Franzoni's Walk-Off Hit Sends NJIT to Winner's Bracket Semifinals of 2022 AEBASE Championships

The 2022 NJIT Baseball team has relied on its veterans all season long and Wednesday was no different as a pair of standout pitching performances from a junior and a senior, and three late-inning runs were scored courtesy of three graduate student captains and the No. 3 Highlanders won via a walk-off to escape No. 6 Hartford at Mahaney Diamond. 

Ryan Fischer, who was named the America East Pitcher of the Year on Tuesday, tossed eight-shutout innings and struck out out eight, while Julio Marcano knocked in a run in the seventh and David Marcano knocked one in in the eighth to give the Highlanders a late 2-0 lead.

Fisher came out for the ninth and Hartford led off with a pair of solo home runs to tie the game, but senior Grant Vurpillat struck out two and kept the Hawks off the scoreboard to set up the Highlander's first walk-off win of 2022 and first since Luke Longo's hit walked off Maine in last year's America East Tournament.

Julio Marcano doubled to centerfield to lead off the bottom of the ninth and was bunted over by Andrew Elcock who still reached on his sacrifice bunt and stole second to set up a chance for NJIT's leader in RBIs, Paul Franzoni. Franzoni crushed a ball into the left center field gap and only needed to touch first as Marcano scored the game-winning run. The RBI was Franzoni's 43rd of the season, one off the NJIT program record. 

The Marcano twins paced the NJIT offense as David Marcano tallied three hits and the aforementioned bases loaded hit by pitch, while Julio Marcano also reached base four times with three hits and walk.. David Marcano, the team's shortstop, extended his program single-season hits record to 72 and also stole a base to tie teammate Albert Choi and Jesse Uttendorfer for the career program record of 55. 

Vurpillat earned the victory on the mound and now the Highlanders will gave the ball to another fifth-year senior, Jake Rappaport on Thursday in the winner's bracket semifinals. First pitch is slated for 2:30 p.m. back at Mahaney Diamond in Orono.

Fischer's ERA dropped below 4.00 (3.97) for the season and the junior is now up to a team-high 90 strikeouts in 95.1 innings.