Box Score Game One

Box Score Game Two

 
NEWARK, NJ—The start of Friday afternoon's Great West Conference baseball doubleheader was delayed two-and-a-half hours, but the wait was worth it for NJIT, as the Highlanders swept visiting Northern Colorado, 8-2 and 11-4 at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium.
 
The twin bill was about 10 minutes from starting when an irrigation pipe near shortstop opened on its own, flooding most of the dirt on the left side of the infield and requiring extensive maintenance to make the field playable. The pipe was open less than two minutes, but the damage delayed the scheduled 1 pm start all the way until 3:30 pm.
 
NJIT, which has taken the first three games of the four-game series, is 3-0 in Great West play and 10-12 overall, with a season-best and NJIT Division I-record five-game winning streak.
 
The Highlanders, who began Division I competition in 2007, had four-game winning streaks three previous times (April 18-29, 2007; April 16-18, 2010; and, May 15-20, 2011).
 
Northern Colorado, the second-place team in each of the first two GWC seasons (2010 and 2011) is 0-3 to start conference play in 2012 and is 9-16 overall, with six straight defeats. The Bears entered this series with a 9-0 all-time record against NJIT in games played in 2010 and 2011.
 
The teams were scoreless heading into the bottom of the fifth inning of the seven-inning opener on Friday, when the Highlanders scored three times in the fifth and then added five unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth.
 
That was more than enough support for NJIT junior RHP DJ Roche (3-2), who was dominant throughout, going the distance in the seven-inning contest and allowing just two unearned runs in the top of the seventh inning. He surrendered five hits while striking out four and walking two in the 8-2 victory.
 
The Highlanders earned the sweep with an 11-4 win in the nightcap, as they got started with a two-run second inning, added four in the third, two each in the sixth and seventh innings and one in the bottom of the eighth inning. Northern Colorado got single runs in the third and fourth inning, respectively, and then two in the ninth.
 
Junior LHP Tripp Davis started and upped his season record to 2-1 for NJIT, as he pitched the first seven innings, scattering six hits and allowing two runs, while striking out eight and walking one. Sophomore RHP Jake Porcello worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning before allowing two runs on a pair of hits in the ninth inning.
 
The losing pitcher in Game One for the Bears was the starter, sophomore RHP Chris Hammer (2-1), who went 5.2 innings and allowed 10 hits and seven runs (three earned), while striking out six and walking none. Reliever Cameron Tallman got the final out of the sixth inning and allowed two hits and an unearned run.
 
Senior LHP Joe Willman (2-5) started and took the loss in Game Two, allowing nine hits and eight runs (six earned), with three strikeouts and no walks in 5.1 innings. He was relieved by his younger brother, Kevin Willman, a right-hander who got two outs and allowed two runs (one earned) on a hit and a walk, with two strikeouts. Dan Talley, a junior RHP, finished up, pitching the last two innings and allowing a hit and an unearned run.
 
With 23 hits and 19 runs scored in the doubleheader, NJIT's potent offense was led by sophomore 1B Tom Bouck, who was 5-for-6 on the day, with a sacrifice fly, three runs batted in and four runs scored. Freshman 2B Mike Rampone, batting leadoff in both games, was 6-for-9, with two doubles and four RBI. Junior 3B Jeff Peterson had only two hits in the twin bill, but they were both doubles and he drove in four runs.
 
Casey Coy, who started at first base in the opener and at second base in the night cap, and SS Adam Hilker each had three hits in the doubleheader to lead Northern Colorado.
 
Game 1 recap
The Northern Colorado starter, Hammer, matched Roche with zeros through the first four innings, but the Highlanders broke through with three runs in the fifth inning and then pulled away with five runs, all unearned, on five hits, aided by two Bear errors in the sixth.
 
NJIT, with 12 hits in the game, got three each from Rampone (3-for-4) and Bouck (3-for-3). Freshman CF Ed Charlton and Peterson each added a pair of hits for the victorious Highlanders.
 
Peterson, whose two hits were doubles, drove in three runs and Rampone had a double and two runs batted in. Charlton tripled for the Highlanders, as well.
 
Northern Colorado collected five hits, two for Coy, who hit two doubles and picked up his team's only RBI on a two-base hit in the seventh inning. He later scored from second base when Hilker hit an infield single and then went to second on a wide throw to first base, the second NJIT error of the inning and third of the game.
 
The Highlanders got going things going in the fifth on a leadoff triple by Charlton, who scored when the next batter, Bouck, singled. After two outs, Peterson and Rampone hit back-to-back doubles, each bringing home a run.
 
NJIT tacked on five more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. LF Anthony Caiola knocked home the first run on a single, Peterson hit a two-run double and Rampone singled for a run in NJIT's five-run frame.
 
Game 2 recap
Seven different Highlanders got hits in the game, paced by Rampone's 3-for-5, with two RBI. SS Matt Wecklerle and Bouck each got two hits in the game and Bouck drove in two runs. Roche, the winning pitcher in the first game, played right field in the nightcap and had one hit, a bases-loaded double that chased home three runs in the third inning.
 
The Highlanders scored first, with two runs in the second inning, as Charlton and Bouck stroked back-to-back one-out singles and Bleakley was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Caiola and Peterson each picked up runs batted in on fielder's choices later in the inning.
 
Northern Colorado scored its first run in the top of third on a single by Hilker (2-for-3), scoring LF Jensen Park (2-for-3), who led off the inning with a single.
 
The Highlanders expanded their advantage to 6-1 with four runs in the bottom of the third inning. Three of them came home on Roche's bases-loaded laser double to center field. Roche came around two batters later on a single by Bouck.
 
The Bears picked up another run in the top of the fourth, which began with a walk to 3b Tony Crudo, who appeared to be picked off first base by NJIT's Davis, but Crudo got in safely for a steal when the NJIT middle infielders were late covering second. He went to third base on a wild pitch and scored on Park's two-out single.
 
The Highlanders tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, keyed by Rampone's two-out single to right center off of UNC reliever Kevin Willman, who had come on to get a strikeout before yielding Rampone's knock.
 
NJIT picked up two more runs in the bottom of the seventh inning without benefit of a hit. One run scored when Charlton's hard grounder to first base went through for an error, bringing home D'Aloia from second base. The second run scored on Bouck's sacrifice fly to left field.
 
The Highlanders closed out their scoring with a run in the bottom of the eighth inning, as Peterson, who reached base on an error, scored on Matt Weckerle's sacrifice fly. Peterson was on third base after a double to left center field by Rampone.
 
The Bears got their last two runs in the ninth inning. C Harrison Lambert walked and pinch hitter Bryan Tibbitts followed him with a double. RF Eric Ferguson then singled to drive in the first run of the frame and Tibbitts, who went to third on the play, came home when the next batter, CF Dylan Banach, lifted a sacrifice fly to right field.
 
The teams will conclude the four-game series on Saturday with a single game starting at 11 am. The start time was moved up from the original noon start time on getaway day to allow an extra hour for Northern Colorado to make its flight back home on Saturday afternoon.