UMBC

Steve Bowen was 5-for-6 in the 18-5 victory over the Highlanders on Friday night.

BALTIMORE--The UMBC baseball team picked up its second win in a row with an 18-5 decision over NJIT on Friday night at The Baseball Factory Field at UMBC.

The Retriever (7-11) bats were led by senior Steve Bowen, who was 5-for-6 on the day with three runs scored four RBI, including a two-run homer.

Freshman Marty Zawacki (2-2) picked up his second win of the season, going 6.0 innings with four earned runs, nine hits, and two strikeouts.

PJ Saporito led the Highlanders (5-11), going 2-for-2 with one run scored, one RBI, and one walk on the day, while Brian Ascolese (1-3) took the loss, going 4.0 innings and letting up five earned runs and 11 hits.

The Retrievers took the lead early in the game off junior Will Delawter’s double that plated Bowen in the first, but the Highlanders broke even in the top of the second and the game saw a see-saw affair until the bottom of the fifth.

Both teams added one run each in the second, two in the third, and one in the fourth, which saw the Retrievers up 5-4 going into the fifth.

The Highlanders tied it all up in the fifth, but the Retriever bats were on fire in the bottom of the inning, scoring six runs off three hits and three NJIT errors.

Senior Steve Gale started the rally off with a double to left center, which prompted the Highlanders to bring in their reliever, and then advanced to third after the Highlander third baseman committed an error on junior Steve Russo’s ball.

Sophomore Tom Meaney took his base after being hit by a pitch, loading the bases for the Retrievers. After a Retriever strikeout, senior Mike Scheffel reached on a fielder’s choice, but Gale was thrown out at the plate, giving the Retrievers two outs and bases loaded.

Junior Joe Fowler walked to bring Russo in for the score, followed by Bowen’s two-run single down the third base line, who then advanced to second on a pitcher error, keeping the bases loaded. Sophomore Scott Peddicord also walked, bringing Fowler home and the Highlanders made another pitching change, before Gale came back up to the plate and reached on a fielder’s choice and error that plated Bowen.

Russo singled once more, bringing in Delawter, but Gale was also thrown out on the play, finally getting the Highlanders out of the inning after the Retrievers took an 11-5 lead.

The Retrievers added two more in the sixth, one in the seventh, and four in the eighth to end with an 18-5 victory over the Highlanders.

The teams will face one another in the second of a three-game series on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at The Baseball Factory Field.