The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team will be playing its unofficial home opener this weekend as they will host a three-game series against Siena on the campus of Long Island University at LIU Field in Brooklyn, NY starting Saturday, March 12. Saturday will feature a doubleheader with both games scheduled for seven innings. First pitch for game one is scheduled for Noon. On Sunday, one nine-inning game will be played at 1:00 p.m.
Last time out, the Knights (3-3) were defeated this past Wednesday at Stony Brook, 16-7, at the Baseball Heaven Complex in Yaphank, NY. The Knights took an early 4-0 lead as senior Brian Dillon (Sarasota, FL/Cardinal Mooney) and sophomore Eric Anderson (Allendale, N.J./Northern Highlands) hit the first two round trippers for the squad this season in a three-run third inning. However, Stony Brook came back with five runs in the bottom half of the third to take the lead, 5-4. The Seawolves eventually went ahead, 12-4, before the Knights finally ended their scoring drought with a run in the sixth.
Dillon went 3-for-5 with a home run and two runs scored to lead the offense. Junior Ryan Kresky (Freehold, NJ/Freehold), Anderson and junior Matt Holsman (Coral Springs, FL/Stoneman Douglas) each added two hits, while senior DJ Robinson (Woodbury, NJ/Gloucester Catholic), Anderson and Holsman each collected two RBI's.
Scouting Siena
The Saints come into the weekend series winless as they have started out the season 0-9. They have been swept in three-game series at Central Florida, Louisiana-Lafayette and Charleston Southern. After getting outscored, 37-6, in its opening series at Central Florida, Siena has been a lot more competitive as they have lost by only one run in five of its last six contests.
Last season, the Saints went 15-35 overall. This weekend will only be the second time FDU and Siena have gotten together for a series. The Knights split a doubleheader with the Saints to open up the 1985 season. Siena won the opener, 2-1, before the Knights took the nightcap, 8-2.
Leading the Knights
Dillon took over the team lead in batting average as he is hitting at a .379 clip over the first six games of the season. He also leads the team in hits (11), runs scored (10) and total bases (18). Fellow classmate Robinson is second on the team in the all the categories mentioned but leads the Knights in RBI's with nine.
The Knights are slated to throw seniors Chris Theordor (Staten Island, NY/Staten Island Tech) and Nick Melchiorre (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Holy Cross) on Saturday, while sophomore Matt Cadigan (Freehold, N.J./Freehold) is expected to make his first start on the mound this season on Sunday. Theordor and Melchiorre each have thrown 11.0 innings to lead the squad. Melchiorre has also posted a 0.82 ERA over his first two starts and has struck out 10 batters, while not allowing a walk. Opposing batters are only hitting .162 off the fifth-year senior.
The Knights' bullpen has also been great for the most part. Senior Zach Kisling (Marlboro, NJ/Marlboro Central) has not allowed a run in a team-high four appearances. Anderson has posted a 1.02 ERA over 8.2 innings of work. He has also struck out 10 batters without allowing a walk, while opposing batters are only hitting .212.
After the three-game series against Siena, the Knights will return to action on Tuesday, March 15, when they travel to Dover, DE to take on Delaware State in a non-conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
