UNION, NJ - The NJIT baseball team won via a walk-off for the sixth time in 12 home games this season as
Andrew Elcock's ninth-inning sacrifice fly with the bases loaded scored
Luke Longo to give the Highlanders the 5-4 victory in America East action at Jim Hynes Stadium.
The victory improved NJIT to 8-4 at home this season and evened this weekend's three-game series vs. the first-place Black Bears.
Luke Longo led off the ninth inning with a walk and advanced to third on
Ray Ortiz's second double of the game and America East-best 17th of the season. After
Kevin Putsky was intentionally walked to load the bases, Elcock stepped to the plate and delivered the game-winning sacrifice fly with two strikes.
The Highlanders jumped in front early with a pair of runs in the second inning.
Ty Sallie reached safely on a safety squeeze that scored
Austin Francis and
Jared Donnelly followed it up with a sacrifice fly to plate
Michael Doyle.
Maine got a run back in the fifth inning, but the Highlanders answered again with some more "small ball". Ortiz led off the fifth with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Putsky. He then scored one batter later as Elock, similar to Sallie earlier in the game, reached safely on a safety squeeze.
Longo's program-best 15th home run of the season made it 4-1 in the seventh, but the Black Bears didn't go away easy.
Maine loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth and cleared the bases on a double off the top of the wall to tie the game, 4-4.
NJIT went down quietly in the eighth and Longo threw out his second base runner of the game in the ninth to set up the dramatic bottom of the ninth.
Aidan Kidd started on the mound for NJIT and continued his impressive junior season striking out six in six innings and allowed just one run. Kidd has now struck out 90 hitters this season, which leads the America East.
Elcock, Sallie, and Ortiz paced the Highlanders offense with two hits each, while Longo's home run extended his reached base streak to 32 games.
NJIT and Maine will return to the diamond on Sunday for the rubber match. First pitch is scheduled for 12pm back at Jim Hynes Stadium.
