Box Score


BROOKLYN, NY—LIU Brooklyn mounted a two-out rally in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk off with a come-from-behind 6-5 win over visiting NJIT Friday afternoon on LIU Field in the opener of a scheduled four-game weekend baseball series.
 
LIU Brooklyn (10-9-1) has won its last three games in a row, four of the last five, and is 7-2-1 in its last 10 games.

NJIT is 6-9 with four losses where it was either tied or leading going into the eighth inning. In this latest defeat, the Highlanders took a 5-4 advantage into the bottom of the eighth inning and allowed the tying run in the eighth and the winning run in the ninth. On the flip side, NJIT has won its two extra-inning games and also came from behind for a walk-off win vs. Lehigh on March 15.
 
On Friday, LIU built a 4-1 lead through three innings, only to have NJIT chip away with two runs in the fifth inning, one in the sixth and one in the seventh, putting the Highlanders up 5-4 heading to the eighth. But LIU tied with one in the bottom of the eighth and won on a rally that started with two out and no one on base in the ninth inning.
 
The win went to LIU's fourth pitcher, senior right-hander Kevin Needham (2-0), who struck out two in a 1-2-3 top of the ninth inning. Needham, also a position player has started in 72 of 75 games the Blackbirds have played since he came aboard in 2013. He started Friday as the designated hitter and Friday's mound appearance was his sixth of 2014, all in relief.
 
The loss went to the third of three NJIT pitchers, redshirt junior LHP Tyler Kapp (1-1), who pitched 1.1 innings and allowed three hits and the one decisive run. That tally broke a string of four straight scoreless relief appearances for Kapp, who got his win on March 23 when the Highlanders topped Rider 5-1 in 10 innings.
 
The LIU starter, freshman RHP Nick Freijomil, gave his team 6.1 innings, allowing 11 hits and five runs (four earned), while striking out two and walking one. The Blackbird relievers, freshman LHP Evan Flood, junior RHP Evan Carlson, and Needham, combined for 2.2 innings, allowing one hit and striking out five without issuing a walk. They were not charged with a run.
 
For NJIT, the starter, senior Matt Coughlin had his shortest outing of the season, lasting 3.1 innings and yielding six hits and three walks, with one strikeout and four runs charged to his ledger.
 
Sophomore LHP Ian Bentley entered with one out in the fourth inning and tossed four innings, allowing three hits and a run without a walk, while fanning three Blackbirds. All three hits against Bentley came in his final inning of work and the run scored on a sacrifice fly after he had departed.
 
Each team had 12 hits, with the visiting Highlanders knocking out four doubles and two home runs, while LIU Brooklyn hit a pair of doubles.
 
NJIT got two hits each from LF Teddy Bickert, 3B Mike Rampone, 1B Tom Bouck, and SS Bryan Haberstroh, who was 2-for-4 on a pair of doubles, with two runs batted in. Bickert, RF Matt Weckerle (1-for-4), and Rampone, the top three men in the batting order, each drove in a run. Weckerle and Rampone  hit solo home runs, while Bickert and senior DJ Roche (1-for-1) each doubled to join Haberstroh in that category.
 
LIU's hitting was less spread out, as SS John Ziznewski finished 4-for-5, 1B Mark Hernandez was 3-for-5, including a single to drive in the winning run, while LF Jon McAllister and 3B Bobby Webb both delivered two hits. Two of Ziznewski's hits were doubles, while Hernandez and Webb had two runs batted in apiece. Ziznewski and RF Kyle DeMarco (0-for-3, sac fly to bring home the tying run in the eighth) added one RBI each.
 
NJIT scored first on Weckerle's one-out solo home run to fight field in the opening half-inning. LIU Brooklyn came right back in the bottom half when, with two outs and a runner on base, Ziznewski doubled to put the run in scoring position and Hernandez followed with a single that tied the score.
 
It stayed there until the bottom of the third, when LIU scored three times with a walk and three hits. Ziznewski singled home the first run of the frame and Webb hit a one-out single for two more runs and a 4-1 lead.
 
The Highlanders moved closer with two runs in the top of the fifth, both scoring on a one-out double for Haberstroh.
 
Rampone led off the sixth inning with his first home run of the season, a shot to left field that tied the score at 4-4. Rampone, batting .370, has nine extra-base hits in 15 games and has six multiple-hit games after his 2-for-4 on Friday.
 
NJIT, once down 4-1, took a 5-4 lead in the top of the seventh inning. 2B Rex McMillan led off with a single, and Haberstroh, his fellow freshman and partner up the middle on defense, doubled. However, McMillan was out at home on the play, preserving the 4-4 tie for one more batter, Bickert, who doubled to drive home Haberstroh with the go-ahead run.
 
Bentley, who retired the first 11 batters he faced after entering with one out and one man on base in the bottom of the fourth inning, finally allowed Ziznewski to reach on single to open the bottom of the eighth inning. Hernandez then singled, followed by Webb, whose infield single loaded the bases with one out..
 
Kapp came in and got outs on the two batters he faced, but the first was a fly ball by DeMarco that brought home Ziznewski with the tying run.
 
Kapp continued in the ninth inning by getting the first two batters on balls hit back to him. Then McAllister singled and Ziznewski doubled to right field, pushing McAllister to third base, where he was when Hernandez singled to drive in the walk-off run.
 
The weekend schedule has undergone some changes in recent hours. Saturday's doubleheader between the teams in Brooklyn is now slated for a 10 am start, moved from the original 1 pm first pitch. And a fourth game has been scheduled for 1 pm, this time with NJIT serving as the home team at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium.
 
Everything is subject to the weather, which is supposed to include rain each day this weekend. Updates will be posted promptly on www.njithighlanders.com as they become available.