WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The NJIT baseball team dropped the final game of a four-game series at Wake Forest on Sunday, falling 11-5 to the host Demon Deacons at David F. Couch Ballpark.

Wake Forest remains undefeated through eight games this season, while the Highlanders are now 2-5, with all five of their losses coming to ACC opponents. 

NJIT got on the scoreboard first on Sunday as Julio Marcano crushed a home run to left field to give the Highlanders a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The home run was the first of the season for Marcano and it was his 22nd of his career, which ties Bryan Bleakley for the most in the Division I program era.

Drew Standen started on the mound for the first time in his career and kept the Wake Forest offense off the scoreboard in the first two innings. In the third inning, however, the Demon Deacons hit a pair of home runs to take a 3-1 lead.

A sacrifice fly from Jared Donnelly got the Highlanders back within one, but the hosts scored the next seven runs to take control of the game.

Ray Ortiz hit his first home run as a Highlander in the ninth inning, a two-run shot to right field that also scored Paul Franzoni and made the final score 11-5.

The Highlanders finished with 10 hits on Sunday, marking their second-highest total through seven games this season. Marcano, Ortiz, and Nick Hussey each finished with two hits to pace the NJIT offense.

Evan Gegeckas, Joey Craska, and Tyler Cirone combined to pitch five innings out of the Highlanders' bullpen, allowing just three earned runs in that span. Three of the four outs by Gegeckas came via a strikeout. 

NJIT will look to get back to its winning ways next weekend when it travels to Virginia for a three-game series against Norfolk St. The opening game of that series is slated to start on Friday at 3pm.