The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team won its final game of the 2010 campaign as they defeated Garden State and NEC-Rival Monmouth Sunday afternoon, 9-7, to earn a series split in West Long Branch, NJ. Down 6-4 going into the fifth inning, the Knights exploded for five runs to take a 9-6 lead. With the victory, the Knights finish the season with a record of 16-38 (11-21 NEC), while the Hawks finish the regular season with a record of 22-25 (15-17 NEC). Monmouth will participate in the NEC postseason tournament next weekend in Somerset, NJ.
The Knights wasted no time to get on the board as sophomore Mike Eliasen (Swedesboro, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) scored on junior Steven LaForge (Garfield, NJ/St. Mary)'s RBI single in the first to give the visitors an early 1-0 lead.
The home team answered with two runs in the bottom half of the frame to take their first lead of the game, 2-1. Bobby Dombrowski drove in the first run with an RBI single, and Owen Steward drove home the second run with an RBI groundout.
The second inning proved to be a big one for the Knights as they scored three times to take a 4-2 lead. Sophomore Scott Morrison (Coral Springs, FL/J.P. Taravella) started the rally by singling home freshman Jonathan Torres (Miramar, FL/Pine Crest) for the first run. Morrison and sophomore JT Sherba (Binghamton, NY/Binghamton) then scored the next two runs as sophomore Matt Holsman (Coral Springs, FL/Stoneman Douglas) reached base on a fielding error by the shortstop. Holsman was credited with one RBI on the play.
Nick Pulsonetti homered to lead off the bottom of the third for the Hawks and cut the deficit to 4-3.
The Hawks scored three times in the fourth to retake the lead at 6-4. The Hawks scored two runs on wild pitches in the frame.
However, the Knights took the lead for good as they exploded for five runs in the fifth to take a 9-6 lead. LaForge plated Holsman and Eliasen with a two-run single to left field to start the scoring. The next batter, junior DJ Robinson (Woodbury, NJ/Gloucester Catholic), then followed with his team-leading eighth home run of the season, a two-run shot to left-center that scored LaForge. Sherba then drove home junior Brian Dillon (Sarasota, FL/Cardinal Mooney) later on in the inning with a single for the final run of the inning.
Monmouth scored a single run in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk. Junior Spencer Kelly (Rockville, MD/The Bullis School) (3-5), who came in to pitch relief in the fifth, was able to shut the Hawks down the rest of the way to earn the 9-7 victory on the mound and send the Knights off in winning fashion in the their final game of the season. Kelly pitched the final 4.2 innings. He held the Hawks to one hit, while walking four and striking out four.
Senior Terry Lydecker (Pompton Lakes, NJ/Pompton Lakes) started on the mound for the Knights. The southpaw, making his final appearance as a Knight, pitched 4.1 innings. He allowed seven earned runs on seven hits. He walked six and struck out two.
Dan Smith suffered the loss on the hill for the Hawks. The Knights touched him up for eight runs, seven earned, on nine hits in 4.0 innings.
LaForge went 3-for-5 with three RBI's and a run scored to lead the Knights on offense. The Knights banged out 15 hits as a team. Elasen, Torres, Sherba and Morrison each had two hits apiece.
Mike Casale, Ryan Terry and Anthony Lawrence each had two hits for the Hawks as they collected eight hits as a team.
Today was the final game in uniform for seniors Lydecker, Corey Jeffers (Woodbine, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) and Mike Strachman. The Knights return 23 players next season, including all eight regular starting position players. The Knights also return the core of their starting pitching rotation, bullpen and bench.
