Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

The Fairleigh Dickinson split its Saturday afternoon doubleheader with Central Connecticut State at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex in Teaneck, NJ.  The Knights rallied in the seven-inning opener for a 5-3 victory before falling in the nightcap, 12-4.  With the split, FDU has now captured four consecutive NEC series and is 19-18-1 (13-7 NEC) on the season, while the Blue Devils are 20-19 (12-12 NEC) overall.

In game one, CCSU scored in the top of the first on JP Sportman's one-out double down the left field line to give the visitors a quick 1-0 lead.

The Knights responded in the bottom of the first as they tied the game at one on senior co-captain Ryan Kresky (Freehold, NJ/Freehold)'s towering one-out RBI triple down the left field line that scored freshman Jordan Ritz (Newport News, Va./Woodside).  The triple extended Kresky's hit streak to 14 games, but he was left stranded at third when the inning ended.

Neither team scored in the second, but the Blue Devils regained the lead at 2-1 in the top of the third on Mitch Wells' RBI double to left field.

Moving to the top of the fifth inning, Sportman extended CCSU's lead to 3-1 with a RBI double to left-center field but was left at second base in scoring position.

In the bottom of the fifth, FDU scored four times to take a 5-3 lead.  Freshman Shane Siebler (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) led off the inning with a walk, senior Matt Holsman (Coral Springs, FL/Stoneman Douglas) singled to center and Ritz followed with a single to center field to load the bases for Kresky.  The Knights' shortstop worked the count in his favor to 3-1 and laced a ground-rule double to the gap in left-center field, scoring Siebler and Holsman to tie the game at three.

Junior Eric Anderson (Allendale, N.J./Northern Highlands) then came to the plate and ripped a ball up the middle that the shortstop made a great play on but threw wild to first base, allowing both Ritz and Kresky to score with the go ahead runs. 

Freshman Brendan Butler (W. Sayville, N.Y./Sayville), who started on the mound for FDU, pitched a 1-2-3 sixth to keep the momentum with the Knights.

After FDU failed to score in the bottom of the sixth, freshman Eric Snyder (Slatington, Pa./Northern Lehigh) relived Butler to start the seventh and allowed a two-out double to Sportman but was able to get Tyler McIntyre to strike out swinging to end the game for his NEC-leading eighth save, resulting in a series-winning 5-3 victory.

Butler (3-3) picked up the win as he allowed three earned runs on six hits, while walking three and striking out two in 6.0 innings of work.

The Blue Devils' Casey Brown was tagged with the loss as he yielded five runs, four earned, on nine hits, while walking one and striking out three in 4.0 innings.

The Knights collected nine hits in the opener as they were led by Kresky's 3-for-3 performance, which included a double, a triple, three RBIs and a run scored.  Holsman went 2-for-4 with a run scored out of the lead-off spot, while Ritz went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

Sportman went 3-for-4 with three doubles and two RBIs to lead CCSU's seven-hit performance.  Wells added two hits, including a double, a RBI and a run scored.

In the second game, neither team scored over the first two innings before the Blue Devils scored three times in the top of the third to take a 3-0 lead.  Mike Washburn led off the third with a solo home run, and Wells connected on a two-run bomb with two outs to cap the scoring.

McIntyre led off the fourth inning with his third home run of the series to extend the lead to 4-0. 

FDU finally got a run in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 4-1.  Kresky walked with one out and advanced to third on Anderson's ringing single off the right-field fence.  Kresky then scored on junior Kyle Weeks (Middle Island, N.Y./Longwood)' RBI fielder's choice to center field as the center fielder just missed making a diving catch but was able to throw out Anderson at second base.

CCSU was able to put the game away with four runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth to extend its lead to 11-1.  The Blue Devils hit four double and Wells provided his second home run of the contest during their scoring spree.

Freshmen Riley Moonan (Syracuse, N.Y./Cicero North) and Ryan MacDonald (Bethpage, N.Y./Island Trees) collected RBI singles in the bottom of the eighth to cut the deficit to 11-3.

After CCSU scored its last run of the game in the top of the ninth, the Knights ended the game on a positive note as seldom-used sophomore Brandon Horetsky (Jefferson Township, NJ/Jefferson Township), who came to bat as a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, hit a booming first-pitch home run over the left field fence for his first-career round-tripper to make the final score 12-4.

Senior co-captain Mike Eliasen (Swedesboro, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) (5-3) was charged with the loss, allowing five earned runs on five hits in 6.0 innings.  The righty struck out four and did not issue a walk. 

The Blue Devils' Jack Greenhouse picked up the win as he limited FDU to only three earned runs on eight hits in 8.0 innings of work, while walking out, striking out six and plunking three batters.

Weeks had two of the Knights' nine hits, collected a RBI and scored a run to lead the FDU offense. 

CCSU pounded out 13 base-knocks, including five home runs and five doubles, with McIntyre leading the way with three hits, three runs scored and a RBI.  Wells added two home runs, two runs scored and four RBIs, Dylan Delacruz chipped in two hits, two runs scored and two RBIs, Washburn had two hits, two runs scored and three RBIs, while Danny Hickey added two hits and a run scored.

Kresky saw his hit streak end at 14 games in the nightcap but finished the series hitting .615 (8-for13) with three doubles and a triple, five runs scored, five RBIs, while slugging 1.000 and recording an on-base percentage of .706 as he was hit by a pitch twice and walked two more times.

“I am very pleased winning three of four from Central,” Head Coach Gary Puccio said.  “Obviously, we would have liked to see a better effort in the last game.  We are staying on pace, which is what we have asked the kids to do as we are now entering the home stretch, needing to take care of business.  If we maintain it, it could be a special year.”

The Knights will have a couple days off before returning to action on Tuesday, April 24 with a home contest against Garden State foe NJIT.  First pitch at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.