Box Score

The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team fell Wednesday afternoon at Hartford, 8-4, in a non-conference game at Fiondella Field in West Hartford, CT.   With the victory, the Hawks improve to 2-14 on the season, while the Knights fall to 4-10-1 overall.
 
Hartford took a 3-0 lead after one inning and extended its lead to 5-0 after the second and never looked back.
 
FDU scored a run in the top of the third on senior Ryan Kresky (Freehold, NJ/Freehold)'s two-out ground-rule to double to center field that scored freshman Ryan MacDonald (Bethpage, N.Y./Island Trees).
 
The Hawks plated three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to extend their lead to 8-1.
 
Junior Eric Anderson (Allendale, N.J./Northern Highlands) knocked in freshman Jordan Ritz (Newport News, Va./Woodside) with a RBI-single to left field with two outs in the top of the seventh inning to cut the deficit to 8-2.
 
In the top of the eighth, the Knights loaded the bases with one out, and senior Matt Holsman (Coral Springs, FL/Stoneman Douglas) picked up a RBI when he was hit by a pitch, scoring freshman Pat McClure (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius ).  Ritz followed with a RBI sacrifice fly to center field to drive in freshman Riley Moonan (Syracuse, N.Y./Cicero North).  Kresky came up as the tying run but flied out to center field to end the threat. 
 
Hartford got the final three outs in the ninth to take the game, 8-4, despite FDU putting runners on first and second before going down.
 
Anderson stayed hot at the plate as he went 3-for-5 with a RBI to lead the Knights' 12-hit attack.  Kresky added two hits and a RBI, while Ritz scored a run, drove home a run and stole two bases for FDU.
 
Freshman Mitch Paz (Bridgeport, CT/St. Joseph) (0-3) was tagged with the loss for the Knights as he only recorded one out in the first inning.  Wildness was a problem for the lefty as he walked three walked and hit a batter, while allowing a RBI double and a RBI sacrifice fly to center field.
 
Six more freshmen pitched the final 7.2 innings for FDU, combining to allow five earned runs on six hits.  They walked six, struck out four, hit a batter and committed three balks.
 
James Alfonso led the Hawks at the plate by going 3-for-5 with four RBI's and a run scored. 
 
Zach Ferris pitched the first four innings for Hartford, scattering three hits, while allowing one earned run.  He walked two and struck out two.  Charlie Moran picked up the win in relief of Ferris as he did not allow a run in 2.0 innings of work.  He gave up four hits, walked none and struck out one. 
 
The Knights will return to action on Friday, March 23 when they travel to Hamden, CT to take on Quinnipiac, beginning a critical four-game NEC series.  First-pitch for game one is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.