The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team will conclude its seven-game home stand this Wednesday, May 4, when they host Saint Peter's in a doubleheader at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex in Teaneck. First-pitch for game one is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Each game will be seven innings in length.
The Knights (9-32) gave NEC and Garden State rival Monmouth all it could handle this past weekend at home. Monmouth took three out of four from the Knights, but every contest was competitive. FDU lost the opener, 11-10 (in 10 innings), and lost the middle two games by scores of 7-2 and 8-3 (The Knights led 3-0 in the fifth inning in the third game). In the series finale and trailing 3-1 in the eighth inning, the Knights scored three times to take a 4-3 lead which they would never relinquish. In the process, FDU knocked its rival out of first place in the NEC.
Scouting Saint Peter's
The Peacocks come into the doubleheader with a record of 15-25. They have lost two-straight games after dropping two of three to Iona this past weekend. Saint Peter's has played nearly .500 baseball since starting the season 1-10.
The Peacocks have won eight of the last 10 meetings dating back to 2007. The two teams have already played each other twice this season. The Knights won 9-0 back on March 5 before falling 10-4 to the Peacocks on March 26. FDU still leads the all-time series, 42-25, 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.
Leading the Knights
Over their last 10 games, the Knights have been hitting nearly .300 as a team. Sophomore Eric Anderson (Allendale, N.J./Northern Highlands) is 11 for his last 22 with five RBI's. Junior Mike Eliasen (Swedesboro, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) is hitting .444 (12-for-27) with five RBI's. Senior Joe Martino (Westbury, NY/W.T. Clarke) is 12 for his last 34 (.353) with two home runs, 13 RBI's, three doubles and eight runs scored. Junior Ryan Kresky (Freehold, NJ/Freehold), who leads the team in almost every offensive category, is hitting .313 (11-for-35) with one home run, five RBI's, 11 runs scored and four stolen bases.
Eliasen has been great over his last two starts on the hill, posting an ERA of 3.07 over 14.2 innings of work, while going 1-0 with two walks and eight strikeouts.
Up Next
The Knights will travel to Staten Island, NY on Friday, May 6, to take on Wagner in the first game of a four-game NEC series starting at 3:00 p.m.
