The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team salvaged the final game of its four-game NEC series with Monmouth on Sunday afternoon as they came back from two runs down in the eighth inning to defeat the visitors, 4-3, at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex in Teaneck. Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Knights scored three times with two outs to take the lead. With the victory, the Knights improve to 9-32 (6-18 NEC) on the season, while the Hawks fall to 27-16 (18-6 NEC) overall.
Both teams failed to score over the first two innings, but the Hawks got on the board in the top of third on Jamie Rosenkranz's RBI groundout to go ahead, 1-0.
Monmouth took a 2-0 in the top of the fourth as Jake Gronsky delivered an RBI single to right field.
The Knights cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom half of the fourth when senior DJ Robinson (Woodbury, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) (Woodbury, NJ) hit a towering home run over the left-center field fence. The round-tripper was Robinson's second of the season.
After neither team scored over the next three innings, Monmouth extended its lead to 3-1 in the top of the eight on Ryan Terry's RBI single with two outs.
In the Knights' 3-run eighth inning, senior Brian Dillon (Sarasota, FL/Cardinal Mooney) (Sarasota, FL) led off the frame by lacing a single to right field and then advanced to second on a balk. With two outs in the inning, sophomore Eric Anderson (Allendale, N.J./Northern Highlands) (Allendale, NJ) drew a walk and was lifted for pinch runner Jonathan Torres (Miramar, FL/Pine Crest) (Miramar, FL). Senior Joe Martino (Westbury, NY/W.T. Clarke) (Westbury, NY), who was a clutch performer for the Knights all series long, came through in the clutch again and stroked a 2-2 pitch to the left-center field gap to score Dillon and Torres to tie the game at three. The next batter, junior JT Sherba (Binghamton, NY/Binghamton) (Binghamton, NY), kept the inning alive with an infield single to shortstop, allowing Martino to advance to third. Junior Matt Holsman (Coral Springs, FL/Stoneman Douglas) (Coral Springs, FL) came to the plate and delivered the game-winning single as his hit took a bad hop on the third basemen and landed in left field, scoring Martino to put the Knights ahead, 4-3.
Sophomore Craig Warner (Coral Springs, Fla./Stoneman Douglas) (Coral Springs, FL) (1-0), who picked up the win by pitching 0.2 innings of scoreless relief, retired the first man in the ninth. After giving up a single, he was lifted for senior Spencer Kelly (Rockville, MD/The Bullis School) (Rockville, MD). Kelly was able to clinch the victory by picking up the last two outs to secure the win, and in the process, picked up his sixth save of the season.
Junior Mike Eliasen (Swedesboro, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) (Swedesboro, NJ) started on the hill for the Knights and delivered with another great pitching performance. The tri-captain went 7.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits, while walking one and striking out two.
Junior Ryan Kresky (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) (Freehold, NJ), Sherba and Holsman each had two hits to lead the Knights' 10-hit attack. Martino had two RBI's.
The Knights return to action on Wednesday, May 4, when they host a doubleheader at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex in Teaneck. First-pitch for game one is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
