NEWARK, NJ—Visiting Fairfield took an 8-0 lead before NJIT ever got on the scoreboard Monday night at Riverfront Stadium and the Stags went on to a 13-8 baseball win over the Highlanders, snapping the home team's eight-game unbeaten streak.
 
NJIT, which had been 7-0-1 since losing at Rutgers on March 24, drops to 13-8-1 overall with Monday night's defeat. Fairfield, which plays in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, is 7-16 overall with wins in its last two games (the Stags beat MAAC foe Iona, 11-2, in the second game of a doubleheader over Easter weekend before visiting the Highlanders).
 
The pitchers of record were the respective starters, with Fairfield sophomore RHP Kyle Dube (3-1) blanking NJIT through five innings on two hits, four walks and three strikeouts; freshman RHP Johnny Malatesta (3-2) took the loss for the Highlanders after allowing seven hits, four walks and five runs in five innings.
 
Fairfield used three relievers and they all surrendered at least one run, although two of them were betrayed by faulty defense. Mike Bonaiuto got two outs, but allowed five runs (one earned) and the fourth Stag pitcher, Joe Randall allowed two runs (one earned) in two innings. David Sacco, Fairfield's third pitcher, went 1.1 innings and allowed one run (earned). The four Fairfield pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts,
 
The two pitchers who followed Malatesta for NJIT, combined to yield eight runs in 3.1 innings and freshman RHP Brent Jones, who got the last two outs for the Highlanders, was the only pitcher who didn't allow a run for the home team.
 
Fairfield pounded out 16 hits on the night, paced by 3B Brendan Tracy (2-for-4, home run, sacrifice fly), who drove in four runs. 1B Sebastian Salvo (3-for-6, 2 doubles) drove in a pair of runs for the visitors, who also got two-RBI games from DH Kevin Radziewicz (2-for-5, double, 3 runs), and 2B Sean Egan (1-for-3), and LF Jake Salpietro (2-for-5)
 
NJIT had eight hits in the game, only one of which went for extra bases, a solo home run by C Stephan Halibej (3-for-4) with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. 1B Ed Charlton (1-for-3, 2 walks) led the Highlanders with a pair of runs batted in.
 
Fairfield got its first run when Tracy led off the second inning with a home run over the right field fence and the Stags added a pair in the next inning. The first came in on an RBI double by Salvo and the second of the frame scored on Tracy's sacrifice fly.
 
Fairfield scored two more runs in the fifth inning on a timely two-out single to shallow left center field by  Egan. The two Fairfield base runners, moving on contact, rounded the bases and scored when diving NJIT left fielder Evan Pietronico had to play the ball on a short hop.
 
The visitors added three more runs, all unearned in the sixth inning, aided by two NJIT errors. Salvo had a run-scoring single and two more runs scored on a single for Tracy.
 
NJIT picked up five runs of its own in the bottom of the sixth inning, aided by some Fairfield mistakes, including two errors and two wild pitches. 2B Rex MacMillan walked with the bases loaded to bring in NJIT's first run and 1B Ed Charlton later singled with the bases loaded to bring in three runs (credited with two RBI, with the third run scored on an error on the play).
 
Even though the five-run sixth inning put NJIT back in the hunt. 8-5, the momentum shifted right back to the Stags, who scored twice in the next half-inning for a 10-5 lead. CF Alex Witkus and Radziewicz each singled to drive in runs for the Stags.
 
NJIT picked up a run in the bottom of the seventh when Halibej unloaded his one-out shot over the left field fence. But Fairfield scored three in the top of the ninth inning, as Radziewicz doubled down the left field line and then Salpietro hit a two-run single.
 
Down 13-6 heading to the bottom of the ninth inning, NJIT took advantage of Fairfield's shaky late-game defense (two errors each in NJIT's five-run sixth and two-run ninth, respectively). LF Evan Pietronico singled with one out to drive in two Highlander runs in the ninth. Trailing by five, NJIT got two base runners with two runs in and one out, but Fairfield's Randall struck out the last two Highlander batters to snuff out the late rally and bring a halt to the 3-hour, 25-minute game.
 
NJIT's next scheduled action is Wednesday at 6 pm, when the Highlanders are slated to entertain Rider at Riverfront Stadium.