WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ - The NJIT baseball team raced out to a 9-0 lead, but host Monmouth rallied to defeated the Highlanders 16-13 on Wednesday at the MU Baseball Field. 

After a scoreless first inning, NJIT got on the scoreboard first with a six-run second inning highlighted by a pair of two-run doubles from its one- and two-hole hitters, Ty Sallie and Luke Longo. 

Longo's seventh home run of the season, a three-run shot in the top of the third, put the Highlanders ahead 9-0 before the Hawks started their rally. 

Monmouth scored three times in the third and plated three more in the fourth to make the score 9-6 through four innings of play.

Sallie hit his first-career home run in the fifth and Kevin Putsky followed it up with an RBI single later in the inning to put the Highlanders back in front by five, 11-6.

From there, it was pretty much all Monmouth, however, as the Hawks scored eight times in the home half of the fifth and never looked back en route to the three-run victory to remain undefeated in 12 games all-time against NJIT. 

Sallie finished 3-for-5 and scored four times from the leadoff spot, while Putsky also had a three-hit game, his first of the season. Longo drove in five runs, while Sallie and Putsky each drove home three. Sallie has now knocked in six runs over his last two games after entering Sunday's game with two on the season. 

Grant Vurpillat started on the mound for NJIT and pitched a scoreless inning, his sixth-straight. Aaron Park was also effective on the rubber for the Highlanders, pitching three innings and allowing just one earned run. 

The Highlanders will look to get back into the winning column on Friday when they travel to UMBC for the first of three games this weekend against the Retrievers. First pitch is slated for 6pm in Baltimore.