NEWARK, NJ—Senior
Rex MacMillan's three-run walk-off home run earned the Highlanders at 13-12 come-from-behind win over visiting Fairfield Tuesday evening in non-conference baseball action at Riverfront Stadium.
With runners on first and second in the bottom of the ninth, MacMillan, NJIT's ninth hitter in the lineup, blasted his first home run of his career, a three-run shot, over the left field wall, sending the Highlanders past Fairfield, 13-12.
NJIT snaps a six-game skid, moving to 5-34 with 10 games remaining while Fairfield, which sits atop the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, drops to 24-18 on the season.
The Highlanders pounded out 16 hits, one shy the season-high 17 vs. Saint Peter's on April 18.
NJIT's hero, MacMillan, finished 3-for-5 with five RBI, two runs and a triple shy a cycle while freshman RF
Matthew Cocciadiferro went 2-for-5 with three runs batted in and one run. Five different Highlanders drove in a run in the victory.
Brent Jones (1-1), the Highlanders fourth pitcher in the game, was credited with the win, pitching the final two innings, surrendering two hits and one run.
Fairfield's fourth pitcher Mike Bonaiuto (2-3) was stuck with the loss, pitching 1.1 innings, allowing six hits and five runs.
The Stags 3B Kevin Radziewicz finished 2-for-4 with four runs batted in and two runs while CF Drew Arciuolo went 3-for-5 with two RBI and three runs followed by DH Troy Scocca who went 1-for-5 with two RBI and one run.
NJIT plated a single run in the bottom of the first on home run to left field by Cocciadiferro, the third of his career, giving the Highlanders a 1-0 lead.
With bases loaded for the Highlanders in the bottom of the second, MacMillan hit a double off the left field wall, scoring a pair of runs and DH
Evan Pietronico drove in the fourth run of the game on a groundout to second base, extending the lead to 4-0.
Fairfield tacked on four runs on four hits in the top of the third with two outs on a pair of two-run home runs to left field by Arciuolo and Radziewicz, knotting the game at 4-4.
NJIT regained the lead, 5-4, in the bottom of the third on a solo shot to right center by LF
Jesse Uttendorfer, his third of the season.
The Highlanders added two runs on three doubles in the bottom of the fifth with SS
Justin Etts and C
Cody Kramer driving in the Highlander runs for a 7-4 lead.
Fairfield scored four runs on four hits in the top of the seventh, taking an 8-7 lead after three singles, two stolen bases and a two-run home run to right field by Scocca.
The Stags took a four run lead, 11-7, scoring three runs in the top of the eighth after three walks and two NJIT errors.
NJIT rallied in the bottom of the eighth with two outs, on a single to right field by Cocciadiferro, scoring two runs and an RBI single by Anastasia, pulling the Highlanders within one run of the Stags, 11-10.
The Stags added a single run in the top of the ninth on a fielder's choice by SS Jack Gethings, scoring Dylan Reynolds, who singled through the right side to lead off the inning, for a 12-10 lead.
NJIT will return to action this weekend when the Highlanders visit NYIT for a 12pm doubleheader on Saturday. The two teams will return back to action in Newark on Sunday for a scheduled 12pm doubleheader at Riverfront Stadium.
