LITTLE FALLS, NJ - The NJIT baseball team won its seven game in its last eight chances and improved to 13-4 at Yogi Berra Stadium this season with a come-from-behind 15-11 America East Conference victory over visiting Binghamton on Friday.
The Highlanders, who used a seven-run seventh to win Thursday's series opener, scored seven times in the eighth on Friday to turn a three-run deficit into a four-run victory and clinch the three-game series.
NJIT trailed 10-6 after six innings, but got within two with two runs in the seventh to set up the big eighth inning. The seventh inning runs came on back-to-back bases loaded walks dawn by
Ty Sallie and
Albert Choi.
After Binghamton scored a run in the top of the eighth to make it 11-8, the NJIT bats set fire in the seven-run home half of the eighth.
Luke Longo plated the first run of the inning, doubling home
Ray Ortiz and
AJ Soldra followed it up with a sacrifice fly to make it a one-run game. Choi, a two-time First Team All-America East selection, put the Highlanders in front for good with a two-run single that made it 12-11.
Cade Ladehoff's RBI single made the score 13-11 and RBIs from
Kevin Putsky and Ortiz increased the NJIT lead to 15-11.
Just as he did on Thursday,
Joe Georgini closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning to preserve the win and clinch the series for the Highlanders, who are now 12-10 and locked into the three seed in next week's America East Conference Tournament.
Binghamton quickly went ahead 3-0 in Friday's back-and-forth affair, but Choi tied the game in the second with a three-run home run, his sixth of the season.
A sacrifice fly from Ortiz in the third gave the Highlanders their first lead. Binghamton answered, however with back-to-back three-run innings in the fourth and fifth to re-take the lead, a lead it held until NJIT's big eighth inning.
Choi, Ortiz and Sallie all homered for NJIT on Friday, giving the Highlanders 58 as a team this season, and breaking the previous program record for most home runs in a season, which the 2022 squad set with 56.
Choi was 3-for-5 with six RBI and also reached on a walk. Ortiz knocked in three runs and in addition to his home run and two sacrifice flies walked twice. Sallie had his best offensive game of the season, going 2-for-3 and scoring twice.
AJ Soldra continued his impressive rookie season, going 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. He is now hitting .337 on the season.
Sallie's two walks give him 36 on the season, which breaks the single-season record he set during his All-Rookie season last spring.
Drew Standen earned the mound win to improve to 2-0. He struck out three over 3.2 innings out of the bullpen and allowed two runs (one earned).
NJIT and Binghamton will wrap up the series and their respective regular seasons on Saturday back at Yogi Berra Stadium. First pitch is slated for 12pm and the Highlanders will honor their seniors and graduate students with a pre-game ceremony.
