BAKERSFIELD, CA - The NJIT baseball team split a doubleheader with host CSU Bakersfield on Saturday, winning game one 10-8, while dropping the second game 10-6.

Saturday's doubleheader was part of a four-game weekend series hosted by the Roadrunners on Hurdt Field. 

The game one victory was a back-and-forth affair that saw the teams trade leads several times before the Highlanders scored five times in the top of the eighth before Drew Standen closed the game with a pair of shutout innings out of the bullpen. 

Sophomore Austin Francis led the Highlanders offense with a 4-for-4 day at the plate, which included a two-run home urn in the seventh inning. Francis knocked in three runs in the win. Veterans Luke Longo, Ray Ortiz, and Kevin Putsky each recorded a pair of hits in game one.

The Highlanders jumped out to a 4-0 lead in game two, but were unable to hold on as the Roadrunners stormed back for the 10-6 victory.

Redshirt freshman Cole Campbell tallied three hits and knocked in a pair of runs to lead the NJIT offense. 

The Highlanders and Roadrunners will wrap up their four-game series on Sunday at 1pm (PT). An NJIT win would give the Highlanders their first series victory of 2024.