Box Score

EMMITSBURG, Md. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team scored four times in the top of the 10th and held on to defeat Mount St. Mary's, 10-7, Sunday afternoon at Straw Family Stadium. With the victory, the Knights split the four-game series and improve to 11-28 (6-18 NEC) on the season, while the Mountaineers fall to 9-27 (4-16 NEC) overall.

FDU found itself down 5-0 after two innings before chipping away and eventually taking a 6-5 lead with a three-run eighth. The home team knotted the game, 6-6, with a run in the bottom of the eighth to eventually force extra innings.

The Knights, who had a runner in scoring position in the second and fourth innings, broke through with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth to cut the deficit to 5-2, as sophomore Jordan Ritz (Newport News, Va./Woodside) doubled home freshmen Joel Roman (East Hartford, Conn./East Hartford) and John Giakas (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) with one out. FDU tried to score another run later in the frame, but Ritz was thrown out at the plate for the third out after sophomore Riley Moonan (Syracuse, N.Y./Cicero North)'s single through the right side.

After leaving a man in scoring position in the sixth, the Knights added one more run in the top of the seventh to trim the Mount lead to 5-3. With one out, Ritz doubled to left-center field and stole third. After a strikeout, Moonan was able to drive home Ritz with an RBI single through the right side.

Freshman starter Logan Frati (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport/South Manor) pitched his third straight 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh to keep the momentum with FDU, before the Knights hung a three-spot in the top of the eighth to take a 6-5 lead.

Senior Eric Anderson (Allendale, N.J./Northern Highlands) doubled to center field to lead off the inning, advanced to third base with two outs and scored on Giakas' RBI infield single. After sophomore Ryan MacDonald (Bethpage, N.Y./Island Trees) was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second, Ritz came through with his fourth extra-base hit of the day, a two-run triple down the right-field line, as Giakas tied the contest, while MacDonald put FDU ahead for the first time in the game.

Frati came out to start the eighth for the Knights and recorded a groundout before allowing a single up the middle. After Moonan recorded the second out in center field, Frati allowed an RBI double to left-center field off the bat of Tommy Quealy that tied the game, 6-6. Sophomore Eric Snyder (Slatington, Pa./Northern Lehigh) then relived Frati and induced a groundout to Roman at third base to end the inning.

After FDU went down in order in the top half of the ninth, Synder ran into trouble in the bottom part, loading the bases with one out. But Sam Nott lined out to senior Kyle Weeks (Middle Island, N.Y./Longwood) at second base, who threw to MacDonald at first for an inning-ending 4-3 double play to force extra innings.

In the top of the 10th, Roman doubled with one out, and Giakas drove him home with an RBI single to left to put the Knights up 7-6. Later in the inning with two outs and runners on second and third, FDU plated the eventual game-winning run when Giakas scored on an error by the third baseman. Moonan extended the lead to 10-6 with a two-run single through the right side, scoring MacDonald and freshman Ryan McGrath (Lansingburgh, N.Y./Lansingburgh).

Snyder allowed a lead-off home run in the bottom of the 10th to Tom Healey, his second of the game, but struck out the final two batters of the game to give FDU the 10-7 victory and a series split.

Frati, who was making his first career NEC start, pitched well in his 7.2-inning stint. The 6-3 righty was charged with six runs, but three were only earned, and five were scored in the second inning. He scattered nine hits, walked one, struck out a career-high six and threw four 1-2-3 innings in the no-decision.

Snyder (1-0) picked up the victory after throwing the final 2.1 innings. The Knights' closer allowed one earned run on two hits, walked three and struck out two.

Ritz led FDU's 13-hit attack by going 4-for-5 with three doubles, one triple, one run, one stolen base and four RBI. Moonan added three hits, three RBI and one stolen base; Giakas three hits, three runs and two RBI, while MacDonald and Roman each scored a pair.

Healey went 4-for-5 with two home runs, three runs and three RBI to lead MSM, who recorded 11 hits. Michael Locondro (0-1) was charged with the loss on the bump.

“To lose 17-0 in the first game yesterday and come back to win the next two says a lot about the guys' resiliency,” Head Coach Gary Puccio said. “We are now 8-7 in our last 15 games after a horrendous start, and that says a lot about us still fighting. With 11 games left, we need to continue to play hard and finish the year respectfully.”

The Knights are now 3-0 in extra innings in the NEC and 3-1 overall on the season and have won all three contests on Sunday in NEC play (defeated Wagner in 16 innings, 13-12, on April 7 and defeated Monmouth, 6-5 in 10 innings on April 21).

FDU will return to action May 3-5 when it travels to Fairfield, Conn. to take on Sacred Heart in a four-game NEC series.