NEWARK, NJ—Texas-Pan American never trailed, but it took the visiting Broncs 13 innings to finally subdue resilient NJIT, 8-7, in the first game of a scheduled four-game Great West Conference baseball series Friday afternoon at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium.

Texas-Pan Am is 13-20 overall and 2-7 in the Great West, while NJIT, which played its first extra-inning game of 2010 is 9-25 overall and 5-4 in the Great West.

NJIT is 2-7 in one-run games, including 0-2 in the Great West. That sometimes means timely hitting is lacking. But the Highlanders can not bemoan a lack of clutch hits in Friday's game, as they twice extended the game with big plays when facing imminent defeat.

The most dramatic clutch play was a three-run home run by Vincent Del Vecchio in the bottom of the ninth inning that erased a 6-3 deficit.

And later, Matt Petrone, the fastest Highlander, used all of his speed to beat the relay throw at first base, avoiding a double play on his slow bouncer up the middle with runners on first and third and one out, allowing the tying run to score in the bottom of the 11th inning after UTPA had gone up by a run, 7-6, in the top of the 11th.

The home run for Del Vecchio was his second of the year and he finished the game 4-for-5 with a career-best five runs batted in. The sophomore had three RBI in a game twice before, including on April 11 at Houston Baptist.

2B Matt Tomczyk (2-for-5) was the only NJIT player aside from Del Vecchio with more than one hit. RF Jeff Pizzi had one hit, but it was an RBI triple in the fifth inning that tied the score, 2-2.

Texas-Pan American got 14 hits, including two doubles, a triple, and two home runs. The home runs were both solo shots, as C Mike McCarthy hit a tracer over the left field fence in the second inning and 1B Garrett Bivone hit one to right center field that did not look like a homer off the bat, but which carried over the fence to give UTPA a 2-0 lead in the third inning.

McCarthy and Bivone, who each collected a pair of hits, would figure in the later scoring and they each came away with three runs batted in. DH Thomas Tovar had a team-best three hits, Bivone and McCarthy were joined by Abraham Garcia and Billy Donaho in the two-hit club.

Texas-Pan American used five pitchers, who combined to allow the seven runs on 10 hits, but also struck out 17 Highlander batters in 13 innings. Starter Scott Wingo went the first seven innings and allowed four hits and three unearned runs, while striking out eight and walking none.

Freshman Guadalupe Barrera, the Broncs closer, who came in with four saves, surrendered Del Vecchio's game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth inning and did not figure in the decision.

The win went to Kyle Kotchie (2-3), who finished up and retired all eight batters he faced, striking out two of them.

NJIT used three pitchers. Starter Tripp Davis was especially strong through the first six innings, allowing just to two runs on the two early solo home runs. He allowed a two-out, two-run double to Bivone in the seventh inning and then another run in the eighth to finish with a line of: 8 innings, 10 hits, 5 runs, 8 strikeouts and a walk.

Reliever DJ Roche, who struggled with his control, allowed a run in two-thirds of an inning and Austin McAuliffe finished up and took the loss to go to 2-5. He pitched 4.1 innings and allowed three hits and two runs, with two strikeouts and two walks.

The first run off of McAuliffe, in the top of the 11th inning, could have been avoided by better defense, even though no errors could be charged. UTPA's Garcia hit a sinking line drive to center field with one out that would likely have been a single if it had been played more conservatively. But it rolled to the wall after an attempted diving catch and Garcia ended up on third, where McCarthy's sacrifice fly drove him home.

The decisive 13th inning began when Ira Hernandez was hit by a pitch. Pinch-runner Angel Ibanez moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt and then to third on a wild pitch. He scored what proved to be the winning run on McCarthy's sharp single to right field.

Kotchie nailed down the win in the final half-inning with a ground out followed by two swinging strikeouts.

As noted, UTPA led 2-0 on the strength of the two solo home runs and NJIT tied the score in the fifth, as John Berner got to second base when his leadoff fly ball to the warning track was dropped in right field for an error. After two outs, Del Vecchio singled for his first RBI of the day and he soon scored on Pizzi's triple.

NJIT's Davis struck out the first two Broncs he faced in the top of the seventh inning, Donaho singled and SS Ryan Vest walked, setting up Bivone's two-run double that put UTPA on top, 4-2.

The Highlanders got their third unearned run of the day off of Texas-Pan American's Wingo in the bottom of the inning. With one out, James D'Aloia got to second base on another error in right field and after an out that advanced him to second base, he scored on Del Vecchio's two-out RBI single.

The Broncs got that run back on yet another two-out RBI hit, this one a single by Garcia in the eighth inning and the visitors took a 6-3 lead in the top of the ninth on Vest's one-out double that brought McCarthy around from first base, where he was after a leadoff walk.

The Highlanders, who stranded two baserunners in the bottom of the eighth inning without scoring, forced extra innings on Del Vecchio's dramatic home run in the ninth inning.

After a scoreless 10th, the teams traded their runs in the 11th inning and then after another scoreless inning, the 12th, UTPA got the game-winning run in the 13th.

NJIT and Texas-Pan American are scheduled for a doubleheader on Saturday with a special starting time of 10 am at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium.