Game One Box Score
GameTwo Box Score

The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team took both games of its doubleheader with Central Connecticut State Friday afternoon at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex in Teaneck, NJ.  The Knights took the opener, 12-7, before winning game the nightcap in the bottom of the eighth, 8-7, in a contest that was scheduled for seven innings.  With the victories, FDU improves to 18-17-1 (12-6 NEC) on the season, while the Blue Devils fall to 19-18 (11-11 NEC) overall.
 
After starting out 0-3 in NEC play, FDU has won 12 of its last 15 conference games.
 
In the first contest, the Knights led 9-1 after four innings as they cruised to the victory.  The bats got going in the bottom of the second as FDU scored five time to take a 5-0 lead.  With one out, freshmen Pat McClure (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius ) and Shane Siebler (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) each singled to put runners on first and second.  After senior Matt Holsman (Coral Springs, FL/Stoneman Douglas) was hit by a pitch to load the bases, freshman Jordan Ritz (Newport News, Va./Woodside) knocked a 0-2 pitch to right field for a two-run single, scoring McClure and Siebler to give the Knights a 2-0 lead.
 
Senior co-captain Ryan Kresky (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) followed with a line-drive double over the left fielder's head to drive home Holsman and Ritz to extend the lead to 4-0.  On the throw to the plate, Kresky advanced to third.  After the second out of the inning was recorded, junior Kyle Weeks (Middle Island, N.Y./Longwood) singled home Kresky to cap the scoring.
 
With two outs in the bottom of the third, Holsman collected a run-scoring single to left-center field, scoring McClure on the play, who singled to start the frame.  Holsman tried to stretch the single into a double but was thrown out at second to end the inning.  However, FDU extended its lead to 6-0.
 
The Blue Devils got on the scoreboard on Tyler McIntyre's solo home run in the top of the fourth, which cut the lead to 6-1.
 
However, the Knights answered in home run fashion in the bottom half of the fourth with three runs to take a 9-1 lead.  Ritz and Kresky singled to start the inning.  Junior Eric Anderson (Allendale, N.J./Northern Highlands) then came to the plate and smashed a 1-1 pitch over the right-center field fence for his team-leading seventh home run of the season.
 
In the top of the fifth, CCSU cut the lead to 9-3 on a pair of two-out RBI doubles from Dylan Delacruz and Anthony Turgeon.
 
The Blue Devils were able to cut the lead to 9-6 in the top of the seventh with three runs.  The first two came on JP Sportman's two-run inside the park home run as center fielder Riley Moonan (Syracuse, N.Y./Cicero North) tried to make a diving catch against the center field fence.  McIntyre then hit his second home run of the day with two outs.
 
Heading into the bottom of the eighth and still leading by three, FDU put the game with three more runs to extend its lead to 12-6.  With two outs, Weeks stroked a two-run double to left-center field, scoring Holsman and freshman Ryan MacDonald (Bethpage, N.Y./Island Trees), who came into the game as a pinch runner at first base.  After an infield single by senior co-captain Mike Eliasen (Swedesboro, NJ/Gloucester Catholic), Moonan drove home the final run of the day with a double to left-center field to score Weeks from third base.
 
Sportman hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth for the Blue Devils, but it was not nearly enough as the Knights took the first game, 12-7.
 
Junior Craig Warner (Coral Springs, Fla./Stoneman Douglas) (2-3) picked up the win on the mound for the Knights as he pitched the first 5.1 innings.  Despite allowing 12 hits, the righty allowed only three earned runs, while walking one and striking out three.  His defense picked him up with three inning-ending double plays with runners in scoring position over the first six innings.
 
Freshman Yonah Perline (Dix Hills, N.Y./St. Dominic) picked up his first career save as he pitched the final two innings.  He allowed one earned run on two hits, struck out one and did not issue a walk.
 
CCSU's Harry Glynne was tagged with the loss on the bump.  Over 7.1 innings of work, he gave up 10 runs, nine earned, on 11 hits, walked four, struck out four and hit a batter.
 
Kresky led FDU's 14-hit attack with a 3-for-4 effort, which included a pair of doubles, a walk, two runs scored and two RBIs as he extended his hitting streak to 12 games.  Ritz, Weeks and McClure each added two hits apiece.  Ritz scored two runs and drove home two, Weeks scored a run and collected three RBIs and McClure scored a pair of runs.  Anderson drove home three with his three-run home run, and Holsman scored two times and picked up a RBI out of the lead-off spot.
 
Holsman, Ritz and Kresky, who hit 1-2-3 in the Knights' batting order, went a combined 6-for-10 with five RBIs and six runs scored.
 
The Blue Devils, who pounded out 16 hits in the opener, were led by Sportman's 4-for-5, three RBI and two runs scored effort.  Mike Washburn added three hits, while Turgeon, McIntyre and Josh Ingham each collected two hits.
 
The second game did not start out well for FDU as freshman starting pitcher Joe Borelli (Wallingford, Conn./Mark T. Sheehan ) hurt himself with three throwing errors over the first two innings, which allowed CCSU to take a 3-0 lead after two innings.
 
In the top of the first, Borelli allowed a lead-off single.  On a pick-off attempt at first base, he threw wildly to first base, which allowed the runner to advance to second.  With one out, Sportman drove home the runner from third on a groundout to give the Blue Devils the early 1-0 lead.
 
To begin the second inning. Borelli had a comebacker hit to him and with plenty of time to throw out the runner at first, he airmailed the throw over Anderson's head at first base, allowing the runner to advance to second.  The next batter laid down a sacrifice bunt attempt that Borelli fielded, but he once again threw over Anderson's head, resulting in runners on second and third with nobody out.
 
After a walk loaded the bases, CCSU lead-off batter Jake Matuszak recorded a RBI single to center field to extend the visitor's lead to 2-0.  Mitch Wells then extended the lead to 3-0 with a RBI groundout to Anderson at first base.  Borelli was able to get Sportman to pop up for the second out, and after an intentional walk to McIntyre to load the bases, he induced Turgeon to hit a groundball to Anderson to end the threat.
 
Neither team scored in the third inning and Borelli shutout the Blue Devils in the top of the fourth.  The bottom of the inning belonged to the Knights as they scored six times to take a 6-3 lead.  Eliasen reached base when he was hit by pitch that grazed his jersey to start the inning.  Kresky followed with a ringing single to right field, and Anderson walked to load the bases. 
 
Weeks then hit a groundball shortstop that had a 6-4-3 double play written all over it, but the shortstop threw wildly to second base, which allowed Eliasen and Kresky to scamper home, cutting the lead to 3-2.  Holsman reached base as he was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Moonan.  The freshman crushed a 1-0 pitch over the right-field fence for a grand slam as his first career home run gave FDU the lead.
 
Borelli came out to start the top of the fifth pitching with the lead for the first time in the game.  He got the lead-off man out on a groundball to Weeks at second base, but he then allowed a single and plunked a batter, resulting in his departure from the game.
 
Freshman Anthony Calise (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River) entered the game and walked the first batter he faced to load the bases, and then allowed a RBI single to Matuszak, which cut the lead to 6-4.  However, the big righty got the next batter to hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning and limit the damage.
 
The Knights were able to get the run back in the bottom of the sixth on Siebler's two-out RBI single to right field, which scored Holsman, who singled to start the inning.
 
The insurance run turned out to be huge for FDU as they lead heading into the seventh up 7-4.  Freshman Eric Snyder (Slatington, Pa./Northern Lehigh) came into pitch as he looked to pick up his eighth save of the season.  He relieved Perline, who pitched a scoreless sixth inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced. 
 
Snyder promptly gave up a lead-off, pinch-hit home run to Bobby Migliazza, immediately cutting the deficit to 7-5.  After a groundout to Kresky at shortstop, Snyder allowed a walk but was able to get a strike out on the next batter for the second out.  He then went to a full-count on Matuszak, who was able to draw a walk to put runners on first and second.
 
Down to his final strike, Wells ripped a 2-2 pitch to the gap in right-center field to tie the game at seven.
 
FDU went down in order in the bottom of the seventh, but Snyder was able to pitch a quick 1-2-3 top of the eighth, setting up the dramatic bottom half of the inning.
 
Weeks led off the inning with a single to center field and advanced to second on Holsman's sacrifice bunt.  After Moonan was intentionally walked, McClure was the hero for the second time in three games as he roped a 1-0 pitch to right-center field for a walk-off single to score Weeks from second, giving the Knights an exciting 8-7 extra-innings victory.  McClure, who hit the game-winning home run earlier in the week in the top of the 10th at Siena, gave FDU its second walk-off victory of the season.
 
Snyder (2-2) picked up his second victory of the week, despite allowing three earned runs on two hits in his 2.0 innings of work.  Borelli, who was in line for his third victory of the season, allowed four runs, one earned, on five hits, while walking four and striking out two. 
 
CCSU's Cody Brown started on the mound for the Blue Devils and got the no-decision.  In 6.0 innings, he allowed seven runs, six earned, on five hits, walked one, struck out six and hit three batters.  Ingham pitched the final two innings as he was charged with the loss.  The regular second baseman, who also is the closer for CCSU, came into the game with a 0.56 ERA, but the Knights were able to score a earned run on two hits off him despite striking out three times.
 
Kresky extended his hitting streak to 13 games as he led the Knights' seven-hit performance with a pair of singles.  Moonan drove home a career-best four runs with his grand slam.
 
The Blue Devils had eight hits in the nightcap as Matuszak went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Wells added a pair of doubles and three RBIs.
 
“The team is really starting to put it all together,” Head Coach Gary Puccio said.  “We turned five double plays at critical times.  Obviously, we received some hitting when it meant something as well.  It seems like there is a different hero every day.  The important thing is that we keep finding ways to win.”
 
FDU and CCSU will conclude its four-game NEC series with another doubleheader Saturday at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex.  Game one, which is scheduled for seven-innings, will now begin at 11:45 a.m. with the threat of rain later in the afternoon.  The nine-inning second game will begin approximately a half hour after the conclusion of the opener.