NEWARK, NJ—NYIT scored nine runs in the first two innings Sunday and went on to a 15-6 win over NJIT in the finale of a four-game Great West Conference baseball series.

Sunday's result in the only series game played in Newark was NYIT's third victory in the four weekend games. The Bears had won at home on Friday and then the two teams split a doubleheader, also at NYIT, on Saturday.

NYIT is now 11-5 in the Great West Conference with a comfortable grip on one of the top three spots in the standings (fourth-place Houston Baptist was 8-7 entering play on Sunday). Sunday's loss drops the NJIT Highlanders to 7-8 in the conference.

The visiting Bears took control Sunday with six runs on six hits in the opening inning, which was also helped along by what turned out to be NJIT's only error of the day. NYIT followed the six-run first inning with three more runs in the second inning and the nine runs would prove to be more than enough for the win.

NJIT picked up four runs of its own in the fourth inning, as the Highlanders combined three hits with the only two Bears' errors of the day.

The score stayed at 9-4 through five innings, but NYIT added to its total with three runs in the sixth inning, two in the seventh and one in the eighth, while NJIT picked up two more runs of its own in the bottom of the seventh for the 15-6 final.

The winning pitcher for the Bears was senior LHP Matt McDevitt (2-1), with a solid effort in his third start of the season. He went 6.1 innings and allowed seven hits and four earned runs (six total), with seven strikeouts and one walk. McDevitt, who does not throw hard, mixed his pitches well and got six of his strikeouts on called third strikes. Relievers Louie Bernardi and Mike Roth combined to blank NJIT over the last 2.2 innings.

The starting and losing pitcher for the Highlanders was freshman RHP Kyle Burdi (0-5). He allowed nine runs (six earned) on nine hits in 1.2 innings.

Taking nothing away from NYIT, Burdi's demise was more a slow death by small cuts than by killing blows, as eight of the nine hits he allowed were singles and six of those were on ground balls through the infield.

On top of that, the one NJIT error came on what looked like a tailor-made double play ball that would have ended the first inning with two runs on the board. But the official scoring can't assume a double play, so when the Bears added four more runs, only two of them were unearned.

Burdi ran into more trouble in the second inning and he allowed three runs before he gave way to classmate Austin McAuliffe with two outs and a man on base. McAuliffe loaded the bases, but escaped the inning without allowing another run.

McAuliffe then shut out the Bears for the next three innings before they got to him for three runs in the sixth inning. He did not allow a hit and faced the minimum nine hitters from the third through the fifth innings, as his one walk was erased on a double play grounder in the third. His final line showed three runs on four hits in 4.1 innings. NJIT's third, and final, pitcher, DJ Roche, allowed three runs in three innings.

NYIT, which reached double-figures in runs for the second time in the four-game series and for the 13th time overall in 38 games this season, generated 17 hits on Sunday.

All nine starters in the Bears batting order got a hit and four of them had multiple-hit days, paced by SS Brian Smith, who was 4-for-5, including a double. LF Sebastian Grazziani was 3-for-5, while Christian Dienna, Greg Gilroy and Matthew Carr all picked up two hits each.

Gilroy, a senior catcher, had a team-leading four runs batted in, while Effrey Valdez, Dienna, Jerry Smith, and Grazziani all had two RBI. Valdez hit his team-leading 16th double to drive home two runs in the seventh inning and the Bears also got doubles from Gilroy and Grazziani.

Gilroy's two-run double came immediately after NJIT's error in the first inning and Carr singled to drive home the last two runs of the inning.

The Highlanders' hitting leader was freshman LF Matt Petrone, who was 3-for-4, including his first college home run, a line drive off the right field foul pole leading off the bottom of the fourth inning. Petrone also singled to drive home a run in the seventh inning.

NJIT got three more runs in the fourth inning on a “Little League home run” by Matt Tomczyk. The play was officially scored a single, when, with two men on base, Tomczyk singled sharply to center field. The ball then got past the center fielder and everyone, including Tomczyk, circled the bases when the ball scooted all the way to the fence.

Jerry Smith and Dienna picked up runs batted in on sacrifice flies in NYIT's three-run sixth inning and Valdez hit his two-run in the seventh, while Grazziani hit an RBI double for the Bears in the eighth.

Next on the slate for NJIT is its final non-conference game of the season. The Highlanders will visit Wagner for a game on Wednesday at 7 pm.

That game was listed as a home afternoon game for NJIT on the printed schedules, but was moved to Staten Island to reduce missed class time for both teams. Wagner plays its home games at Richmond County Ballpark, which is the home of the minor league Staten Island Yankees.