Lehigh Box Score

Davidson Box Score

The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team split its Sunday doubleheader with a 6-3 win in the opener versus Lehigh before falling 7-3 to Davidson in the second game.  Both games were play at Wilson Stadium in Davidson, NC.  The Knights are now 1-2 on the season.

The Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Mountain Hawks.  Senior Mike Eliasen (Swedesboro, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) went 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored a run, while junior Kyle Weeks (Middle Island, N.Y./Longwood) went 2-for-2 with an RBI sacrifice fly and a run scored to pace the Knights' nine-hit attack.  Senior Ryan Kresky (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) reached base three times and collected two RBI's.

Junior Eric Anderson (Allendale, N.J./Northern Highlands) (1-0) got the start on the mound for FDU and picked up the victory with a quality start.  The lefty went 6.0 innings and allowed three runs, all earned, while scattering five hits.  He walked two, struck out two and hit a batter.

Freshmen Anthony Calise (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River), Yonah Perline (Dix Hills, N.Y./St. Dominic), and Eric Snyder (Slatington, Pa./Northern Lehigh) each pitched an inning in order to close out the game with Snyder picking up his first career save.  The trio gave up only four hits without allowing a run.  They struck out two and did not walk a batter.

The Knights' defense also helped out their pitchers by turning four double plays.

Lehigh's Justin Pacchioli doubled to left field to lead off the game and immediately stole third.  Ryan Gajdos hit a sacrifice fly to left field to put the Mountain Hawks up 1-0.

With runners on second and third to start the second inning, Connor Faust singled home a run to put runners on the corners.  Anderson was able to induce the next batter into a 6-4-3 double play, but a run scored on the play to give Lehigh a 3-0 lead.

After holding the Mountain Hawks scoreless in the third, freshman Shane Siebler (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) stayed hot with a lead-off double down the left field line to begin the bottom half of the inning.  Eliasen reached on a bunt single to put runners on the corners with one out. 

A wild pitch allowed Eliasen to advance to second base to give Kresky an opportunity to drive home two with one out.  However, he grounded out to second but drove home Siebler to put the Knights down 3-1.

Anderson faced the minimum in the top half of the fourth to keep the FDU momentum.

Freshman Patrick McClure (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius ) led off the Knights' fourth with a single to left field and advanced to second as fellow classmate Mike Hewson (Sayville, NY/Sayville) drew a walk.  Weeks sacrificed the runners over with a bunt to put men on second and third with one out.  Freshman Ryan MacDonald (Bethpage, N.Y./Island Trees) was able to drive home McClure with a RBI groundout to first and cut the deficit to 3-2.

Anderson held Lehigh scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings to keep the Knights in the game.

In the bottom of the sixth, FDU took advantage of three hit-by-pitches to score two runs and take its first lead of the game at 4-3. 

McClure led off the inning being hit by a pitch and stole second with nobody out.  After a strikeout, Weeks drew a one-out walk to put men on first and second. 

The Mountain Hawks then made a pitching chance.  MacDonald was the first man up to face the new pitcher and drew a walk to load the bases.

After a strikeout gave the Knights their second out of the inning, freshman Jordan Ritz (Newport News, Va./Woodside) was hit by a pitch to knock in McClure.  Eliasen came to the plate and was also hit by a pitch to score Weeks, giving FDU the lead.

Kresky then struck out with the bases loaded to end the threat after another pitching change.

Calise relieved Anderson on the bump to start the seventh inning and kept Lehigh off the scoreboard.

The Knights tacked on a big insurance run in the bottom half of the seventh on Weeks' two-out RBI single to score senior Matt Holsman (Coral Springs, FL/Stoneman Douglas), and Kresky drove home Eliasen with a one-out double to left-center field to give FDU a 6-3 lead.

In the top of the ninth, Snyder relieved Perline, who came into pitch the eighth inning for the Knights as he held Lehigh scoreless.

After getting the first two batters out in the inning, things got interesting as Snyder gave up a single to center to the next man.  The following batter reached on a fielding error by Eliasen at third base to put runners on first and second.

The bases became loaded after a single up the middle.  However, Snyder was able to refocus and force a groundout for the 27^th out and give FDU its first victory of the season.

Alex Jacquez went 3-for-4 with a run scored to pace Lehigh's nine-hit attack. 

Nick Stephens, who was tagged with the loss, started on the mound for the Mountain Hawks and went 5.1 innings.  The Knights scored four runs, all earned, off him on five hits, drew four walks but struck out seven times.

Against Davidson, FDU squandered leads of 1-0 and 3-1 before seeing Lehigh score the final six runs of the game for the 7-3 victory.  The Wildcats' pitching shutout the Knights' offense over the final five innings.

Kresky went 3-for-3 and drew a walk to pace FDU's 11-hit attack.  Freshman Brett Bittiger (Saylorsburg, Pa./Pius X), making his first career appearance, went 2-for-5, while Siebler also went 2-for-5 with a double.

Eliasen (0-1) took the loss on the mound despite pitching a gutsy performance.  The Knights' ace went 6.0 innings, allowing four runs, all earned, on four hits.  He walked two, hit one batter and struck out a career-best eight.  FDU pitching allowed only seven hits by Davidson in the game.  Six of the seven runs were earned.

With the bases loaded and one out in the top of the first, McClure singled home freshman Riley Moonan (Syracuse, N.Y./Cicero North) to give the Knights an early 1-0 lead.  However, the next two batters hit into outs, leaving the bases loaded and preventing FDU from extending its lead.

The Wildcats tied the game at one in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly hit by Forrest Brandt.

Neither team scored in the second or third innings, but the Knights scored twice in the top of the fourth to take a 3-1 lead.  Holsman and senior JT Sherba (Binghamton, NY/Binghamton) both reached on errors to put runners on first and second with nobody out. 

After two quick outs, Ritz singled to right to drive in Holsman with Sherba advancing to third on the throw to the plate.  Ritz then stole second on a failed pickoff attempt.  On the play, Sherba was able to steal home and cap the scoring for FDU.  Once again, the Knights ended the inning with the bases loaded.

Eliasen got the first two men out in the bottom of the fourth but ran into trouble after that.  He gave up a single, and the runner then stole second.  Michael Zeblo doubled down the right field line to cut the FDU lead to one, and Jake Berman followed with a two-run homer to left field to give Davidson the lead for good at 4-3.

The Knights had runners in scoring position in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings but failed to get the big hit.  The Wildcats scored one in the seventh and two in the eighth to take the game, 7-3.

Danny Mooney pitched the first 5.0 innings for Davidson to pick up the win.  He allowed three runs, one earned, on seven hits, while walking three, striking out two and hitting a batter.  Left-handed pitcher Henry Sisson scattered three hits over 3.0 innings of work before giving way to Zeblo to finish the game in the ninth.

James Cerbie went 2-for-4 with two RBI's and a run scored to lead the Wildcats' offense.  Berman added two RBI's and a run scored on his home run.

The Knights will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 29 when they make the short trip to the Bronx, NY to take on Fordham.  First-pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.