Box Score Game One

Box Score Game Two


OLD WESTBURY, NY—NJIT swept both ends of its Friday Great West Conference baseball doubleheader at New York Institute of Technology, 8-4 and 7-2, but it took a six-run ninth inning from the Highlanders in the nightcap and a lights-out relief performance by junior Austin McAuliffe to secure the thrilling 7-2 win and sweep the doubleheader.
 
The two wins lifted NJIT to 15-12 in the Great West with one regular season game remaining (Saturday at noon vs. NYIT in Newark at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium). The Highlanders are 24-25 overall, while the NYIT Bears fall to 3-24 in the GWC and 5-43 overall.
 
The Highlanders, led by senior catcher Bryan Bleakley's two home runs and three runs batted in, never trailed the seven-inning opening game, which they won, 8-4.
 
However, the nine-inning second game was another story. Scoreless through five innings, it was tied, 1-1, going to the bottom of the eighth inning, with NJIT's only run to that point coming on Bleakley's third home run of the day and ninth of the season.
 
In the bottom of the eighth, NYIT scored the go-ahead run, its second unearned run of the day against Highlander starter Tripp Davis. Not only had the Bears gone up 2-1, but they were poised to add on, having loaded the bases with one out. That brought the left-handed McAuliffe in from the bullpen and he proceeded to strike out the first two batters he faced, ending the inning and keeping the deficit at one run.
 
That set the stage for NJIT's six-run rally in the top of the ninth inning. Pinch hitter Scott Brosman singled to deliver the tying run; Ed Charlton, 1-for-7 on the day up to that point, followed with a three-run homer, his second four-bagger of the year; Bleakley drove in another run with his second double of the game; and Jeff Peterson brought home the final run with a sacrifice fly.
 
McAuliffe, who has held the opposition scoreless in nine of his last 10 relief appearances, then retook the mound and struck out the side in the ninth inning, giving him five batters, five Ks, as he raised his won-lost record to 2-0 and lowered his earned run average to 2.50.
 
Bleakley, who is a four-year starter winding down his career, likely had his best day in college baseball, going 5-fo-6 in the doubleheader, including three home runs and two doubles. Bleakley also reached base three other times Friday on a pair of walks (one intentional when the nightcap was tied, 1-1) and a hit by pitch. He drove in five runs.
 
Freshman Andrew Benjamin, who has become a regular recently in the wake of a series of injuries to NJIT's veteran outfielders, went 3-for-6 with two walks in the doubleheader. He drove in two runs.
 
For New York Institute of Technology, senior corner infielder Sebastian Grazziani went 5-for-8 in the doubleheader, with a double and a home run and two RBI, while junior 2B Ali Rodriguez was 4-for-7, including a home run, with two runs batted in.
 
Game 1 recap
Bleakley led the 8-4 NJIT win, finishing 2-for-2, with his seventh and eighth home runs of the season. He scored three times, while also driving in three. His homers, both to right field, were a solo shot leading off the fourth inning and a two-run blast that keyed the three-run fifth inning for the Highlanders.
 
The Highlanders, who edged NYIT 1-0 in Thursday's series opener, doubled their previous game's runs total in the first inning on Friday. NJIT added two more in the top of the fourth, before the Bears got on the board with a pair of runs in the bottom half.
 
NJIT answered that challenge in the next half-inning, with three runs in the top of the fifth and then stretched the lead to 8-2 on a run in the top of the seventh before the Bears scored twice in the bottom of the seventh inning.
 
The winning pitcher was NJIT freshman right-hander Bill VanMeerbeke (2-5), who went the distance despite allowing 11 hits and a walk.
 
The freshman notched his third straight conference complete game, but finally got some run support to earn the win. He had lost his last two complete games--1-0 at home to Texas-Pan American and 2-1 on the road at Chicago State.
 
The losing pitcher in Friday's opener was NYIT freshman right-hander James Bulva (0-8), the starter for the Bears. Bulva pitched 4.2 innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits, while walking two without a strikeout. Sohomore RHP Brennen Foster relieved and allowed a run on one hit and three walks in 2.1 innings.
 
In addition to Bleakley's big effort, the freshman right fielder Benjamin was 2-for-3 with two runs batted in and a steal for the Highlanders, while Mike Rampone and Peterson each went 1-for-4 with a double. Peterson's two-out double drove in a pair for NJIT in the opening inning.
 
Three men had two hits apiece for the Bears, including Rodriguez (2-for-3, wiith a solo home run leading off his team's half of the fourth inning). He also drove in the fourth NYIT run with a seventh-inning sacrifice fly.
 
Grazziani (first base in the opening game, third base in the second game) was 2-for-4, including a solo homer in the fourth, and junior RF Dane Hardy was 2-for-3. Nick Sebastian, who entered the game on defense at catcher in the top of the seventh inning, doubled in his only at-bat in the bottom half.
 
