led off the ninth inning with a double for the Highlanders and was bunted to third base on a sacrifice. After Chicago State got the second out, Bickert singled, bringing home Peterson for the final run of the ballgame.
NJIT has won five of its last six games, all in conference play, to raise its overall record to 9-23. Chicago State is 1-28.
The Highlanders, who will play their next five games at home, will take a brief step out of conference play to host New Jersey rival Fairleigh Dickinson in a single game on Wednesday in a 4 pm start at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium.
The four games in the homestand after FDU will be a weekend conference series against Texas-Pan American.
