NEWARK, NJ—Senior right fielder Greg Fazio's three-run homer in the top of the third inning staked Rider to a 5-0 lead and the visiting Broncs did enough the rest of the way to defeat NJIT, 7-4, in Wednesday night's baseball game at Riverfront Stadium.
 
Fazio, who also doubled and walked, finished the day 2-for-4 with the three runs batted in and two scored to lead the 10-15 Broncs to their sixth victory in the last seven contests. Fazio, who was an infielder in his first three seasons at Rider, had two assists from the outfield Wednesday night, raising his Division I-leading total in that category to nine this season.
 
NJIT, which came into the week with seven wins and a tie in its preceding eight games, is 13-9-1, having lost Monday night at home vs. Fairfield and, now, to Rider on Wednesday,
 
The starters and pitchers of record for both teams were freshmen. Rider left-hander CJ Hirschy is 2-0 after going 5.1 innings against NJIT. He scattered seven hits and allowed three runs (two earned).
 
The Broncs nailed down the win with 3.2 innings of one-hit, one-run relief from three pitchers. Freshman Paul Sparano, the third Rider pitcher gave up a two-out solo home run to NJIT SS Bryan Haberstroh in the bottom of the eighth inning for the only blemish on the visitors' relief corps. Senior Eric Thomas picked up his fifth for Rider with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
 
Freshman RHP John Saviano (0-1) made his first college start after four previous relief appearances. He pitched three innings and allowed five runs (two earned).
 
Freshman Tommy Derer and senior Tyler Kapp each threw a pair of scoreless relief innings behind Saviano, buying time for NJIT to get back three runs and trail 5-3 after seven. However, Rider hung two runs on another Highlander freshman, James Sofield, in the eighth inning, giving the visitors a four-run cushion going to the bottom of the eighth inning.
 
Derer, who has made seven relief appearances, has allowed just one earned run this season in 12.2 innings for a tidy 0.71 earned run average. Kapp's ERA is 1.16 in nine appearances (23.1 innings). And the last Highlander on the mound, freshman Brent Jones, shut out Rider in the ninth inning, striking out two.
 
Rider scored twice in the second inning ahead of Fazio's three-run shot in the third inning. NJIT scored single runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to trail 5-3. Rider added its two insurance runs in the top of the eighth inning and the Highlanders got one back in the bottom half, but that was all the scoring.
 
In addition to Fazio's two hits, Rider got two apiece from 1B Justin Thomas and SS Mike Parsons. Haberstroh (2-for-3, 2 RBI, run) was the only Highlander with more than one hit.
 
Fazio hit a one-out double to get Rider started in the second inning and he later scored the game's first run, scoring on the first of three Highlander errors in the game. The second run of the inning crossed the plate on a wild pitch by NJIT's Saviano.
 
Fazio hit his three-run homer in the third inning and NJIT began plugging away in the bottom of the fourth. The Highlanders got an unearned run when 1B Ed Charlton, who reached base on an error leading off the frame scored on an RBI single for LF Evan Pietronico.
The Highlanders inched closer in the fifth inning with a run scored on CF Jesse Uttendorfer's one-out double.
 
3B Mike Rampone led off the bottom of the sixth inning with an infield single and advance to second base on a passed ball before scoring on Haberstroh's bouncing single up the middle.
 
Rider scored twice in the eighth inning, with the second run scoring on an RBI double for CF Jordan Leinweber. Haberstroh, who is now tied for the NJIT team lead with four home runs, gave his team some hope in the bottom of the eighth inning, but he would be the last Highlander to reach base.
Next on the NJIT schedule are four weekend games at UAlbany in New York's capital city. The Highlanders and Great Danes are slated to play doubleheaders starting at noon on both Saturday and Sunday.