Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

TEANECK, N.J. --The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team dropped both games of a doubleheader to Northeast Conference preseason-favorite Bryant on Friday at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex. The Knights dropped the nine-inning opener, 9-1, before falling in the seven-inning nightcap, 8-4. With the victories, the Bulldogs improve to 12-9-1 (6-0 NEC) on the season, while FDU falls to 3-15 (0-6 NEC) overall.

“I thought the kids played hard,” Head Coach Gary Puccio said. “We have some areas where we need to improve, and we will address them.”

In game one, Bryant took control early by scoring four times in the top of the first, highlighted by Dan Muscatello's two-out-three-run homer over the right-field fence.

The Knights got one run back in the bottom of half of the frame to cut the deficit to 4-1. Sophomore Riley Moonan (Syracuse, N.Y./Cicero North) led off the inning with a ringing double off the right-field fence and later scored on senior Eric Anderson (Allendale, N.J./Northern Highlands)'s RBI single down the left-field line with two outs.

The Bulldogs answered and extended their lead to 6-1 in the top of the second on a pair of two-out-bases-loaded walks.

In the bottom half of the inning, freshmen Dylan Sprague (Brunswick, N.Y./Averill Park) and John Giakas (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) singled and walked to start the second, advanced to second and third on sophomore Ryan MacDonald (Bethpage, N.Y./Island Trees)'s sacrifice bunt, but were both left stranded in scoring position.

After a scoreless third and fourth frame, Bryant made it 7-1 in the top of the fifth on AJ Zarozny's two-out-run-scoring single. The visitors officially put the game away in the top of the ninth on Kevin Brown's two-run bomb.

Six FDU pitchers combined to walk 12 hitters and hit three others, which aided the Bulldogs' offense, while allowing 10 hits. Senior Craig Warner (Coral Springs, Fla./Stoneman Douglas) (0-4), who started on the bump, was charged with the loss after allowing six runs, all earned, on five hits over 1.2 innings. The righty walked four and struck out two.

The Knights' bullpen pitched well over the final 7.1 innings, allowing three runs, including only one between the third and eighth innings. Freshman Logan Frati (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport/South Manor), who relieved Warner, allowed only one earned run on one hit over 3.0 innings of work. Fellow classmate Ryan McGrath (Lansingburgh, N.Y./Lansingburgh) (1.0 inning), senior Matt Cadigan (Freehold, N.J./Freehold) (1.1 innings) and sophomore Yonah Perline (Dix Hills, N.Y./St. Dominic) (1.0 inning) did not allow a run while limiting Bryant to only three hits.

Peter Kelich, the reigning NEC Pitcher of the Year, limited FDU to one earned run on six hits over 7.0 innings of work, while walking one and striking out five to improve to 3-2 on the season.

Overall, the Knights picked up eight hits on offense, with Sprague going 3-for-4 and Anderson 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Carl Anderson was the lone Bulldog to collect multiple hits, as he went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Brown, who reach base five times via four walks, one HBP and a two-run home run, scored three times and had two RBI, while Muscatello drove home four.

In game two, Bryant scored two times in the top of the first and three more times in the top of the second to take an early 5-0 lead.

After keeping the Bulldogs off the scoreboard in the top of the third, FDU was able to string together offense in the bottom half of the frame. With one out, sophomore Jordan Ritz (Newport News, Va./Woodside) doubled down the left-field line, and MacDonald followed with a walk. Moonan then roped a first-pitch single to right field to score Ritz and advance MacDonald to third. The next batter, senior Kyle Weeks (Middle Island, N.Y./Longwood), drove home MacDonald with an RBI single to left field, cutting the deficit to 5-2, but Anderson followed by grounding into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Zarozny and Brown each delivered RBI sacrifice flies in the top of the fourth to give the Bulldogs the runs back and a 7-2 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, McGrath and Sprague both singled to start the inning, and McGrath scored on a one-out error to cut the deficit to 6-3.

Once again, Bryant was able to get the run back, as it strung together three-consecutive singles with two outs in the top of the fifth, with the final one scoring a run off the bat of Dan Cellucci to extend the Bulldogs' lead to 8-3.

The Knights loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth with one out before Ritz drove home Sprague with an RBI fielder's choice, which put FDU down 8-4, but MacDonald grounded out to end the inning with runners on the corners.

Despite being down four runs heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Knights were able to bring the tying run to the plate, as they once again loaded the bases with one out. However, Bryant closer Sal Lisanti, who came into the game with one out in the sixth, got a strikeout and a groundout to end the game for his third save of the season.

FDU, who outhit the Bulldogs, 11-9, outscored the visitors, 4-3, over the final four innings. Weeks, McGrath and Sprague each had two hits.

Sophomore Joe Borelli (Wallingford, Conn./Mark T. Sheehan ) (0-5) received the loss on the mound after pitching 3+ innings. The righty starter allowed six runs, all earned, on six hits while walking four and striking out three.

Bryant starter Kevin McAvoy moved to 2-1 on the season after allowing four runs, three earned, on nine hits over 5.1 innings before yielding to Lisanti. He walked one and struck out four.

Brown and Cellucci each had two hits for the Bulldogs, with Brown scoring twice and collecting five RBI.

The two sides will conclude the four-game set with another doubleheader on Saturday at 12 p.m. Game one will be seven innings before a nine-inning second game.