CATONSVILLE, Md. (Interstat) — Maryland-Baltimore County hosts NJIT in an America East baseball game Friday at 57°F under cloudy skies at Alumni Field.

The Retrievers (24-22) enter with a .522 winning percentage, while the Highlanders (16-29-1) have struggled to a .352 mark. UMBC won the series opener 12-4 on Thursday, a game in which first baseman Dylan Melton went 4 for 5 with three RBIs.

Melton, who leads UMBC in recent production, has 11 hits in his last 10 games, including a 3-for-5 performance with a home run and three RBIs against Albany on May 1. Over that span, he drove in runs in six contests and has a season-high four-hit game.

NJIT shortstop Jack Stead is the Highlanders’ key batter. He homered and drove in three runs in Thursday’s loss, going 1 for 4. However, in his previous nine games, Stead went 0 for 3 or worse six times. He did have two hits in four of his last 10 appearances, including a 2-for-3 game at Albany on April 25 and a 2-for-3 effort against Maine on April 18.

UMBC’s pitching staff limited NJIT to four runs Thursday. Eddie Sargent earned the win after allowing three earned runs on three hits with seven strikeouts over five innings. The Retrievers’ bullpen then held the Highlanders scoreless over the final four frames.

The matchup is the second of a three-game series; both teams are scheduled to play again Saturday at the same venue.

NJIT has lost six of its last seven games overall, with the lone win coming May 3 against Bryant. UMBC has won four of its last six, including a 9-8 extra-inning victory over Coppin State on May 5.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 5-3 UMBC victory and gives the Retrievers a 57.40 percent win probability according to its ELO system.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Eastern.