| Box Score 2


TEANECK, NJ—Visiting NJIT and Fairleigh Dickinson split the first of two doubleheaders between the teams this weekend, with NJIT taking Saturday's opener 9-1 in seven innings and the Knights rebounding for a 12-4 victory in the nightcap, also in seven innings.
 
Another doubleheader, originally scheduled for Sunday in Newark at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium, will have a change of venue, as the teams will get together again on FDU's Naimoli Family Baseball Complex. Both Sunday games are scheduled for seven innings, with first pitch of the day still slated for 1 pm.
 
Both games Saturday ended with comfortable scores for the winners, but the scoring sequences were a lot different. In the opener, each team got a run in the first inning and the tie continued into the sixth inning, when NJIT struck for four runs and then added four more in the seventh for the 7-1 win.
 
In Game Two, Fairleigh Dickinson seized control early, pouring six runs across the plate in the bottom of the first inning. Each team scored a run in the fourth inning before the Knights broke out for five more runs in the bottom of the fifth to remove all doubt by taking a 12-1 lead. NJIT then scored a pair in the sixth inning and one more in the seventh to reach the final score of 12-4.
 
Saturday's doubleheader split leaves NJIT with a 13-18 record for the season and FDU is 11-22. Splitting two games in one day has been a common occurrence for the Highlanders, who have split four regular doubleheaders and also had two 1-1 days in tournament action.
 
Game One recap
NJIT sophomore left-hander Ian Bentley went the distance to notch his team-leading fourth win in the opener. Bentley, who was a successful starter-reliever swingman as a freshman in 2013 and who made eight relief appearances this year, now has four consecutive starts, posting a 3-0 record and going at least seven innings each time. He is 4-3 overall.
 
On Saturday, Bentley scattered eight hits, but allowed just the one run, while striking out three and walking none. Since walking five in four innings of his first 2014 start back on February 22, Bentley has 29 innings as a starter with just five total walks.
 
He needed to be sharp on Saturday, as FDU starter Ryan MacDonald (0-1), a junior left-hander, held NJIT to one run on two hits through the first five innings. But the Highlanders broke through for eight runs in the last two innings against MacDonald and three relievers.
 
The hitting star for NJIT was junior CF Ed Charlton, who was 3-for-3, including a double, with five runs batted in. Six other Highlanders got one hit apiece, all singles. DH Stephan Halibej drove in two runs, one on a sacrifice fly, while 1B DJ Roche and 2B Mike Rampone each notched a run batted in. LF Matt Weckerle was hitless in one official at-bat, but he was hit-by-pitch three times and scored three runs.
 
On the Fairleigh Dickinson side, LF Ryan Brennan and 3B Joel Roman each went 2-for-3, while DH John Giakas (1-for-3) drove in Fairleigh's only run of the opening game. Roman had a double for his team's only extra-base hit.
 
NJIT got its first-inning run without benefit of a hit. With one out, Weckerle was plunked by a pitch and then moved to second base on a balk. Rampone and Charlton followed with walks and Halibej flied out to right field to bring home Weckerle.
 
The first two Knights singled to open the bottom of the first and after an out, Giakas singled to bring home what would be FDU's only run.
 
After four consecutive scoreless innings for each team, NJIT surged into the lead in the top of the sixth inning with four runs, keyed by Charlton's bases-loaded one-out three-run double. Roche later singled to bring in Charlton with the visitors' fourth run of the frame.
 
NJIT added four more in the seventh. 2B Rex McMillan hit a one-out single and LF Teddy Bickert singled behind him. Weckerle was hit by another pitch to load the bases for Rampone, who singled to drive in a run and keep the bases loaded. Charlton followed with a two-run single up the middle and Halibej capped the scoring with an RBI single.
 
Game Two recap
Having lost the opening game late, Fairleigh Dickinson jumped on NJIT early, roughing up senior RHP Matt Coughlin for six runs on six hits in the opening frame. Coughlin, who lasted four innings with a final total of seven runs allowed on 10 hits and three walks, took the loss, falling to 1-3. He was relieved by two freshmen, each of whom pitched on inning. Brian Sondergard was tagged with five runs (four earned) in his inning and Pat Geraghty retired the three batters he faced, the first two on strikeouts.
 
FDU also used three pitchers, with the starter, freshman RHP Joe Flack getting his first college win after losing his first six decisions. Flack pitched five innings and scattered six hits, while walking two and striking two in allowing one run. Relievers Anthony Calise and Yonah Perline each pitched an inning and were charged with one earned run apiece. Calise also allowed an unearned run.
 
With 14 total hits in the nightcap, FDU got three hits apiece from SS Matt McCann and C Zach Tondi, while CF Riley Moonan, and 2B Jose DeLeon got two hits apiece.
 
Moonan and Giakas, the designated hitter, each had doubles for the Knights, while Tondi's three singles helped him to a four RBI game. McCann drove in a pair of runs, while Brennan, Moonan, 1B Pat McClure, Roman, DeLeon and RF Shane Sielbler all had one run batted in apiece.
 
NJIT, with 10 hits, actually had more doubles than FDU (3-2). The Highlander doubles came from MacMillan, Weckerle, and SS Bryan Haberstroh. Weckerle, who didn't get hit by a pitch in the second game after being nicked three times in the opener, finished 2-for-4, as did Rampone.
 
All six hits for Fairleigh in its six-run opening inning were singles, including run-scoring knocks for Tondi, DeLeon, and Siebler, plus a two-out, two-run single for McCann.
 
NJIT got its first run in the top of the fourth inning, when MacMillan's double to left center field brought home C Zack Renna, who had singled earlier. The Knights answered back in the bottom of the frame, as Giakas led off with a double and came in on Tondi's single.
 
With Sondergard on in relief of Coughlin, Fairleigh added five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, with Tondi picking up two RBI on a single and McClure adding a run-scoring single.
 
Down 12-1, NJIT got two runs in the sixth, with one scoring on a ground out by Renna and another coming home on FDU's only error of the game.
 
The Highlanders got their final run on 1B Tom Bouck's sac fly in the top of the seventh. Rampone had singled, but was replaced on the bases when Charlton hit into a force out. Halibej singled to push Charlton ahead to third, setting up Bouck's run-scoring fly ball.