NEWARK, N.J. – Senior Miguel Camacho (Chicago, IL/Oakton CC) (Chicago, Ill.) produced a 3-for-5 day at the plate with two RBI and scored two runs as visiting Chicago State (9-39, 4-19) used a six-run rally in the ninth inning to close out the regular season Saturday afternoon with a 12-8 victory over host NJIT (19-33, 12-16) in a Great West Conference baseball contest at the Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium. It was also the regular season finale for both teams.
The visitors posted a 1-0 lead in the third inning when junior Jack Bobillo (Michigan City, IN/Kalamazoo Valley CC) (Michigan City, Ind.) connected on a one-out single off NJIT starting pitcher Matt Coughlin, advanced to third on sophomore Jeremy Legania (Chicago, Ill./St. Laurence)'s (Chicago, Ill.) first collegiate single before scoring on an RBI sacrifice fly by senior Michael Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (Whiting, Ind.) to left field.
CSU hiked its advantage to 2-0 in the top of the fourth inning when Camacho blasted a two-out double to right center and scored on the next play via a throwing error by the home team, but NJIT pulled within 2-1 in the bottom half of the fourth after Anthony Caiola lined an RBI single up the middle that scored D.J. Roche, who opened the stanza with a double.
The Highlanders scored five runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by Roche's three-run home run to left field, to capture a 6-2 lead.
Camacho came back in the sixth with an RBI double to left field to bring home junior Jonathan Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) (Whiting, Ind.), who doubled left to lead off the inning, to pull the visitors within a 6-3 deficit.
In the top of the seventh, the Green and White produced three runs to even the score at 6-6 which included a two-RBI triple by Jonathan Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) and an RBI single from Camacho, but the Highlanders recaptured the lead at 8-6 in the bottom half of the inning with a pair of runs.
The Cougars posted their biggest rally in the ninth inning behind a three-run double from junior Weston Lewis (Denver, CO/Colby CC) (Windsor, Colo.) with the bases loaded and a run-scoring single from Camacho for the final margin.
Lewis finished the game hitting 2-for-2 with three RBI and scored twice, while Jonathan Carpen (Whiting, IN/Clark) also posted two hits with three runs scored and two RBI. Freshman Caleb Fialka (Bolingbrook, IL/Bolingbrook) (Bolingbrook, Ill.) captured his first collegiate win by holding NJIT to a pair of hits in one and two-thirds scoreless innings to hike his record to 1-1.
Matt Weckerle paced NJIT with a 3-for-6 offensive output and Caiola finished 3-for-5 while scoring a run and posting an RBI. Kyle Burdi allowed six runs (none earned) on four hits in two and two-thirds innings thrown to take the loss in addition to posting a game-high five strikeouts.
The Cougars will head to Grand Forks, N.D., to compete in the second-annual Great West Conference Tournament beginning Tuesday against defending champion Utah Valley in a first-round contest beginning at 10 a.m.
~CSU~
