JOHNSON CITY, TN—A 12-2 game one win and 8-1 victory in the nightcap, lifted East Tennessee State to a doubleheader sweep over visiting NJIT Saturday afternoon at Thomas Stadium in non-conference baseball action.
ETSU (13-4) has opened the 2019 home campaign winners of 11-straight, marking the best start in program history.
NJIT, which posted 22 wins and appeared in the ASUN Championship for the first time, since joining the league last season, started the 2019 campaign with a 7-4-1 mark, the best mark in school history in the Division I era after 12 games.
In game one of the doubleheader, ETSU maintained a shutout into the eighth inning, scoring at least one run in every inning except two while NJIT added single runs in the top of the eighth and ninth as ETSU secured the 12-2 victory.
In the nightcap, NJIT took an early 1-0 lead after two complete but the Bucs held the Highlanders scoreless over the next seven innings, scoring a pair of runs in the fourth and four in the sixth, breaking open the game, 7-1 and securing the 8-1 nightcap victory.
Game One | ETSU 12, NJIT 2 (Final)
Sophomore RF
Matthew Cocciadiferro led NJIT, going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles while six different Highlanders registered one hit in the game.
Senior co-captain SS
Justin Etts got the Highlanders on the board in the top of the eighth with an RBI single, scoring the first run of the game for the visitors.
NJIT loaded the bases in the ninth and scored on a walk, with C
Billy Hart at the plate, scoring the only run of the inning.
The Highlanders used four pitchers with right-handed pitcher
Tyler Stafflinger being credited with the loss, pitching 4.0 innings. Freshman
Hunter Harris, the Highlanders third pitcher, held the Bucs hitless over two innings, while fanning a pair of batters and
Nicholas Trendler pitched the eighth, allowing one run, no hits and striking out one batter.
ETSU accounted for four home runs in the game, including a pair of homers from Colby Emmertz.
Game Two | ETSU 8, NJIT 1 (Final)
After taking an early 1-0 lead after two complete, the Bucs scored eight unanswered runs to secure the nightcap, 8-1.
NJIT scored its lone run of the game in the top of the second, with a two-out single from 2B
Brett Helmkamp. Helmkamp finished the game 2-for-3 with one RBI while 3B
David Marcano went 2-for-4.
Highlander starting pitcher
Jared Kacso was credited with the loss, pitching the first 5.2 innings of action, fanning three batters while NJIT's third pitcher,
Jake Rappaport, finishing the game, pitching the final 2.1 innings, allowing four hits and one run.
The two teams will conclude the three-game series on Sunday at 1pm.
