The Fairleigh Dickinson University baseball team made its 2009 Teaneck, NJ debut, Wednesday, March 18, taking on Iona College and Saint Peter's College.  The Knights (2-6) broke out the bats in a 20-17 win over the Gaels (0-14), but were stopped, 16-10, by the Peacocks (3-13).

Versus Iona, seven Knights went for multiple hits, with another six driving in at least one run.  Red-shirt junior infielder Zachary Sand (San Diego, CA/Mission Bay) (San Diego, CA) spearheaded the charge with four hits and five RBI, while sophomore first baseman Brian Dillon (Sarasota, FL/Cardinal Mooney) (Sarasota, FL) chipped-in four hits and three RBI.

In the midst of a back-and-forth contest, senior right-hander Ryan Hennessy (Mahopac, NY/Trinity Pawling) (Mahopac, NY) avoided a jam in the eighth inning by inducing a twin killing.  Sophomore righty Zachary Kisling (Marlton, NJ) ultimately collected the victory in relief.

After working a 3-1 count, senior outfielder Jeff Vincent (Murrysville, PA/Franklin Regional) (Murrysville, PA) led-off the first frame with a solo shot to left field.  However, Iona senior catcher Andrew Wernicki (Bethpage, NY) answered with a grand slam in the bottom half of the second.  Freshman infielder Eric Capowski (Yonkers, NY) added a two-out two-bagger off the centerfield fence to shift the margin to 5-1.

Senior outfielder Matt Maher (Peekskill, NY/JFK Catholic) (Peekskill, NY) worked a walk with the sacks full.  Sand blasted a rope into left field where the ball took a tough hop and rolled to the fence, thus clearing the bases.  Next, an unearned run placed FDU on top, 6-5, after the end of two innings.

Freshman infielder Ryan Kresky (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) (Freehold, NJ) and Maher tacked on two more runs for Fairleigh Dickinson in the third, on the strength of RBI singles.  Freshman catcher Erik Pollag (Sicklerville, NJ/Paul VI) (Sicklerville, NJ) then provided an RBI double via a gapper and things stood in favor of the Knights, 9-5, after four innings.

Iona rallied for three runs in the fifth frame, fueled by four hits.  Wernicki triggered the push with an RBI base knock.  The next inning, freshman outfielder Dean Dignelli (Katonah, NY) knotted things at nine with an RBI single to centerfield.

A two-out walk by red-shirt catcher Mark Morton (Coral Springs, FL/Grandview Prep) (Coral Springs, FL) sparked a sixth inning surge for FDU.  Two batters later, junior outfielder Patrick Furey (Ponoma, NY/North Rockland) (Ponoma, NY) smacked a double to drive in a pair.  Kresky added his first collegiate dinger ? a two-run shot.  Two additional runs, capped by an RBI infield single courtesy of Sand, left the Knights holding a 14-9 advantage.

In the top of the seventh, freshman infielder Chris Burke (Islip, NY) drove in four with the Gaels' second grand slam of the afternoon.  Junior infielder Nick Rossetti (Parker, CO) followed with solo shot to center to create a 14-14 tie.  Dillon rebutted in the bottom portion of the frame with a two-run homer to left-centerfield.

Four different Knights plated a run in the eighth with RBI base hits: Sand, sophomore designated hitter Joe Martino (Westbury, NY/W.T. Clarke) (Westbury, NY), Dillon, and Furey.  However, Dignelli went yard for three runs in the ninth inning, cutting the margin to 20-17.

Freshman right-hander Ray Courtney (Bronx, NY/Bronx Science) (Bronx, NY) started and worked 1.2 innings.  Senior lefty John Meadus (Mt. Holly, NJ/Holy Cross) (Mt. Holly, NJ) relieved and logged 2.1 innings of scoreless ball.

Conversely, sophomore righty Tom Sweeney (Salem, NH) got the starting nod for the Gaels, but only went 1.2 innings, surrendering five earned runs.  Junior right-hander Jordan Gilruth (Leonardo, NJ) hurled 3.1 innings.  Freshman righty Derrick Bligh (Wayne, NJ) suffered the loss, falling to 0-2 on the spring.

In the nightcap with Saint Peter's, senior righty Ben Green (Plainview, NY/JFK Plainview) (Plainview, NY) was touched up early ? allowing four runs in the first inning (one earned).  He tossed 2.0 innings.

Four student-athletes put forth multi-hit efforts, headlined by Sand's five hits and five RBI.

Senior outfielder Mike McGuire (Farmington, CT) highlighted a four-run Peacocks first inning with a two-run home run.  Sand and Furey countered with RBI singles into the hole, en route to slicing the deficit to 4-3.  Saint Peter's loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the second and generated three more runs.

Sophomore outfielder Michael LaCava (Toms River, NJ) jettisoned a three-run homer to centerfield, making the score 10-3, in the top of the third inning.  In the bottom half of the frame, FDU cut into an 11-3 hole, following an RBI double slapped down the right field line by Sand.

Junior infielder Mark Roarty (Secaucus, NJ) highlighted a three-run, fourth inning outburst ? and allowed for a ten-run cushion ? with a two-run deposit over the left field fence.  Freshman infielder Justyn Carter (Mt. Laurel, NJ) made it 15-4 with a solo shot to left.

Maher kick-started a five-run fifth inning with an RBI hit back through the box, en route to shifting the score to 15-9.  Sand collected two more RBI with a double to right-centerfield, backed by Dillon going yard to the opposite field ? a two-run bomb.

Sand started the seventh with a solo home run to right-centerfield, and the Knights trailed, 15-10. 

Freshman righty Dom Macaluso (Jefferson, NJ) started for SPC, and notched the win, going 5.0 innings.  Knight's sophomore right-hander Chris Theordor (Staten Island, NY/Staten Island Tech) (Staten Island, NY) provided 2.0 hitless innings of relief.

Fairleigh Dickinson travels to Miami, FL to play a four-game set versus Florida International University, starting at 7:00 p.m., Friday, March 20.