Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team dropped both contests of its seven-inning doubleheader with LIU Brooklyn Saturday afternoon at LIU Field in Brooklyn, NY.  The Blackbirds took the opener, 14-5, before holding on for a 5-4 victory in the nightcap.  With the victories, LIU improves to 21-33 (12-19 NEC) on the season, while FDU falls to 24-25-1 (18-13 NEC) overall.

The Knights have put themselves into a must win situation on Sunday in order to clinch the No. 2 seed and a match up with Central Connecticut State in the NEC Tournament.  A loss would drop them to the No. 4 seed and a date with Monmouth.

In the opener, the Blackbirds' Brad Greve led off the bottom of the first with a triple and scored on Pete Leonello's RBI sacrifice fly to go up 1-0.

The home team extended their lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the second on Mike Garcia's two-run home run with one out.

The lead reached 5-0 in the bottom of the third as LIU scored twice with two outs.  Tyler Jones scored the first run on a wild pitch, while Chris Untereiner delivered a RBI double.

In the top of the fourth, FDU answered with four runs to cut the deficit to 5-4.  Junior Kyle Weeks (Middle Island, N.Y./Longwood) started the inning with a double and scored on senior co-captain Mike Eliasen (Swedesboro, NJ/Gloucester Catholic)'s double for the first run.  Freshman Mike Hewson (Sayville, NY/Sayville) worked a walk, and fellow classmate Pat McClure (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius ) followed with a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third.

Freshman Shane Siebler (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) drove home Eliasen with a RBI groundout to second base for the second run.  Senior Matt Holsman (Coral Springs, FL/Stoneman Douglas) then drove home Hewson with a two-out RBI single to right field for the third run.  After freshman Jordan Ritz (Newport News, Va./Woodside) drew a walk, senior co-captain Ryan Kresky (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) cranked a RBI double to left-center field to score Holsman.  On the play, Ritz was thrown out at the plate to end the inning, which prevented the Knights from potentially adding more runs.

The Blackbirds got a run back in the bottom of the fourth to extend their lead to 6-4.  After the first two batters of the inning were retired, freshman starter Joe Borelli (Wallingford, Conn./Mark T. Sheehan ) yielded a double to Albert Faz and a RBI single to Greve, which ended his day.  Junior Matt Cadigan (Freehold, N.J./Freehold) relived Borelli and gave up a single to Jones to right field but Greve was thrown out at home to end the inning after the relay throw was bobbled.

LIU put the game away with five runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth to take a commanding 14-5 lead, which would be the final score.  Kresky drove home the final run for the Knights with a bloop single down the left-field line to score Holsman in the top of the sixth.

Borelli (3-3) was charged with his second-consecutive loss after being tagged for six earned runs on seven hits, while walking one and striking out two. 

The Blackbirds' Matt McCormick picked up the win, despite scattering 12 hits.  He allowed five earned runs, walked three and struck out one in the complete-game effort, while stranding nine runners on base.

Ritz, Kresky and Siebler each had two hits to lead FDU's offense.  Holsman scored two runs, while Kresky collected two RBIs. 

Greve had three hits to lead LIU's 15-hit attack.  Jones, Leonello, Untereiner and Albert Faz each collected two hits.  Leonello, Drew Walsh, Tito Marrero, Garcia and Faz each scored twice, while Marrero, Garcia and Derek Stupski each had two RBis.

In game two, the Blackbirds jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead after two innings. With one out in the first, Leonello doubled home Jones with a double down the left-field line, and Walsh knocked in Leonello with a double down the right-field line for a 2-0 lead.

With one out in the bottom of the second and the bases loaded, Jones was hit by a pitch to drive home the first run.  The second run scored on a possible double play ball as Weeks booted a groundball at second base.  Walsh capped the scoring with a RBI sacrifice fly.

The Knights' scored twice in the top of the third to cut the lead to 5-2.  With one out, Holsman and Ritz worked walks, and Kresky hit a single to load the bases.  Anderson followed with a first-pitch RBI single to right field to plate Holsman.  Weeks then delivered a RBI sacrifice fly to score Ritz.

Eliasen, who got the start on the mound for FDU, started to settle in as he retired LIU in order in the bottom of the third.  He shutout the Blackbirds over the final four innings, giving the Knights a chance to comeback.

FDU scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to cut the deficit to 5-4.  Senior JT Sherba (Binghamton, NY/Binghamton) hit the first home run of his career, a shot into the net down the left-field line, with one out in the top of the fourth.  In the fifth, Kresky doubled with one out and scored on Weeks' two-out RBI single to right field.  Freshman Riley Moonan (Syracuse, N.Y./Cicero North) followed with a single up the middle but both runners were left stranded.

In the top of the sixth, the Knights had a chance to tie or possibly take the lead but came up empty.  After the first two batters of the inning were retired, Holsman singled to left field.  Ritz was then hit by a pitch, and Kresky loaded the bases after working a walk.  However, junior Eric Anderson (Allendale, N.J./Northern Highlands) grounded out sharply to second base to end the threat.

Down to its final three outs, FDU tried to rally one more time in the top of the seventh.  Once again with two outs, freshman Ryan MacDonald (Bethpage, N.Y./Island Trees) laced an opposite-field single to left.  Sherba followed with an infield single.  On the play, MacDonald advanced to third as the throw bounced away from the first baseman.  Hewson came to bat as a pinch hitter and grounded out to shortstop to end the game, giving LIU the 5-4 victory.

Eliasen (7-4) was charged with the loss on the mound.  The righty allowed five runs, four earned, on six hits, while walking two and striking out two.

The Blackbirds' Chance Fuglistahler picked up the win as he allowed three earned runs on four hits over the first 4.0 innings, while walking three and striking out three.  Marrero pitched the final 2.0 innings to pick up the save.

The Knights collected 10 hits in the second game but left 11 more runners on base.  Kresky, Moonan and Sherba each had two hits, while Weeks collected two RBIs.

Jones had two of the six LIU hits, and Leonello and Walsh each drove home two to lead the offense.

“I did not think we came ready to play today after clinching yesterday and obviously, LIU did,” Head Coach Gary Puccio said.  “They out hit us all day and deserved to win.  Hopefully, we bounce back tomorrow.  The good part is we still play next Thursday.”

The series and the regular season will conclude tomorrow with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch at LIU Field.