JACKSONVILLE, FL—Jacksonville collected three runs in the opening two innings Sunday and held off visiting NJIT 5-3 to complete a vigorously-contested three-game sweep of this weekend's Atlantic Sun Conference baseball series between the two teams.
NJIT (17-32 overall and 2-15 in the Atlantic Sun) got into contention on two occasions Sunday, scoring two in the top of the third inning to trim the deficit to 3-2 and again in the top of the sixth to pull to within 4-3.
Jacksonville (32-18 overall; 13-5 A-Sun) answered both NJIT challenges, tacking one run on in the bottom of the fourth and another run in the bottom of the sixth for a 5-3 advantage that stood up through to the final out, as neither team scored after the sixth inning.
A-Sun-leading Kennesaw State held a 9-1 lead in the seventh inning of its Sunday game vs. Stetson. A KSU win would put the Owls at 14-4 in conference play, a game up on Jacksonville in the standings heading into the final Atlantic Sun regular season weekend. Jacksonville will play three at USC Upstate, while Kennesaw State plays three at Florida Gulf Coast.
There's a huge gulf in the conference standings between 13-5 Jacksonville and 2-15 NJIT and the Dolphins took all three games this weekend. Still, all three were close (4-2 on Friday night, 11-10 on Saturday, and 5-3 on Sunday), suggesting the Highlanders may not be quite as far from contending for at least the middle of the pack and a spot in future six-team A-Sun championship fields as the raw won-lost record might indicate.
One Highlander who has acquitted himself well in Atlantic Sun Conference competition immediately is sophomore left fielder
Evan Pietronico, who singled as the first batter in the game on Sunday. He now owns a 16-game hitting streak, the longest active one among A-Sun players. Pietronico, who leads NJIT in doubles (20) and runs batted in (43) and who owns a team-leading .316 batting average, last went hitless in a game on April 17, when he took an 0-for-4 at Florida Gulf Coast.
After Pietronico's single to lead off the game on Sunday, NJIT loaded the bases with two outs but did not score. Jacksonville shortstop JJ Gould hit a one-out RBI double in the bottom of the second inning, giving the Dolphins a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way.
A single, a walk and a double steal in the bottom of the second inning put two JU runners in scoring position for C Mike Cassala, whose one-out single drove home the two runners for a 3-0 Jacksonville lead in the bottom of the second inning.
NJIT pulled to within 3-2 when senior DH
Stephan Halibej hit a two-run homer to left field with no one out in the top of the third inning. It was the second home run in as many days for Halibej, whose four home runs are tied with Pietronico for NJIT's season lead. Halibej has 11 career home runs late in his senior season.
Despite getting two runs before an out was recorded in the third inning and then picking up a base runner on JU's only fielding error of the game, NJIT could not get closer after Halibej homered.
Jacksonville extended its advantage to 4-2 in the fourth inning on a run-scoring ground out.
The Highlanders were back in business when 2B
Johnny Malatesta and 1B
Edgar Badaraco opened the sixth inning with back-to-back singles. A sacrifice bunt for 3B
Tom Brady moved Malatesta and Badaraco up a base before pinch hitter
Michael Anastasia walked to load the bases with one out.
SS
Justin Etts brought in a run with a fielder's choice ground out to the middle of the infield. Pietronico then walked to load the bases again with two outs, but CF
Jesse Uttendorfer lined out, leaving three men on base and JU clinging to a 4-3 advantage.
Jacksonville added insurance with an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth inning and the score stayed at 5-3 the rest of the way.
The Jacksonville starter, redshirt junior Casey Kulina (4-0) got the win after allowing three runs in 5.3 innings. Sophomore RHP Spencer Stockton worked 2.2 innings in relief of Kulina and kept NJIT from scoring despite surrendering two hits and three bases-on-balls. Cassala, a freshman who started the game behind the plate for JU, pitched a perfect ninth inning to pick up his 12th save of the season and second in the weekend series. He also pitched a 1-2-3 ninth frame in JU's 4-2 win over the Highlanders on Friday night.
The losing pitcher for NJIT was the starter, junior RHP
Bryan Haberstroh (1-5), who allowed three runs in the opening three frames.
Three sophomores finished for the Highlanders, with
Andres Fernandez allowing two runs (one earned) in three innings behind Haberstroh and lefty
Justin Chin and RHP
John Saviano each notching a scoreless frame.
NJIT finished with eight hits, two for Malatesta and six for six different other Highlanders. Malatesta had a double, joining Halibej, who homered, as the only Highlanders with extra-base hits.
Jacksonville had seven hits—six singles and the Gould double—and DH Connor Stephens (2-for-4) had the only multiple-hit game for the winners.
NJIT's 2016 season is down to four remaining games and all of them will be played at home in Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium, where the Highlanders are 8-5, compared to 9-27 in other venues (away and neutral-site).
The Highlanders will host their final non-conference game of the season on Tuesday at 6 pm, when they entertain Seton Hall of the BIG EAST Conference. Seton Hall, which topped NJIT 9-2 in South Orange back on March 9, is 34-18 overall and 7-8 in the BIG EAST after taking two of three from conference rival St. John's over the weekend.
NJIT will close the season with the final A-Sun series of 2016, hosting North Florida on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The Thursday and Friday games are scheduled to begin at 6 pm each day and Saturday's season finale is set for a noon first pitch. UNF is 34-18 overall and 12-6 in the A-Sun.
A year ago, the Ospreys were 45-16 and reached the final round of the A-Sun championships, where they lost to Lipscomb.
