Box score (Game 1)

Box score (Game 2)

GREELEY, CO—NJIT senior ace right-hander Mark Leiter, Jr. pitched a complete-game one hitter to lift visiting NJIT past Northern Colorado, 2-1, in the first game of Saturday's Great West Conference doubleheader. However, the Bears' bats broke out in a big way to claim the nightcap over the Highlanders, 16-6, in a game shortened to seven innings by the conference run rule.
 
Leiter (4-5) posted his second career one-hitter, allowing just a single to Northern Colorado's Nick Miller leading off the second inning. Miller, the UNC right fielder, eventually came around to score his team's only run. Indeed, Leiter, who won a 1-0 nine-inning one-hitter over NYIT on May 17, 2012, faced just one batter more than the minimum in stifling the Bears, including retiring each of the last 15 UNC batters in a row on Saturday. Leiter struck out eight and did not allow a base runner, aside from Miller.
 
The loss went to the UNC starter, junior RHP Chris Hammer (3-3), who lasted six innings and allowed all eight NJIT hits and the two Highlander runs, which came in the top of the second inning.
 
Leiter's accomplishment in his near-total shutdown of the Bears was made all the more impressive by the fact that the home team erupted for 17 hits and 16 runs in the game that followed the NJIT senior's one-hit gem.
 
The Highlanders (14-20 overall, 6-5 Great West) actually struck first in the nightcap, scoring twice in the top of the second inning, just as they had in the opener. Likewise, Northern Colorado (17-16. 8-3 Great West) repeated its form from the opener, scoring a run in the bottom of the second. However, where Leiter blanked the Bears in five hitless innings the rest of the way, NJIT's second game starter, Matt Coughlin (4-2) and four relievers did no such thing, allowing the Bears to score at least one run in every ensuing inning, with four runs scoring in the bottom of the third and eight runs in the bottom of the fifth.
 
Down 14-2 after five innings, NJIT scored three in the sixth, before falling behind 15-5 when the Bears scored a run in their half of the sixth inning. The Highlanders staved off the 10-run rule briefly, scoring a run in the top of the seventh to get within nine runs. But the reprieve was brief, as Northern Colorado took a 16-6 lead and ended the game with a run in, two men on base and one out in the bottom of the seventh inning (the run rule goes into effect when the team trailing by 10 runs or more has made at least 21 outs).
 
Nine of Northern Colorado's first 14 runs were unearned, as NJIT, which did not make an error behind Leiter, committed four in the nightcap, making things all the more difficult for a group of pitchers who surrendered 17 hits, including three triples.
 
Coughlin, who came in with a 2.08 earned run average, best among the NJIT starting pitchers, lasted four innings and allowed 10 hits and six runs (five earned), while walking three and striking out two. The loss was his first since March 9, when surrendered a walk-off run at the end of four innings of relief in a 2-1 12-inning loss at Presbyterian.
 
The first reliever, junior Joe Fasano, gave up six unearned runs and the second reliever, freshman Eric Moul, gave up two unearned runs in what for NJIT was a disastrous eight-run fifth inning for the Bears. Senior Kyle Burdi allowed a run in his one inning, the sixth, and Zach Emmett got one out before allowing the final run that triggered the 10-run rule in the seventh.
 
The winning pitcher was senior RHP Jake Johnson (3-3), who pitched the first 5.1 innings and allowed five runs on eight hits, with no walks and three strikeouts. Reliever Robert Hawkins, a left-handed junior, pitched the last 1.2 innings and surrendered two hits and an unearned run, while striking out two and walking none.
 
NJIT, which had eight hits in winning the opener 2-1, got two hits each in the game from SS Mike Rampone (2-for-4) and RF Andrew Benjamin (2-for-3). 1B Matt Weckerle (1-for-4) hit a double, as did DH Stephan Halibej (2-for-3). Halibej drove in one of the NJIT runs and C Zack Renna (1-for-3) drove in the other.
 
The Highlanders began their two-run second inning in the first game with Weckerle's leadoff double. Halibej followed with an RBI double and scored the second run after moving up a base each on a sacrifice bunt by 3B Nick Swim and a run-scoring ground out by Renna.
 
Northern Colorado's Miller opened the Bears' half of the inning with a single, moved to second on a ground out and then advanced to third on a wild pitch by Leiter and then home on another wild pitch. Leiter then retired every remaining batter--15 in a row after the Miller single--to lock down the win.
 
The nightcap was very much a different story, as every spot in the Northern Colorado batting order, except for the leadoff spot, got at least one hit. The leader was 1B Colby Harrison, who was 4-for-5 and scored four runs, while driving in three. CF Jensen Park was 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. RF Nick Miller, the lone Bear with a hit in the opener, went 2-for-4, scoring two and driving in two and SS Ryan Yamane was 2-for-3, plus two walks, with three runs scored and one batted in. DH Joe Packard was 2-for-2 and 3B Joe Love was 2-for-4. Park, Miller and C Harrison Lambert (1-for-4) all hit triples.
 
NJIT got 10 hits of its own and scored six runs, which is usually enough to be much closer, if not to win. Weckerle was 3-for-4, including a double, with two runs scored and two batted in. CF Ed Charlton was 2-for-3 with a double and Halibej was 2-for-4, including a double. LF Tyler Kapp (1for-3) hit a triple and drove in one run. Halibej. Swim, and C Scott Brosman (1-for-3) all joined Kapp with one RBI apiece.
 
After a scoreless, hitless first inning for both sides, Weckerle hit the first pitch of the second inning up the middle for a single. After two outs, one of which advanced Weckerle to second base, Brosman hit a single for a two-out RBI and 1-0 NJIT lead. Kapp followed Brosman with a triple to right center field, making it 2-0 for the Highlanders.
 
UNC got three hits and a run in the bottom of the frame when 2B Landon Moseley walked with two outs and the bases loaded, forcing home Harrison, who earlier stroked the second Bears hit of the inning.
 
Northern Colorado went ahead to stay with a four-run bottom of the third inning that had two walks and five hits, including RBI triples for Park and Miller. Packard and Harrison added run-scoring singles in the frame.
 
The Bears made it 6-2 with a run in the fourth inning built by a leadoff single for Yamane, who stole second base and moved up to third on the play when the catcher's throw got away for an error. Park then singled to drive in Yamane.
 
Fasano took over for the NJIT starter, Coughlin, to start the bottom of the fifth inning  and UNC scored eight times against him and Moul, using four hits, two NJIT errors, a walk, a balk, and a hit-by-pitch. The big hit was a bases-loaded triple by Harrison, who had opened the frame with a single. Park and Miller also had run-scoring singles in the frame.
 
NJIT scored three times itself in the sixth inning, which opened with four straight Highlander hits. Rampone singled and Charlton doubled, before Weckerle singled home the first run. Halibej doubled in the second run and he later scored on an RBI ground out for Swim.
 
The Bears got their lead to 15-5 in the bottom of the sixth, when Moseley singled, stole second, went to third on another throwing error from catcher on the steal, and then scored on Yamane's one-out single.
 
Jake Stern, who entered the game as a pinch runner in the sixth inning for NJIT, reached base on a two-out error in the seventh inning and then scored an unearned run on Weckerle's double.
 
In the UNC seventh, Harrison opened with a single and moved up to second on a one-out walk to Lambert. Moseley walked to load the bases and then Harrison scored the game-ending run on a one-out wild pitch.
 
The teams are slated to wrap up the four-game conference series with a single game on Sunday with first pitch at 11 am (MDT).