Box score

NEWARK, NJ—Visiting Rider scored three times in the fourth inning and then blew the game open with a six-run seventh inning en route to a 10-2 baseball win over NJIT Sunday afternoon at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium in the rubber game of the three-game series between the teams.
 
The teams had split a Saturday doubleheader at Rider in Lawrenceville, NJ, with NJIT prevailing in the opener, 4-3, and the Broncs winning the seven-inning second game, 5-0. The weekend series ends with Rider owning a 10-9 season record, while the Highlanders are 6-12.
 
The pitching decisions went to the two starters, with Rider's junior RHP Mike Murphy raising his record to 2-3 after tossing six innings of scoreless four-hit ball against NJIT. Murphy struck out five and walked two.
 
The Broncs used three relievers to complete the last three innings and the first in from the bullpen, sophomore LHP Eric Thomas, was charged with both Highlander runs (one earned), on three hits and a walk in a third of an inning. Senior RHP Sean Kuberiet, who quieted the NJIT rally in the seventh inning, was credited with 1.2 innings and no hits or runs, with three strikeouts. Sophomore LHP Zach Mawson finished up with a spotless ninth inning.
 
The starter and losing pitcher for NJIT was senior RHP Mark Leiter, Jr. (3-3), who pitched the first five innings and allowed three runs on five hits and four walks. He struck out five.
 
The next two Highlander pitchers, sophomore LHP Tyler Kapp and senior RHP Kyle Burdi, each were charged with three runs in Rider's six-run seventh inning. Freshman LHP Eric Moul got the last two outs of the seventh and yielded a hit and a walk without being charged with a run. Junior RHP Joe Fasano worked the last two innings and allowed two hits and one unearned run, while striking out one.
 
Rider, which had 12 hits and eight bases on balls, plus three batters hit by pitch, also benefitted from four NJIT errors and two passed balls.
 
RF Nick Crescenzo led the way for the Broncs, going 3-for-4, scoring three runs, and driving in runs. Four Riders batters—C Eric Strano, 3B Adam Wayman, 1B Justin Thomas, and 2B Greg Fazio—all collected two hits each. Strano had a triple for Rider's only extra-base hit of the game and Fazio added a sacrifice fly. Fazio and SS Mike Parsons were the RBI leaders with two apiece, while three others picked up one run batted in each.
 
NJIT, with seven hits and three walks, paced by two hits from freshman C Zack Renna. 1B Stephan Halibej (1-for-3) doubled for the only Highlander extra-base hit and 2B Mike Rampone (1-for-4) had NJIT's only run batted in.
 
The day began well for Leiter, the NJIT starter, as he struck out the side in the opening inning and then allowed a harmless hit in the second inning.
 
However, Leiter had to work hard to keep the game scoreless in the top of the third and that effort may have haunted him an inning later.

Rider opened the third frame with a walk and a single and both runners moved up on a passed ball, putting two in scoring position with no one out. Leiter got a foul out to catcher, but then issued a walk to load the bases with one out. He then struck out Rider's number three hitter, DH Jerry Mulderig and induced the cleanup hitter, Wayman, to fly out, leaving the bases loaded.
 
NJIT, which went down 1-2-3 in each of the first two innings against Rider's Murphy, threatened in the bottom of the third, when LF Nick Rabasco, leading off, reached base on the first of three Rider errors in the game. After an out, RF Andrew Benjamin singled, but the inning ended on a double play. It would be the first of three double plays hit into by NJIT batters on the day.  
 
After threatening, but not scoring, the previous inning, Rider broke through with a three-spot in the top of the fourth. Thomas opened with a single and Crescenzo singled to right field, with men moving up a base due to an error on the play. James Locklear walked to load the bases and Parsons, batting in the eighth spot, stroked a two-run single through the left side, bringing in two runs. Rider's third run came home on Fazio's sacrifice fly to right field brought in Locklear.
 
Halibej hit a two-out double for NJIT in the bottom of the fourth inning, but nothing came of it and
Leiter rebounded with a strong fifth inning, keeping the score a 3-0, where it stayed until Rider put the game completely out of reach with a six-run top of the seventh inning against the Highlander bullpen
 
In a sloppy half-inning for NJIT, two of the first four Rider batters were hit by pitch and there was an NJIT error mixed in on a successful stolen base try for the Broncs. However, Rider also banged out five hits in the frame, including Strano's run-scoring triple into the right field corner. Wayman, Thomas, Crescenzo, and Fazio all added RBI singles later in the inning and another run scored on a passed ball.
 
NJIT picked up two in the home half of the seventh inning and it could have been more, except for an inning-ending double play. Rabasco opened with a walk and Renna followed with a single. Benjamin replaced Renna as the runner at first base on a fielder's choice and Rabasco moved up to third base. Rabasco scored his team's first run from third base on a wild pitch and CF Ed Charlton followed with a single and moved up on a Rider error. Rampone drove in the second NJIT run with an infield hit that and created a runners-on-first-and-third situation. However, the rally ended with a ground ball double play.
 
Rider scored an unearned run in the top of the ninth inning, with the run coming home on a double play. 
 
NJIT's next scheduled action is a three-game series at the University of Massachusetts, starting with a 3 pm game on Friday.