Box score
NEWARK, NJ—Kevin McCarville doubled in the top of the 13th inning to score Bobby Fargnoli with the go-ahead run and visiting Lafayette went on to a 3-1 13-inning non-conference baseball victory over NJIT Wednesday at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium.
Scott Kelleher led off the top of the thirteenth with a single and went to second base on Fargnoli's sacrifice bunt. Fargnoli, too, reached base, when NJIT's attempt to get Kelleher at second base failed.
The Leopards (6-14) attempted another sacrifice bunt, but NJIT pitcher Matt Tomczyk pounced off the mound and threw out Kelleher at third base for the first out of the inning. McCarville followed with a towering double into the left center field gap, scoring Fargnoli from second and moving Eric Anderson to third base. Anderson then scored Lafayette's third run on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Santomauro.
Lafayette used six pitchers and NJIT (2-13) used seven, a practice not uncommon for mid-week non-conference college games. The winner for Lafayette was its sixth pitcher, freshman LHP Connor Ortolf, who picked up his first college victory with four innings of no-hit scoreless relief. He walked two and struck out five in leveling his won-lost record at 1-1.
NJIT's seventh pitcher, Matt Tomczyk, took the loss. The senior, who is the regular starting shortstop for the Highlanders and played the first eight innings there on Wednesday, pitched well in his first mound action since the 2009 season.
Two years ago as a sophomore, Tomczyk had pitched a total of six innings in five games. Against Lafayette, the senior, who has played infield, outfield and catcher at various points in his career, pitched five innings and allowed the two runs on four hits, while walking one and striking out two.
Until Ortolf and Tomczyk entered the game for their respective teams, no pitcher, including the starters, went more than two innings and pitching ruled the day, as the teams combined for just 16 hits—13 of which were singles--in the 13 innings.
Lafayette, which got three hits from leadoff man Rob Froio and two from Kelleher, got on the board first with a run in the third inning. Andrew Santomauro led off with a single against the first Highlander reliever, freshman RHP Matt Coughlin. After an out, Santomauro stole second and later moved to third base on a fly out to right field by SS Brian Davila. After a walk, 1B Matt Fenster singled, driving in Santomauro.
The Highlanders made a strong bid to at least draw even in fourth inning when Tomczyk, who finished the day 3-for-6 at the plate, singled leading off. After two were out, the senior stole second ahead of a walk to 1B Bryan Bleakley. 3B Jeff Peterson singled to left field with two outs, but Fargnoli, playing left field, made a pinpoint throw and McCarville, the catcher, did a fine job blocking the plate to cut down Tomczyk, who was out on a bang-bang play to end the inning without a run.
There would be controversy in the top of the fifth inning, when, with the bases loaded and one out, Fargnoli pulled a ball that cleared the fence down the left field line. The ball, which was not hit high, appeared to drift foul, but the home plate umpire signaled for what would have been a grand slam.
However, NJIT coach Mike Cole, who had a good view of the foul line from the home dugout on the first-base side, came out and asked the umpire to consult with his partner in the field.
After a conference, the original ruling was overturned and the three runners returned to their bases. Lafayette coach Joe Kinney argued against the reversal, but his protest, while animated, was brief. And there was no argument from the Leopard bullpen, where the extra pitchers were seated a few feet from the foul pole in question when the ball cleared the fence. All three runners were soon stranded when Highlander freshman RHP Zach Emmett induced an inning-ending double play, keeping the score at 1-0.
NJIT got its lone run of the day in the bottom of the fifth inning. After one out, Vincent Del Vecchio walked. One out later, Teddy Bickert singled, moving Del Vecchio up a base to second. Tomczyk then delivered the tying run on a single to center field.
The score stayed at 1-1 until Lafayette broke through with its decisive pair of runs in the 13th inning.
The Highlanders are now 0-2 in extra-inning games this season and Wednesday's contest tied for the second-longest in NJIT's Division I era, which began with the 2007 season. The longest game was a 5-4 14-inning loss to Northeastern on March 15, 2009, and the Highlanders lost to Texas-Pan American in 13 innings, 8-7, on April 23, 2010.
Freshman RHP Joe Fasano made his first college start for the Highlanders and worked two scoreless innings, allowing a hit and a walk, while striking out three; sophomore RHP Frank Shivers pitched a hitless fourth inning, working around his own error; senior RHP Steven Ace, the fifth NJIT pitcher, had a 1-2-3 sixth inning with a strikeout; and, senior RHP John Prestano relieved Ace and tossed two innings, allowing two hits and notching four strikeouts.
Senior LHP Corey Shea, who was Lafayette's leading winner with four victories in 2010, started and pitched two scoreless innings against NJIT. Four of the five Leopard relievers kept the Highlanders off the board and two—the winning pitcher, Ortolf, and the first reliever, junior RHP Ethan Perro, who pitched the third inning—did not allow a hit. The Highlanders got their run against sophomore RHP Kevin Casey, who pitched the fourth and fifth innings and surrendered four hits, while walking two.
NJIT, which has come up just short in five of its last seven games, is scheduled next for a home doubleheader on Saturday, starting at 3 pm, against Hartford at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium. The five tough losses were: 7-6 in 11 innings against Fordham on March 20 and 2-1 against Seton Hall the same day; then 9-8 and 7-5 against Lehigh in a doubleheader on March 27; and then the marathon 3-1 loss on Wednesday against Lafayette.
