SALISBURY, Maryland - Maryland Eastern Shore baseball succumbed to a 12 run, 17 hit onslaught by the NJIT Highlanders Friday (Mar. 9) at Perdue Stadium, dropping their season record to 1-10.

Freshman Dillon Oxyer (Pasadena, Maryland) contributed an RBI single in the third inning to break up what would have been a shutout. Seniors Jessey Valdez (Dorchester, Massachusetts) and Chris Melrath (Rising Sun, Maryland) also tallied hits. For Melrath, his infield single in the ninth marks his first hit and first plate appearance as a collegian.

On the mound, freshman Israel Velasquez (Riverdale Park, Maryland) fired two scoreless innings of relief with a strikeout. Fellow freshman Chris Levere (King George, Virginia) started but was charged with the loss after three runs over four plus innings.

NJIT (3-5) burst the floodgates in the second innings with a three run dinger to build up a 4-0 lead. Oxyer's hit trimmed the deficit to three but the Highlanders responded with crooked numbered innings in the fifth and the seventh to finish off their win.

The Shore and NJIT will battle three more times this weekend. On Saturday (Mar. 10) the teams meet at 11 a.m. for a twin billing of seven inning games. The series wraps up 11 a.m. Sunday (Mar. 11) with a single, nine inning game.