BALTIMORE– UMBC baseball rallied in the ninth inning to cut a five run deficit to just one, but NJIT shut the door to hold on for a 7-6 win.
Ian Diaz (Philadelphia, Pa.) drove in three runs, all on a three-run home run in the ninth.
UMBC falls to 19-28, 8-17 AE while the Highlanders improve to 22-21, 14-13 AE on the year.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Both starting pitchers were effective early, but it was the Highlanders who struck first with a solo home run in the fifth inning.
- UMBC bounced back the next half inning off a sacrifice fly from Luke Trythall (Poolesville, Md./Poolesville) that plated Ian Diaz to tie it one.
- That would be all that would happen to that point as the rain came and forced a 47 minute rain delay.
- NJIT would waste no time after the rain delay, getting the lead back on an RBI single to give them a 2-1 lead.
- Tony Krueger (Appleton, Wisc.) would lead off the next half of the sixth with a double and would score on a sac bunt and error to tie it again at 2-2.
- However, NJIT would put up four runs in the seventh to open up a 6-2 lead and make it a 7-2 lead into the ninth.
- In the final frame, Diaz would smash a three-run home run to cut the deficit to 7-5.
- Logan Doran (Greenville, S.C.) would come up in the next at bat and drill a solo home run to center to cut it to a one run game.
- However, the Retrievers could not get the tying run, falling 7-6 in game one.
- Doran led the way with three hits with Diaz driving in three runs.
UMBC and NJIT will continue the series tomorrow, Saturday, May 14 at 2 p.m.
