LITTLE FALLS, NJ–Visiting UMBC broke a 9-9 deadlock in the top of the 13th to even the series at 1-1 with a 12-9 victory in 13 innings in America East Conference baseball action Saturday afternoon inside Yogi Berra Stadium.
NJIT moves to 5-5 in the America East and 14-20 overall while UMBC improves to 7-4 in the America East and 16-16 overall.
Highlander reliever Talon Mihalinac (0-2), the Highlanders seventh pitcher of the evening, was tagged with the loss. NJIT held UMBC scoreless for eight straight innings until the top of the 13th when the Retrievers scored three.
Cade Ladehoff led the Highlanders with three RBI, finishing 3-for-7 with three hits, including a pair of doubles in the game. Luke Longo drove in a pair of runs, going 2-for-4 with one run and a double.
Cole Campbell and Austin Francis each drove in two Highlander runs. Francis recorded his first triple in the seventh inning.
NJIT got on the board in the bottom of the first on a RBI double to left field by Luke Longo, driving in Cade Ladehoff who doubled down the right field line.
The Highlanders plated its second run of the game with an RBI single through the left side by Ladehoff, sending home AJ Soldra for an early 2-0 lead. Soldra reached base on a double to left center.
A seven-run inning for UMBC in the top of the third and two in the top of the fourth put the visiting Retrievers ahead 9-2.
NJIT plated three runs in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a double to right field by Ladehoff, driving in a pair of runs and an RBI single to right field by Luke Longo for a 9-5 score.
The Highlanders rallied in the bottom of the seventh, scoring three runs on three hits, including a two-run triple by Austin Francis to close the Retrievers gap to one, 9-8.
NJIT tied the game at 9-9 on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth.
UMBC broke the deadlock in the top of the 13th on a single up the middle, driving in a pair of runs to put the Retrievers ahead by two, 11-9. UMBC added a single run on a sacrifice fly to go up by three, 12-9.
The two teams will wrap up the three-game America East series on Sunday, April 21. First pitch is set for 1pm on America East TV.