Peterson's two-run first-inning double for NJIT was set up when Charlton walked leading off the game and Bleakley was hit by a pitch after two were out. A passed ball put two runners in scoring position for Peterson, who doubled to center field.
 
Bleakley led off the fourth inning with his first home run of the day and after an out, Tom Bouck was hit by a pitch and John Bouck walked. Benjamin then delivered a single to right field, making it 4-0, Highlanders.
 
NYIT got its first runs of the series in the bottom of the fourth, as Rodriguez homered leading off and Grazziani hit another solo shot two batters later.
 
NJIT's Rampone opened the fifth with a double and, after a sacrifice bunt, Bleakley unloaded his second home run in as many innings, giving the Highlanders a 6-2 lead. After a second out, the Bouck brothers delivered back-to-back singles and Benjamin followed with another RBI single.
 
The five-run NJIT lead continued into the top of the seventh, when, with two out, the Highlanders executed a delayed double-steal play with runners on first and third. No steal was credited, since the runner on first, Anthony Caiola, was out on the play, but not before John Bouck scored from third base ahead of the final out.
 
The Bears picked up a pair of runs in the last inning, as the first two batters, Robert Loftus and Ryan Campbell, each reached base and got into scoring position thanks to a failed pickoff attempt and a wild pitch, respectively. Loftus later scored on a ground out by LF Alex Angus and Campbell came in on the sac fly by Rodriguez.
 
Game 2 recap
For the first eight innings, the narrative was a pitcher's duel between the NJIT ace left-hander Tripp Davis and NYIT's crafty 5-foot-8, 165-pound junior right-hander Jose Checo.
 
Davis, who would get to one out in the eighth inning, allowed six hits (two in the eighth) and two unearned runs, while walking two (one in the eighth) and striking out eight in 7.1 innings.
 
Checo, who pitched eight full innings, allowed just one run, a one-out solo homer by Bleakley that gave the Highlanders a brief 1-0 lead in the sixth inning. Checo scattered four hits and five walks, while striking out one.
 
The Bears tied the score in the bottom of the sixth inning on a two-out unearned run. Rodriguez singled, stole second and then scored on error that was a continuation of a play that began with a single for Grazziani.
 
NYIT's go-ahead run was also unearned. With one out, 1B Steve McNamara reached on the third Highlander error of the game. McNamara moved up to second on a single by Rodriguez and that brought on Matt DiBiase to run for McNamara at second base. Grazziani then singled, putting NYIT on top by a run. The next batter, Hardy, walked to load the bases, prompting NJIT coach Mike Cole to sub McAuliffe in for Davis.
 
McAuliffe struck out the next two batters swinging, sending the game to the ninth with the Bears clinging to a 2-1 lead and the sixth, seventh, and eighth hitters in the NJIT batting order due up.
 
NYIT made a pitching change of its own to start the ninth, as sophomore RHP Matt Maier came in looking for a three-out save. Maier, who leads NYIT in appearances, with 18 and has the team's only save, was an emergency starter in Thursday's opening game of the series, won by the Highlanders, 1-0. In that game, he allowed a hit, a walk, and no runs in pitching the first two innings while scheduled starter Ryan Dillabough was fulfilling some class responsibilities.
 
Maier struck out Tom Bouck to start the ninth, but then he hit Tom's brother John with a pitch. Benjamin followed with a single to shortstop, putting runners on first and second. Cole, the Highlander coach, then called on Brosman to pinch hit and the sophomore singled to center field, driving in the tying run.
 
That flipped the NJIT order to the top, where Charlton delivered the three-run homer that made it 5-2 and then Rampone singled, chasing Maier in favor of freshman Michael Auriemmo. The rookie lefty's first two batters were left-handed hitters and he hit Matt Weckerle ahead of an RBI double by Bleakley. Weckerle later scored on Peterson's sac fly.
 
McAuliffe got his first strikeout of the ninth inning swinging and the last two looking.

Maier (0-3) recorded one out and was charged with five runs on four hits. Auriemmo pitched two-thirds of an inning and allowed a run on one hit.
 
The Highlanders finished the nightcap with nine hits, five of which came in the ninth inning. Bleakley was 3-for-4, with two runs batted in, one on his third home run of the day and the second on his second double of the day.
 
Charlton, the freshman center fielder was 2-for-5 with the three runs batted in on his ninth inning homer and four other Highlanders had a hit apiece.
 
NYIT had six hits, with nearly all the damage done by Grazziani (3-for-4) and Rodriguez (2-for-4). The other Bear hit was a Robert Loftus single with two out in the fifth inning.
 
Saturday's final home game, originally scheduled for 1 pm at Riverfront Stadium, will begin at noon. Pregame ceremonies recognizing NJIT's five seniors in their final home game will commence about 15 minutes before first pitch.