Box Score

The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team dropped a non-conference contest to Garden State foe NJIT, 12-5, Tuesday afternoon at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex in Teaneck, NJ.  With the victory, the Highlanders improve to 17-15 on the season, while the Knights fall to 19-19-1 overall.

NJIT immediately took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as Mike Rampone led off the game with a solo home run over the center field fence.

The Knights quickly tied the game at one with a run in the bottom half of the first.  Senior Matt Holsman (Coral Springs, FL/Stoneman Douglas) started the frame with a double to right-center field for his 200th career hit, becoming the fourth player in program history to achieve 200 career hits.  Freshman Jordan Ritz (Newport News, Va./Woodside) followed with a single to right field to advance Holsman to third.  With one out, junior Eric Anderson (Allendale, N.J./Northern Highlands) drove home Holsman with a RBI groundout to second base to tie the game.

The Highlanders took a 6-1 lead in the top of the second as they put up a five-spot on the scoreboard.  With the bases loaded and one out, Jeff Pizzi drove home the first run with a RBI groundout to first base.  Rampone followed with a two-run single to center, extending the lead to 4-1, and Jeff Peterson capped the scoring with a two-run bomb over the left-center field fence.

The bats went silent from the bottom of the second through the top of the sixth on both sides as neither team scored.  However, in the bottom of the sixth, FDU scored four times to cut the deficit to 6-5.

Ritz started the inning with a single to right field and was replaced at first by senior co-captain Ryan Kresky (Freehold, NJ/Freehold), who reached safely on a fielder's choice as Ritz was forced out at second base.  Anderson then ripped a single to right-center field to put runners on the corners.

Junior Kyle Weeks (Middle Island, N.Y./Longwood) drove home Kresky for the first run of the inning with a RBI single to right field.  After freshman Riley Moonan (Syracuse, N.Y./Cicero North) was hit by a pitch to load the bases, freshman Ryan MacDonald (Bethpage, N.Y./Island Trees) delivered a two-run single to left-center field, scoring Anderson and Weeks to cut the lead to 6-4.  With runners on first and third, freshman Pat McClure (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius ) singled off the third baseman's glove as he made a diving attempt, which allowed Moonan to score the final run of the rally.

NJIT got a run back in the top of the seventh on Matt Weckerle's RBI single to center field to give the Highlanders a 7-5 lead.

With two outs in the top of the ninth, NJIT scored five times to extend its lead to 12-5, which deflated the Knights' chances of coming back in their last at bat.

MacDonald (0-2) was charged with the loss on the bump for FDU.  The southpaw started on the mound and allowed six earned runs on four hits in 3.0 innings of work.  He walked one, struck out one and plunked a batter.  Anderson kept the Knights in the game as he scattered seven hits, while allowing only one earned run in 4.0 innings of relief.  The big lefty struck out three and did not issue a walk.

Highlanders' starter Matt Coughlin picked up the win on the hill as he allowed one earned run on four hits, while walking none and striking out four in 5.0 innings.

FDU collected 10 hits on the day with Ritz and freshman Shane Siebler (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) collecting two hits apiece.  MacDonald added two RBIs.

Rampone led NJIT's 14-hit attack, going 4-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs and four runs scored.  Peterson added two hits, including a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored.  DJ Roche also collected two hits and two RBIs, while Tom Bouck picked up two hits and three RBIs.

The Knights will return to action on Friday, April 27 as they start a four-game NEC series in Smithfield, RI against first-place Bryant.  First pitch for game one of the series is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.