LOWELL, MA - It was a tale of two games for the NJIT baseball team on Friday as the Highlanders split a doubleheader with host UMass Lowell in an America East doubleheader at LeLacheur Park.
Lowell won game one 8-1, but the NJIT bats woke up in game two as the Highlanders received a dominate pitching performance from
Ryan Fischer en route to a 17-4 victory over the River Hawks to earn the road doubleheader split.
Game One
UML scored a pair of runs in the first inning and added a third in the second to go ahead 3-0 early,
The Highlanders were able to plate a run in the third inning to cut into the UMass Lowell lead, but that would be it for NJIT as UML added runs in the fourth and sixth innings to win the opener 8-1.
Luke Longo and
Nick Hussey were the only Highlanders to record a hit in game one.
Tyler Cirone was a bright spot out of the bullpen for NJIT, throwing 1.2 no-hit, scoreless innings.
Game Two
The Highlanders didn't score in the top of the first, but Fischer set the tone in the bottom of the inning sending down the River Hawks in order with a pair of strikeouts.
NJIT then scored four in the top of the second, three of which came off of a bases clearing, 3-RBI triple off the bat of leadoff hitter
Albert Choi.
The Highlanders added three more runs in the top of the fourth with RBIs from
David Marcano,
Julio Marcano and Hussey to go ahead 7-0.
Fischer coasted from there, tossing seven shutout innings, while striking out seven hitters and scattering four hits to improve his record to 2-1. The sophomore lowered his ERA to 2.40 through five starts and 30.0 IP.
Offensively,
David Marcano paced the Highlanders with three hits, while Choi led the way with three RBIs and was joined in the multi-RBI category by
Dante Bozzuti, Hussey and
Daniel Helfgott, who each tallied two.
On Deck:
NJIT and UMass Lowell wrap up the four-game America East series with another doubleheader on Saturday back at LeLacheur Park. First pitch of game on is set for 12pm.
