The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team snapped a five-game losing streak on Thursday as they opened up its four-game NEC series with a victory over defending NEC-champion Central Connecticut State, 7-5, in New Britain, CT. The Knights never trailed in the game and took advantage of three Blue Devils' miscues, while collecting timely hits and executing three sacrifice bunts and making productive outs. With the victory, the Knights improve to 7-26 (4-13 NEC) on the season, while the Blue Devils fall to 17-15-1 (9-8 NEC) overall.
In the top of the first, junior Ryan Kresky (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) tripled to left field to lead-off the game. The next batter, senior Steven LaForge (Garfield, NJ/St. Mary), hit an RBI groundout to shortstop to drive in Kresky to put the Knights ahead, 1-0.
Central Connecticut State tied the game in the bottom half of the first when Mitch Wells drove in a run with an RBI groundout to first base.
After both teams failed to score in the second, the Knights scored three times to take a 4-1 lead. Kresky led the inning off with a single to center field and then stole second base. LaForge reached on an error by the second baseman, allowing Kresky to advance to third. With one out, senior Erik Pollag (Sicklerville, NJ/Paul VI) walked to load the bases. The next batter, sophomore Eric Anderson (Allendale, N.J./Northern Highlands), singled to left field to score Kresky and LaForge. He then advanced to second on the throw home, while Pollag moved to third. After senior Joe Martino (Westbury, NY/W.T. Clarke) grounded out to third base for the second out, junior Mike Eliasen (Swedesboro, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) hit an RBI single to center field to drive home Pollag for the third and final run of the inning.
Once again, the Blue Devils were able to tie the game with a three-spot of their own in the bottom of the third, tying the game at four. Pat Epps drove in two with a double, and Sean Miller-Jones knocked in the third run of the inning with a RBI sacrifice fly to center field.
In the top of the fourth, FDU scored two more times to take a 6-4 lead. Sophomore Jonathan Torres (Miramar, FL/Pine Crest) was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Kresky followed with his third hit of the day as he singled to left. LaForge then sacrificed Torres to third and Kresky to second with a bunt fielded by the second baseman. Senior Brian Dillon (Sarasota, FL/Cardinal Mooney) then walked to load the bases with one out. Pollag, who was the next batter, knocked an RBI single to left field to score Torres. On the play, the left fielder made an error allowing Kresky to also score, putting the Knights up two runs.
The Blue Devils got one run back in the bottom half of the fifth inning to cut the lead to six five as Jake Matuszak led off the inning with a triple to right-center field and then scored on the play on a throwing error by Eliasen at second base.
Still nursing a 6-5 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh, Martino showed off his arm in left field. With one out and a man on second, Wells singled to Martino in left. Matuszak was sent home on the play, but Martino gunned him down at the plate for the second out of the inning. Now with two outs and Wells on second base after the throw home, Epps singled to left field and Martino once again threw out the tying-run Wells at the plate for the final out of the inning.
The Knights had a chance to tack on insurance runs in the top of the eighth inning as they loaded the bases with one out, but Pollag grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.
In the top of the ninth, FDU added the much-needed insurance run to take a 7-5 lead. Anderson hit an infield single to lead-off the frame. Junior Matt Holsman (Coral Springs, FL/Stoneman Douglas) then came in as a pinch-runner for Anderson. Martino followed with a sacrifice bunt to advance Holsman to second base with one out. Eliasen then singled to center to advance Holsman to third. With runners on the corners and still one out, Sherba hit an RBI groundout to second base to put the Knights ahead by two runs.
The Knights held the Blue Devils scoreless for the fourth-consecutive inning in the bottom of the ninth to take the series-opener, 7-5.
Anderson (2-3) started on the hill for the Knights and picked up his second victory of the season. The southpaw scattered eight hits, while allowing five runs, four earned in 5.1 innings of work. He struck out three and only walked one.
The Knights bullpen pitched phenomenal over the final 3.2 innings. Sophomore Craig Warner (Coral Springs, Fla./Stoneman Douglas) kept the Blue Devils scoreless as he threw 1.2 innings of relief, allowing two hits and walking one. Senior Zach Kisling (Marlboro, NJ/Marlboro Central) pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning as he induced three groundball outs. Fellow classmate Spencer Kelly (Rockville, MD/The Bullis School) pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his fifth save of the season.
Kresky, Anderson and Eliasen each had three hits to lead the Knights' 13-hit attack, while Pollag added two hits. Anderson drove in two runs, and Kresky scored three times. Kresky also stole two bases.
"You never know when you are going to be the hero, and Joe Martino (Westbury, NY/W.T. Clarke) was the hero with two outstanding throws to the plate to cut the tying-run down twice in the seventh inning," said Head Coach Gary Puccio. "Give JT Sherba (Binghamton, NY/Binghamton) credit with two great tags at the plate, too. Good things happen when you make agressive plays on the field."
The Knights and Blue Devils will return to action on Friday with a pair of seven-inning contests. First-pitch for game one is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in New Britain, CT.
