NEWARK, NJ—Visiting Lipscomb scored seven runs in the top of the first and never looked back, cruising to an 11-2 victory in game one of the three-game ASUN Conference series Friday night at Riverfront Stadium.
Lipscomb snaps a three-game skid, improving to 18-17 on the season, 4-6 in the ASUN while the Highlanders, who were coming off a record-setting game against Saint Peter's on Tuesday fall to 4-29 overall, 0-10 in the league.
The starting pitcher for Lipscomb, RHP Jeffrey Passantino (2-1) picked up the win, pitching 6.0 innings, letting up five hits and surrendering the two Highlander runs, including seven strikeouts.
Lipscomb relief pitchers RHP Nick Ortego and Dallas Gibson held the Highlanders scoreless in the seventh, eighth and ninth, allowing just two hits.
Nine Bisons players recorded at least a hit in the win, producing 14 hits, led by 3B Zeke Dodson, who finished 3-for-6 with two RBI and two runs. CF Michael Gigliotti, the Bisons leadoff man, drove in a pair of runs, including a double, finishing 1-for-4 while C Jeffrey Crisan went 2-for-3 with two runs batted in and two runs.
NJIT used four pitchers Friday night with its most effective pitcher, RHP
Jared Kacso, holding the Bisons scoreless in the eighth and the ninth, allowing no hits in two innings of work.
Highlanders DH
Evan Pietronico went 2-for-5, posting his sixth double of the season, while CF
Michael Anastasia also finished 2-for-5, including his second triple of the season and two runs scored.
SS
Justin Etts (1-for-4) and LF
Jesse Uttendorfer (0-for-3) drove in the two Highlander runs Friday night.
Lipscomb jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the top of the first on six hits (five singles and one double) and plated a run in the top of the third with a single to right field by Gigliotti.
NJIT got on the board in the bottom of the fourth on a RBI double to left center by Etts, scoring Anastasia, who reached first on a singled to left.
Lipscomb added a single run in the fifth and two in the seventh, extending the Bisons lead to 11-2.
In the bottom of the sixth, Uttendorfer hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Anastasia, who tripled in the inning.
The Highlanders threatened in the bottom of the eighth with bases loaded but Lipscomb's Ortega worked his way out of the inning without allowing a run.
The two teams will return to action on Saturday at 1pm and conclude the three-game series on Sunday at 12 Noon.
