Vestal, NY -- The UMBC Baseball team will play for the America East title for the first time since 2017 after defeating NJIT, 11-6, in an elimination game on Friday night.

The Retrievers will face first-seeded Bryant, who they dropped a 4-1 decision to earlier Friday afternoon, on Saturday at 1 p.m. Bryant will need just one victory for the title, while UMBC would have to win twice.

It will be the Retrievers third America East title game appearance after finishing second in 2015 and winning it all in 2017.

Danny Wyatt led the way with his second five RBI game, while Anthony Swenda again had a big day at the plate, driving in three of his own.

Sam Daniels came up clutch out of the bullpen, tossing four innings of one run ball. 

How It Happened:

• Zach Kelly made his first career start and allowed just a solo home run in the first three innings
• UMBC exploded for five runs in the bottom of the third to take the lead for good
• Nico Ong, Derek Paris and Dawson Baracani all walked to start the inning, before Justin Taylor tied the game at one with a single
• Matt Ryan drew a bases loaded walk to give UMBC a 2-1 lead, followed by a two run double from Swenda and an RBI ground out by Wyatt
• Joe Pucek entered to pitch with the bases loaded and one out in the fourth and got a strikeout to keep UMBC up 5-3
• In the bottom of the fourth it was once again Swenda and Wyatt who paced the Retrievers offense with Swenda smacking a two out RBI single and Wyatt following with a two-RBI double to make it 8-3
• The Highlanders cut it to 8-5 in the top of the fifth, and it remained that way until the bottom of the sixth when Wyatt drew a two-out bases loaded walk followed by a Luke Trythall RBI single
• It stayed 10-5 until the bottom of the eighth when Wyatt drove home Ryan from third with an RBI single
• NJIT got a one out solo homer in the ninth, but would get no closer as Daniels slammed the door

In game one, Taylor gave UMBC a brief 1-0 lead in the top of the third, but Bryant scored a single run in each of the third, fifth, sixth and seventh to take the win. Jayden Shertel pitched five solid innings, striking out four and allowing just three runs. Paris and Matthew Best also had hits for the Retrievers, while Sam Downs pitched another stellar 2.2 innings of relief, allowing just a run.