NEWARK, NJ—NJIT used a strong three-man pitching effort and timely hitting in a 5-3 non-conference baseball win over visiting Fairleigh Dickinson Wednesday afternoon at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium.

The Highlanders (9-21) have won three in a row, having taken the last two games of their four-game Great West Conference series last weekend at Texas-Pan American and followed it up with Wednesday's victory against FDU.

The improving Highlanders are 7-8 in April. The latest win was also their second this season over Fairleigh Dickinson, following up a 3-0 triumph over the Knights on March 4 in a game hosted by NJIT at Fordham University in the Bronx.

NJIT freshman RHP Matt Coughlin was strong in his first college start, going 6 full innings and allowing 2 runs on 6 hits, with 2 strikeouts and 2 walks. Coughlin (2-0) was also the winning pitcher in relief for the Highlanders in their previous non-conference game when they beat Iona on April 12.

Both of the NJIT relievers who followed Coughlin did their jobs, as senior RHP Steven Ace pitched two scoreless innings and senior Matt Tomczyk moved from shortstop to the mound for the ninth inning and allowed one run, earning his second career save, but also his second save in the last two games.

Ace, who came on in the seventh inning, allowed a bunt single and a walk to begin, but escaped unharmed with a pair of infield outs, the second of which was an inning-ending double play. He retired the Knights in order in the eighth inning and lowered his earned run average to a team-leading 2.31 in 11.2 innings.

Tomczyk also allowed his first two batters to reach base and his first out was a sacrifice fly for FDU SS Ryan Kresky. But the NJIT senior retired the next two Knights to nail down the save.

Fairleigh Dickinson (6-26) used seven pitchers—common practice for midweek non-conference games—and the starter, senior LHP Brian Dillon took the loss, allowing four runs in three innings.

 Dillon, whose primary position is outfielder, made his second pitching appearance and his first start of 2011, dropping to 0-1 with the decision. Five relievers pitched an inning apiece and another began the sixth inning, but departed after all three batters he faced reached base.

The FDU pitchers combined to allow 12 hits and 5 runs, striking out 5 and walking 2 (both by Dillon, the starter).

Most of the combined 20 hits in the game were singles, but FDU got doubles from Dillon and 1B DJ Robinson, while NJIT's only extra-base hit was a run-scoring triple by Matt Weckerle in the third inning that put the Highlanders on top to stay. Weckerle was 2-for-4 and scored twice.

NJIT had five players with multiple-hit days, paced by sophomore C DJ Roche, who was 3-for-3. He scored one run and drove in another, lifting his team-best season RBI total to 26 in 30 games.

Four Highlanders, including Weckerle, had two-hit days. The others were: Teddy Bickert; Jeff Peterson, the reigning Great West Conference Player of the Week; and, Tyler Kapp.

Peterson, who has hit safely in 12 straight games dating back to the second game of an April 3 doubleheader at Hartford, has his season batting average up to .307, second on the Highlanders.

Five different Highlanders drove in runs—Weckerle, Roche, Peterson, 1B Bryan Bleakley, and Kapp.

Fairleigh Dickinson had eight hits, led by 3-for-4 from junior 3B Mike Eliasen, who batted ninth in the Knight order. The eighth-place hitter, CF Jonathan Torres, had one hit, but scored two of his team's three runs. FDU got runs batted in from Kresky, Steven LaForge and Erik Pollag.

The Highlanders got on the board first, when, with one out in the opening inning, Bickert, Weckerle, and Roche all singled, setting up a bases-load walk by Peterson. Bleakley then plated the second NJIT run with a sacrifice fly.

FDU tied the score in the top of the third inning on a sacrifice fly by LaForge and a two-out run-scoring single for Pollag.

The Highlanders went ahead for good by answering with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the third. Bickert led off with a walk and Weckerle drove the ball into the right center field gap for a triple, scoring Bickert easily from first base. The next batter, Roche, made it 4-2 for NJIT with a fly ball to center that scored Weckerle from third base.

NJIT loaded the bases with no one out in the sixth inning, but picked up one run on a one-out hit-by-pitch for Kapp.

Leading 5-2 through eight innings, Highlander coach Mike Cole gave the ball to Tomczyk, who took a couple of batters before settling in, but came away with the save.

Torres walked leading off for the Knights and Eliasen, who had a good at-bat, fouling off some two-strike pitches, singled to left center, moving Torres on to third base. Kresky hit a sac fly to right, bringing home Torres. But Tomczyk got LaForge to bounce into a force out and then retired Dillon, who is batting .328, on a game-ending fly ball to right field.

The Highlanders will resume Great West Conference play with a four-game home series against Houston Baptist. The series begins on Friday at 6 pm with a single game between NJIT and the Huskies at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium.

HBU (8-26 overall) is tied for second in the Great West with a 6-2 conference record, while NJIT is 2-6 early in conference play.

Last year in Houston, the Huskies took three of four from the Highlanders in a series played April 9 to 11.