LITTLE FALLS, N.J. — The NJIT baseball team rolls past Rider, 11-1, at Yogi Berra Stadium on Tuesday evening.

The Highlanders jumped in front quickly when Austin Francis delivered an RBI single through the left side to score Ty Sallie, followed by a sacrifice bunt from Dillon Can that moved runners into scoring position. Cole Campbell then drove in a run with a groundout before Conner Rippo capped the inning with an RBI single to make it 3-0 after one.

The Highlanders extended the lead in the second as Sallie lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Connor Klock, pushing the advantage to 4-0.

The Highlanders broke the game open in the third inning with another three-run frame. Can singled home Francis before Rippo delivered again with a two-RBI single up the middle, stretching the lead to 7-0.

The offense continued to apply pressure in the fourth when Sallie scored on Francis' sacrifice fly, and the Highlanders added two more runs in the sixth on a two-run double by Lorenzo Camilleri to right-center field. Rowin O'Connor later added an RBI double in the seventh to complete the scoring.

Rippo paced the Highlanders at the plate with a pair of hits and three RBIs, while Camilleri finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Francis contributed two RBIs and scored twice, and Sallie reached base three times, scored twice, drove in a run, and stole two bases.

On the mound, Brendan Opat set the tone with three scoreless innings in the start. Tate Jones earned the win in relief after allowing just one run across three innings with two strikeouts, and Hayden Estes closed the game with a scoreless seventh inning, striking out two.

The Highlanders' pitching staff limited Rider to just three hits on the afternoon.

Next Up
NJIT hits the road and continues America East action as the Highlanders travel to UMass Lowell for a three-game series starting on Friday, the 10th with first pitch scheduled for 6:00 p.m.