Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

TEANECK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team dropped both games of its doubleheader with Bryant on Saturday at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex. The Knights dropped the seven-inning opener, 7-1, before falling in the nightcap and nine-inning series finale, 12-3. With the victories, the Bulldogs sweep the four-game set and improve to 14-9-1 (8-0 NEC) on the season, while FDU falls to 3-17 (0-8) overall.

After Bryant took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first in game one, the Knights loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the second before sophomore Ryan MacDonald (Bethpage, N.Y./Island Trees) drew a bases-loaded walk, which scored freshman John Giakas (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville), cutting the deficit to 2-1. The threat ended when the next batter, sophomore Riley Moonan (Syracuse, N.Y./Cicero North), grounded into a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play.

The Bulldogs answered with a run in the top of the third to regain a two-run lead and put the game with four more runs in the top of the fourth. One final run in the top of the seventh gave Bryant the 7-1 victory.

FDU pitching allowed eight hits to the Bulldogs, as five pitchers gave up seven earned runs and combined to walk seven batters while striking out five. Sophomore Brendan Butler (W. Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) (1-4), who made his fifth start of the season, was charged with the loss after pitching the first 2.1 innings. The 6-3 righty allowed three runs, all earned, on two hits, walked four and struck out two.

Bryant's John Healy moved to 4-0 on the season after limiting FDU to six hits and one earned run over 5.0 innings of work while walking two and striking out two.

The Knights managed a total of seven hits, with senior Kyle Weeks (Middle Island, N.Y./Longwood) leading the way with a 3-for-3 performance, followed by Sprague's 2-for-3 effort.

Carl Anderson led the Bulldogs' offense by going 3-for-3 with three RBI. Tom Gavitt added two RBI, and Kevin Brown scored three times.
In the final game of the series, neither side scored in the first inning, and FDU was about to shutout Bryant in the top of the second, but a routine play in right field with two outs resulted in an RBI double and was followed by an RBI single to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.

The Knights were never able to recover after the play, as the Bulldogs scored once more in the top of the third and put the contest away with seven more runs in the top of the fourth to take a 10-0 lead.

FDU scored its first run in the bottom of the fourth when Moonan scored on a balk. In the bottom of the seventh, sophomore Jordan Ritz (Newport News, Va./Woodside) drove home freshman Joel Roman (East Hartford, Conn./East Hartford) with an RBI fielder's choice, which cut the lead to 12-2, and Roman made the final score 12-3 with his first career home run in the bottom of the ninth, a line drive over the right-field fence.

The Knights only managed five hits in the finale, with Moonan going 2-for-4 with a run, while Roman scored twice and picked up an RBI with his round-tripper.

Six pitchers saw time on the bump for FDU. Freshman Nick Cuono (Hawthorne, N.J./Montvale Saint Joseph ) (2-2), who started on the mound, was tagged with the loss after allowing 10 runs, nine earned, on 11 hits over the first 3.1 innings. The Knights' bullpen combined to allow only two earned runs and four hits over the final 5.2 innings.

Bryant's Craig Schlitter (3-3) picked up the victory for Bryant after allowing one earned run on three hits over the first 6.0 innings while walking four and striking out six.

Anderson and Dan St. George each had three hits and two runs to pace the Bulldogs' 15-hit attack. St. George also added three RBI.

“We are not playing well right now,” Head Coach Gary Puccio said. “I am not happy with a lot of things I am seeing out there that we need to change. I told the team we are 20 games in, and I was going to give it 20 games before changes would be made and hope this will aspire some to start playing better. Our schedule does turn now, and hopefully that will help, too.”

FDU will return to action on Wednesday, April 3 when it hosts Army at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex for a 3 p.m. first pitch.