NEWARK, NJ—NJIT blasted a pair of home runs as part of the Highlander 11-hit attack while starting pitcher
Tyler Stafflinger recorded his fourth win of the season in NJIT's 8-1 win over visiting Stetson to conclude the three-game ASUN Conference series Sunday at Riverfront Stadium.
With the win, NJIT moves to 16-16 overall, 4-8 in the ASUN while the Hatters, who snap a six-game ASUN Conference win streak drop to 6-3 in the ASUN and 30-11 overall.
Stafflinger (4-3), the Highlanders right-handed ace, pitched 7.0 innings, letting up four hits and one run (earned) while striking out three Hatter batters to secure his fourth win on the season. Reliever RHP
Johnny Malatesta shutdown Stetson in the eighth and ninth, allowing three hits and striking out one batter.
NJIT's DH
Evan Pietronico led the Highlander offense, hitting 3-for-4 with one RBI and one run while three Highlanders – 1B
Julio Marcano, LF
Jesse Uttendorfer and C
Paul Franzoni each registered two hits. Uttendorfer and Franzoni each blasted out a home run in the game, the second on the season for both players. Uttendorfer finished with three RBI, thanks to a three-run homer to right field in the bottom of the fifth.
Stetson starting pitcher Mitchell Senger took the loss, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing eight hits (two home runs), seven runs (six earned) while striking out six batters. Ben Onyshko pitched the final three innings, letting up three hits and one run.
1B Brooks Wilson finished 2-for-4 while SS Jorge Arenas drove in the lone Stetson run on an RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the third.
NJIT took its first lead of the three-game series in the bottom of the second on a two-run blast to left field by Franzoni, his second of the season for a 2-0 lead.
Stetson plated a single run in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly to center field by Arenas, driving in Jacob Koos, who singled through the left side, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch.
The Highlanders added a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out double to left field by
Tom Brady, scoring
Jesse Uttendorfer and
Michael Anastasia, extending its lead to 4-1.
NJIT pushed the lead to 7-1 on a three-run home run to right field by Uttendorfer, his second of the season in the bottom of the fifth.
In the bottom of the sixth, NJIT plated a single run with two-outs on a double down the right field line Pietronico, taking an 8-1 lead.
NJIT will return to action with a mid-week non-conference game at Seton Hall on Tuesday at 3:30 in South Orange, NJ.
