TOWSON, MD—NJIT overcame an early 3-0 deficit Monday and scored a run in the top of the ninth inning on a
Mike Rampone home run to edge Towson, 6-5, and take two in the three-game weekend baseball series against the Tigers.
With the win on Monday, NJIT raises its early-season record to 5-4, while Towson, which took the first game of Sunday's doubleheader vs. the Highlanders, 10-8, before dropping the nightcap 8-4 and then Monday's single game, 6-5, falls to 2-13.
The winning pitcher for the Highlanders was the second of two relievers, freshman RHP
Johnny Malatesta, who picked up his second win in as many decisions, working the last four innings and allowing two hits and two runs (one earned).
Two other freshmen pitched for NJIT, with the starter, RHP
Sean Lubreski, allowing three runs (two earned), despite allowing 11 hits and a walk in four innings. He gave way to RHP
Tommy Derer, who pitched a scoreless fifth inning while allowing one hit.
Towson, too, used three pitchers and the decision went to the third, junior RHP Austin Clark, who fell to 0-3 after allowing one run, the game-winner, in working the last 2.2 innings for the Tigers.
Junior RHP Nick Cioffi started for Towson, going five innings and allowing six hits and three runs (two earned). Freshman LHP Thayer Seely relieved and allowed four hits and two runs in 1.1 innings.
Towson built its 3-0 lead with a run in the bottom of the second inning and two more in the bottom of the fourth. NJIT got a run back in the top of the fifth and went ahead 4-3 with a three-run top of the sixth.
The score then seesawed, with Towson tying on a run in the bottom of the sixth, NJIT going back up a run with a tally in the seventh and the Tigers re-tying the score with one in the bottom of the eighth before NJIT plated what proved to be the game-winner in the top of the ninth.
NJIT totaled 13 hits, three apiece by senior 3B
Mike Rampone and freshman RF
Jesse Uttendorfer. Malatesta, who opened the game playing first base, added two hits, as did sophomore DH
Cody Kramer.
Rampone had a triple and a home run, while 2B Rex McMillan and Uttendorfer each stroked doubles for the Highlanders.
Towson had 14 hits, led by three from LF AJ Gallo, who went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs batted in. Five different Tigers got two hits each.
The first run of the game, for Towson, was unearned, but the Tigers got two RBI doubles in the fourth to go up, 3-0.
NJIT got its first run on an infield RBI single by senior CF
Ed Charlton and then the Highlanders scored three in the sixth, as Kramer and Uttendorfer produced run-scoring singles amd MacMillan drove in a run on a double to left center field.
The Highlanders got their run in the seventh inning when Rampone belted a one-out triple and scored with two outs on Malatesta's single.
With score tied at 5-5 through eight frames, NJIT went ahead to stay on Rampone's one-out home run to left center field.
Malatesta then locked up the win with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth inning.
NJIT will stay in the Baltimore area for one more day, visiting UMBC for a single game on Tuesday, with first pitch scheduled for 4 pm.
