LITTLE FALLS, N.J. – NJIT scored four times in the bottom of the fifth to break open a tight game and then held on late to earn a 5-3 victory over the Bryant baseball team on Sunday afternoon at Yogi Berra Stadium.
With the loss, the Bulldogs fall to 24-20 overall and 12-9 in America East. It snaps a five-game winning streak in league play for the Bulldogs and leaves them in third place in the conference standings. Bryant will close out its 11-game road trip Tuesday at Merrimack.
NJIT senior Brandon Peterson delivered on senior day as he struck out six and scattered four hits over 6.0 scoreless innings. The bottom three hitters in the NJIT lineup combined for five hits and three runs scored, while Ty Sallie's three-run home run in the fifth was the big blow.
Bryant rallied in the top of the ninth, plating three runs and bringing the tying run to the plate.
Justin Hackett delivered a two-out RBI single,
Cam Papetti followed with a two-run home run and
Casey Wensley doubled to bring the tying run to the plate.
Game Information
NJIT 5, Bryant 3
Records: Bryant 24-20, 12-9 | NJIT 15-26-1, 6-15
Location: Yogi Berra Stadium (Little Falls, N.J.)
W|L|S: Peterson | Cole Schiff | Jones
Key Moment
- Bryant ran itself out of a scoring chance in the first on a baserunning miscue on an infield fly.
How it Happened
- Both Bryant and NJIT missed out on prime opportunities in the first inning. The Bulldogs loaded the bases with a walk and two singles in the first but a baserunning miscue halted the rally. An infield pop up to second dropped but Bryant's runner on third left third despite it being an infield fly. The runner was tagged out in a run down and a strikeout ended the inning.
- An infield single and a throwing error put runners on the corners with no outs. Schiff buckled down to strikeout the next batter before Cam Papetti threw out the runner at second for the second out. A ground ball to short ended the inning.
- NJIT took the lead in the third as Rowin O'Connor singled to right center.
- Bryant would leave six runners on base through the first five innings and NJIT took advantage, scoring four times in the fifth to make it 5-0.
- The Black and Gold had one final rally in them as they plated three runs with two outs in the ninth. Carlos Irizarry singled to open the inning and then stole second with two outs. Hackett followed with a single to right center to plate the first run. Papetti then fell behind 1-2 before launching a two-run home run to left field. Wensley followed with a double but the rally came to a close on a ground out to second.
Inside the Box Score
- NJIT outhit Bryant, 10-8.
- Cole Schiff allowed three runs on seven hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out four.
- Justin Dressler allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits over 3.0 innings.
- Thomas Galusha struck out two in a scoreless eighth.
- Casey Wensley went 3-for-4 with a double.
- Peterson struck out six and allowed just four hits over 6.0 shutout innings for NJIT.
Game Notes
- Bryant is now 12-7 against NJIT and closed the year winning 4-of-6 against the Highlanders.
- The Bulldogs are now 4-5 against NJIT on the road.
- Sunday's loss snapped a five-game conference winning streak for the Bulldogs.
- Bryant is now 10-12 over its last 22 games and is 5-5 on its 11-game road trip.
- The Black and Gold finished the regular season with a 6-6 record in road conference games.
- Bryant now has 131 in 44 games. The America East record is 145.
- Greger is now 12-for-21 over his last five games.
- Papetti's home run was his second of the season and 10th of his career.
- Despite taking the loss, Schiff registered a season-high 4.0 innings.
- Dressler has thrown 3.0 innings in each of his last two relief outings.
- Galusha has allowed just two runs on six hits over his last seven outings (10.2 innings).
Up Next
Bryant wraps up its 11-game road trip on Tuesday night when it visits Merrimack for a 5:00 p.m. first pitch.
