Box Score

 
NEWARK, NJ—Trailing 4-0 before it had batted, NJIT came back with a six-run third inning and later scored three times in the fifth inning on the way to a 10-6 win over visiting Fairfield in non-conference baseball Wednesday afternoon at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium.
 
The win, second in a row for the Highlanders after a four-game losing streak, pushed their pre-conference record to 8-14, while Fairfield falls to 8-15. All but two of NJIT's remaining 30 scheduled games will be played in the Great West Conference.
 
Fairfield took a quick 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but NJIT scored six, highlighted by DH Scott Brosman's grand slam, in the bottom of the third inning. Fairfield pulled into a 6-6 tie with two runs in the fourth inning. But NJIT reliever and winning pitcher, freshman LHP Ian Bentley (2-1) held the Stags scoreless from the fifth inning on. NJIT surged back into the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and the Highlanders added another score in the bottom of the sixth.
 
NJIT's Bentley blanked Fairfield over the last 5.1 innings, while scattering four hits and striking out one without a walk. It was the second straight long relief appearance resulting in a win for the rookie, who tossed 3.1 innings of scoreless one-hit relief at UMass to earn credit for NJIT's 7-6 11-inning win on Easter Saturday.
 
Bentley took over from starter Joe Fasano, who was touched for the four Fairfield first-inning runs, but settled down with two scoreless frames before the visiting Stags picked up a couple of   runs (one earned) in the top of the fourth. Fasano's line was: 3.2 innings, 6 hits, 6 runs (4 earned), 3 walks, and 4 strikeouts.
 
Fairfield used five pitchers, none of whom worked more than two innings, which is common in mid-week, non-conference college games. The loss went to the third Stag pitcher, sophomore RHP Andrew Gallagher (0-1), who allowed three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning after his team had tied the score at 6-6 in the top of the fourth. Gallagher, who tossed a 1-2-3 fourth inning, allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits in the NJIT half of the fifth inning. Gallagher had two strikeouts and did not walk a batter.
 
The Fairfield starter, freshman RHP Aaron Howell, pitched the first two innings and allowed three hits and no runs. The first reliever, sophomore LHP Tucker Panciera, was on the mound for NJIT's six-run third inning and he allowed five hits and two walks, while striking out two in one inning. Panciera's teammates got him off the hook for the loss by tying the score in the top of the fourth, but NJIT went on top for good against Gallagher. The last two Stag pitchers, Tim Duggan and Kyle Capaldo, held NJIT to one unearned run and one hit over the final three innings of at-bats.
 
In a good sign beyond the win, NJIT, which has struggled at the plate for much of the year, posted its second 13-hit attack in the last two games. Previously, NJIT reached double-figure hits once in its first 20 games (14 hits in a 13-2 win at Coppin State on March 3.
 
DH Scott Brosman's only hit of the day was the game's biggest blow, a grand slam that keyed the six-run third inning for the Highlanders. Five other NJIT players—CF Ed Charlton, 3B Mike Rampone, 1B Stephan Halibej, SS Nick Swim, and 2B Jeff Peterson—all collected two hits each. Charlton, Rampone, Halibej and Swim comprised the first four hitters in the batting order. Peterson, playing for the first time since March 10, hit two doubles and drove in two runs. RF Tyler Kapp also doubled and Charlton hit a triple for the Highlanders.
 
Fairfield, with 10 hits, got two each from C Sebastian Salvo and SS Sak Ciccone. Salvo's two hits were doubles, but they both came in the first three innings against Fasano. The left-handed hitting Salvo was 0-for-3 against the left-handed throwing reliever, Bentley. Salvo drove in two runs to lead the Stags in that category, while their six runs were scored by six different men.
 
The Stags put up four runs (three earned) in the top of the first inning. The first run came home on an NJIT error and the sophomore catcher, Salvo, followed with a two-run double deep over the center fielder's head. Salvo later scored on a two-out single by freshman DH Keith Skinner.
 
NJIT scored six runs in the bottom of the third inning before Fairfield could record an out. The big blow was the grand slam over the left field fence hit by Brosman. Before that shot, LF Nick Rabasco walked, Charlton singled, and Rampone hit a run-scoring single to open the frame. Halibej singled for another run and then Brosman unloaded the grand slam.
 
Fairfield got back two runs in the next half-inning for a 6-6 tie in the middle of the fourth. CF Mike Maschi doubled home Ciccone for one run and RF Ryan Plourde walked with the bases loaded to force home an unearned run.
 
NJIT reclaimed the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and added an insurance score in the bottom of the sixth inning. Peterson had a two-run double and Rabasco's successful squeeze bunt drove home Peterson later in the inning. The sixth-inning run was unearned, with Halibej, who opened the frame with a walk, coming home on a two-out error.
 
NJIT will begin Great West Conference play this weekend with a four-game series against three-time defending champion Utah Valley. The series will consist of a single game on Friday, a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday. The series opener on Friday has been switched to a noon start at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium instead of the previously-published 6 pm.