Nick Hussey's 3-Run Blast Propels NJIT to Extra Inning Win

Published: Sunday, February 16, 2020

 Nick Hussey's three-run home run in the top of the 10th inning broke a 5-5 tie and lifted the NJIT baseball team to an 8-5 victory over Bucknell in a neutral site contest on Sunday.

The victory was NJIT's second of the young season and earned the squad a split in their four-game, season-opening series at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary. Bucknell (1-3) was the third different team the Highlanders played this weekend as NJIT lost to Monmouth in extra innings on Friday and split a doubleheader with Penn State on Saturday.

Bucknell plated the first two runs in the bottom of the first inning and held its lead until NJIT clawed back with one run in the fourth and one more in the fifth to tie things up. 

The Highlanders took their first lead of the contest in the top of the sixth on RBI singles from their third and fourth hitters, Julio Marcano and Hussey.

Hussey made the score 5-2 in the top of the eighth with another RBI single scoring Marcano for the second time on the afternoon.

Bucknell was able to score three times in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game and after a scoreless ninth the contest went to extra innings to set up Hussey's heroics.

Andrew Elcock led off the inning and was hit by a pitch and then moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt from David Marcano. After a walk drawn by Albert Choi and a Julio Marcano fly out, Hussey delivered a clutch, two-out home run to put the Highlanders back in front for good. 

Bryce Short, who pitched a scoreless ninth inning, came back out for the bottom of the 10th and worked around a single and hit by pitch to close out the game and earn his second-career mound victory.

Ryan Fischer was extremely effective in bullpen work on Sunday, tossing five scoreless innings, while scattering three hits and a walk and striking out a pair of Bison hitters.

Hussey's six-RBI set a new career high and his three hits tied his career-best. Julio Marcano and Luke Longo each recorded two hit days for NJIT. Longo's two baseknocks were the first two of his collegiate career. 

Sunday's game was NJIT's first errorless contest of the season.

The Highlanders return to action next weekend when they travel to Farmville, Va., to take on Longwood in a three-game series. First pitch for game one is slated for 3 p.m. Friday.