PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers baseball used a strong day from its bullpen and a dominant day on the basepaths to take down NJIT by a score of 8-3 on Tuesday afternoon. 

The Scarlet Knights (18-7) stole nine bases, scored in six straight innings and tossed seven straight shutout innings on the mound to handle the Highlanders (8-15) and close out a 5-1 homestand. 

NJIT jumped out to an early lead with a leadoff home run and then two more in the second inning to take a 3-0 advantage. 

Rutgers began to chip away in the third, scoring in each of the next five innings to seize control. Ty Doucette opened the scoring with an RBI groundout and Josh Kuroda-Grauer scored on a double-steal attempt to get two runs across in the third. Tony Santa Maria tied things in the fourth with another RBI groundout. An infield single from Cameron Love made it 4-3 and Doucette drove in another with an RBI double in the sixth to make it 5-3.

With two outs in the seventh, Trevor Cohen singled into center to bring in Jackson Natili and make it 6-3. Kuroda-Grauer scored again on a double-steal attempt in the eighth and Hugh Pinkney followed with an RBI single to push it to 8-3. 

After the three early runs, RU starter Jordan Falco buckled down and threw a scoreless third and fourth.

Ben Gorski entered for the fifth and put together his best outing of the season, throwing three scoreless, allowing just one hit and striking out four with no walks. He would earn the win and improve to 3-1 on the season. 

Joe Mazza pitched a scoreless eighth, picking up a strikeout in his lone inning of work, while Joey DeChiaro closed out the victory with a 1-2-3 ninth inning and a strikeout. 

The Scarlet Knights were relentless on the basepaths, stealing nine bases which was the most since at least 2017. Kuroda-Grauer had four swipes of his own, and his 16 on the season now lead the Big Ten. 

Rutgers now turns its attention to Big Ten play, with the Scarlet Knights set for a trip to Michigan State to open the conference slate.

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