LEXINGTON, VA - The NJIT baseball team was defeated twice by host VMI on Saturday at Gray-Minor Stadium as the Keydets took game one 10-8 and held off the Highlanders 8-7 in game two to complete the sweep.

Luke Longo hit ninth-inning home runs in each game to help ignite a comeback threat and now sits atop the program's career home run leaderboard with 31. Longo, who set the single-season record with 16 home runs last spring, passed former teammates Paul Franzoni and Julio Marcano, who were tied atop the list with 29.

VMI scored the first five runs in game one and held off the Highlanders' late rally for the 10-8 victory. NJIT scored three times in the eighth and three more in the ninth to make things interesting, but couldn't complete the comeback.

NJIT went ahead early in game two as Kevin Putsky's second home run of the day and third of the season gave the Highlanders a 1-0 advantage in the top of the second. VMI answered with four runs, however, and led 5-2 after four innings. The Highlanders rallied with a four-run inning highlighted by a two-RBI single from Cade Ladehoff and jumped back in front 6-5. VMI scored twice in the home half of the fifth to go back in front and added a run in the seventh to make the score 8-6.

With two outs in the ninth, Longo went deep to make the score 8-7. The Highlanders then loaded the bases with a pair of walks and a single, but were unable to plate the tying run. 

The Highlanders and Keydets will wrap up their four-game series on Sunday. First pitch is slated for 1pm back at Gray-Minor Stadium.