Box Score


JERSEY CITY, NJ—Four NJIT pitchers combined to shut out Saint Peter's over the last eight innings and Highlanders senior Matt Weckerle homered for the tie-breaking run in the top of the 10th inning, as the visiting Highlanders came from behind to top the Peacocks, 5-3, in Tuesday afternoon baseball action at Joseph J. Jaroschak Field.
 
After allowing three runs in the first two innings, NJIT's starting pitcher Jake Yanez blanked the Peacocks into the sixth inning and relievers Austin McAuliffe, Brian Sondergard, and Tyler Kapp combined for 4.2 two-hit shutout innings out of the bullpen. Kapp, the redshirt junior left-hander, got the win to level his personal record to 2-2 by retiring all four batters he faced, including a 1-2-3 bottom of the 10th inning after NJIT took the 5-3 lead in the top half.
 
NJIT is 12-17 overall after splitting its home-and-home season series against Saint Peter's (10-26). The Peacocks were 6-3 winners when the teams met in Newark on March 25.
 
The Highlanders scored a run in the top of the first inning, but quickly fell behind when Saint Peter's plated two runs in the bottom of the first and added another in the second inning.
 
But that would be all the scoring for the home team and NJIT got one run back in the top of the sixth inning and another in the top of the seventh to forge a 3-3 tie, which held for two more scoreless innings. In the 10th inning, the Highlanders got one run on a solo home run to right field by Weckerle, who powered his team-leading seventh homer of the season. The senior has seven of NJIT's team total of 15 home runs on the year. 3B Mike Rampone followed Weckerle with a single and CF Ed Charlton doubled to right center field, driving in Rampone with an insurance run.
 
Saint Peter's used five pitchers and the fifth, senior RHP Ed Mejias, took the loss, allowing the two runs in his one inning of work. Mejias, who has made all 17 of his appearances in relief and leads the Peacocks with three saves, has a won-lost record of 1-2.
 
Yanez, a freshman left-hander, has made two starts for NJIT, both against Saint Peter's. He did not get a pitching decision either time, but he gave quality innings Tuesday in his longest college appearance to date (5.1 IP). McAuliffe, the redshirt senior left-hander tossed one scoreless inning, although he needed all his experience to wiggle out of a bases-loaded, one-out spot in the bottom of the sixth, which he escaped with a three-pitch strikeout and a fly out that came on a 3-2 count.
 
The next pitcher, Sondergard, also a lefty, worked 2.1 innings and allowed one hit, while striking out three and walking none. After yielding eight runs over 6.1 innings in two early April relief appearances, the rookie has held his opponents scoreless on three hits in 3.2 innings over his last two outings.
 
Kapp, who replaced Sondergard with two out and a man on base in the bottom of the ninth inning, was spotless, getting all four of his outs on balls hit to the infield. Kapp's 2.21 earned run average over 20.1 relief innings leads NJIT.
 
Saint Peter's senior left-hander Adam Purcilly, who was also matched vs. Yanez in the first NJIT-SPU game of 2104, was solid as the starter Tuesday: 6 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 strikeouts. Nathaniel Leon allowed a run in one inning before Kevin Soriano and Eric Mozeika each tossed a scoreless inning for the Peacocks.
 
Each team got 10 hits, with LF Teddy Bickert (2-for-5, run, RBI), DH Stephan Halibej (2-for-5, RBI), and C Scott Brosman (2-for-4, run) all having multiple-hit days for the Highlanders. Halibej and Brosman each doubled before the big two-bagger for Charlton in the 10th inning and 1B DJ Roche (1-for-5) hit his first home run of 2014, a two-out solo shot to left for NJIT's sixth-inning run.
 
The home run was the seventh in Roche's career but his first since 2012. Primarily a catcher in high school, the strong-armed Roche was recruited by NJIT as a pitcher. He batted just 16 times as a freshman in 2010, but a year later broke out at the plate and became a starting pitcher, earning All-Great West Conference and All-State Division I (NJCBA) first-team honors as a utility player. He continued in that role in 2012 and made All-GWC second-team despite an injury cut short his season and would result in Tommy John Surgery. An injury redshirt in 2013, he is not available regularly as a field player in order to avoid placing unecessary stress on his surgically-rebuilt elbow. Nonetheless, in limited at-bats (48) he is batting .333 with 5 doubles, 2 triples, a home run and 12 RBI.
 
The leaders for Saint Peter's were sophomores Jon Kristoffersen, a shortstop, and Vinny Maietta, a third baseman, each of whom went 3-for-5. 1B Nick Henriquez was 2-for-5, but the other Peacocks managed just two hits among them. Kristoffersen and Henriquez each hit doubles.
 
NJIT needed timely hitting to pull out Tuesday's win and that trait came forward in the opening inning. Bickert opened and Weckerle was hit by a pitch, but SPU's Purcilly got the next two batters. Halibej then came through with a two-out RBI double down the left field line.
 
Saint Peter's struck back with two runs of its own, with both tallies crossing the plate on a two-out single up the middle by Henriquez. The Peacocks got their third run on another two-out rally in the second inning. CF Nick Cardamone singled and scored when the next batter, Kristoffersen hit his ninth double of the season.
 
NJIT, which got a double leading off the fifth inning by Brosman did not score, but Roche's solo homer in the next frame inched the Highlanders closer, 3-2.
 
The visitors tied the score in the top of the seventh inning against Leon, who opened the inning on the mound in place of the starter, Purcilly. Brosman led off with a single and moved up one base on a passed ball and another base on a sacrifice bunt by 2B Rex MacMillan. With Brosman on third and one out, Bickert singled to knot the score at 3-3.
 
Saint Peter's left two on base in the bottom of the seventh and another in the bottom of the ninth, but did not score. NJIT, which stranded on runner in the eighth inning, broke through with the two tie-breaking runs in the 10th inning.
 
The Highlanders are scheduled for a four-game, two-site weekend series against Fairleigh Dickinson. NJIT, which played in frigid conditions in a mid-March tournament hosted by FDU, will go back to a warmer Teaneck for a noon doubleheader Saturday on the Knights' Naimoli Family Baseball Complex. The series will come to Newark for another doubleheader on Sunday, this one with a 1 pm start at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium.