The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team will be playing four games in two days this weekend when they take on Saint Peter's and Maine at Cochrane Stadium at Caven Point in Jersey City, NJ. Originally, the Knights were scheduled to host the FDU Classic at the new Naimoli Family Baseball Complex in Teaneck, but due to the incompletion of the field, the three-team classic has been moved to Cochrane Stadium. On Saturday, March 26, FDU will play Saint Peter's at 10:30 a.m. and Maine at 4:30 p.m. On Sunday, March 27, the Knights will play Maine at 10:30 a.m. and Saint Peter's at 4:30 p.m.
The Knights come into the weekend with a record of 4-10. A midweek game that was scheduled at Rutgers on Wednesday was canceled due to inclement weather. Last weekend, FDU went 1-3 against Quinnipiac to start Northeast Conference play.
Scouting Saint Peter's
The Peacocks come into Saturday's game with a 3-13 record and have lost 12 straight after starting out the season 3-1. Last weekend, the Peacocks traveled to Philadelphia, PA and were defeated by Villanova, 8-4, swept in a doubleheader by LaSalle by scores of 7-6 and 3-2 and fell to Temple, 11-7.
The Peacocks have won seven of the last nine meetings with the Knights dating back to 2007. However, FDU still holds the all-time series lead, 42-24, which started back in 1951. The Knights and the Peacocks have played each other almost every season since then with the exception of 1957, 1985, 1997, 2000 and 2004. At one point, the Knights won 19-straight games in the series from 1972-1990.
Back on March 5, the Knights shutout Saint Peter's, 9-0, to avenge three losses from last season. Senior Nick Melchiorre (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Holy Cross) was lights out for the Knights on the mound. He pitched 6.0 innings of scoreless baseball, allowing only five hits, striking out five and not allowing a walk. Senior Zach Kisling (Marlboro, NJ/Marlboro Central) pitched 2.0 innings of relief, scattering three hits, while senior Spencer Kelly (Rockville, MD/The Bullis School) faced the minimum in the ninth, striking out one. On the day, the Knights' pitching staff did not walk a single batter. Senior Brian Dillon (Sarasota, FL/Cardinal Mooney) led the Knights' offense with two hits and two runs scored. Fellow classmate Steven LaForge (Garfield, NJ/St. Mary) knocked in two runs and scored two runs, while junior Ryan Kresky (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) also scored two runs.
Scouting Maine
The Black Bears come into Saturday's game with an overall record of 6-15. Last time out, Maine won the final game of a four-game series at Rider, 8-3, to snap a three-game losing skid. The Black Bears started out the season 0-5 before picking up their first win. They have played the likes of UNLV, Stetson, Central Florida, Florida State and Georgetown on the season.
The Knights and Black Bears have played against each other one other time. Back in 1959, FDU opened up its season with a 6-0 victory over Maine.
Leading the Knights
Dillon had a solid series against Quinnipiac as he posted a .571 batting averaging by going 8-for-14, including a 4-for-4 effort in the final game of the series. He now leads the team with a .397 batting average and 23 hits. Dillon is eight hits short from tying the Knights' all-time career hits record (201 by Matt Maher, 2006-09). He also leads the team in slugging percentage, on-base percentage, total bases and is second in runs scored (13) behind team-leader Kresky, who leads the team with 15. Senior DJ Robinson (Woodbury, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) leads the team with 15 RBI's and six doubles and is second on the team with a .333 batting average.
Senior Erik Pollag (Sicklerville, NJ/Paul VI) is beginning to heat up as he collected five hits and batted .358 in the series to raise his season average to .321. Pollag has been an unsung savior for the Knights this season as he has had to make starts in left field, behind the plate and at third base. The super-utility player has also done well hitting in the No. 2 slot in the lineup this season.
On the pitching side of things, Melchiorre has been the staff ace for the Knights this season. Despite losing his last two starts to drop his record to 2-2, he pitched well enough to win each game. Last time out against Quinnipiac, he fronted the Bobcats a 3-0 lead as he allowed the first four batters to reach base. However, Melchiorre calmed down and retired the next 14 and 20 of 21, but the Knights' offense could not muster any support. He leads all starters with a 4.15 ERA, opponents are hitting only .187 off him and he also leads the team in innings pitched (21.2) and strikeouts (20), while only walking four.
Up Next
After this weekend, the Knights will plan on opening up the new Naimoli Family Baseball Complex on Tuesday, March 29, when they host Manhattan. First-pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
