Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

TEANECK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team concluded its 2013 season Saturday at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex, dropping both contests of its doubleheader with Quinnipiac. The Bobcats took opener, which was scheduled for seven innings, 4-2, in 11 innings, before completing the sweep with a 10-5 victory in the nine-inning nightcap to win the series. With the victories, Quinnipiac finishes the season with a record of 16-36 (12-20 NEC), while the Knights end the year with an overall record of 12-36 (7-25 NEC).

In the opener, senior Craig Warner (Coral Springs, Fla./Stoneman Douglas), who was making his final appearance in an FDU uniform, put together arguably his greatest pitching performance in his four-year career. The righty was charged with a tough loss after allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits while walking two and striking out five after throwing 137 pitches in 10+ innings on the bump.

With the game tied, 2-2, in the top of the 11th, Warner allowed a lead-off double down the right-field line to start the inning, which ended his day. Sophomore Anthony Calise (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River) came in relief and got the next two batters out before yielding a two-out RBI single to Rob Pescitelli that gave the Bobcats a 3-2 lead. The visitors then made it 4-2 when the next batter, Forrest Dwyer, delivered an insurance run with an RBI double to the left-center field gap.

The Knights went down in order in the bottom half of the 11th to give Quinnipiac the 4-2 victory.

Back in the third inning, FDU took an early 1-0 lead on sophomore Riley Moonan (Syracuse, N.Y./Cicero North)'s RBI double down the right-field line, scoring fellow classmate Jack Loftus (Dumore, Pa./Dunmore). The two-bagger was the sixth consecutive hit for Moonan in as many at-bats.

Two innings later, the Bobcats tied the game, 1-1, on a safety squeeze, which was ruled a fielder's choice with an error on the play, after Warner make a great play to field the bunt off the mound. He made a perfect throw to Loftus to get the runner at the plate, but the Knights' catcher could not hang on to the ball when applying the tag. Jesse Ullrich then came to the plate and put the Bobcats up 2-1 with an RBI single.

FDU had a chance for a big inning in the bottom half of the inning after Loftus singled and sophomore Jordan Ritz (Newport News, Va./Woodside) doubled to put runners on the corner with one out. Moonan came to the plate and laced a ball headed towards right field, but Dwyer came out of his shoe tops at second base to make a leaping catch on the line drive and doubled Ritz off second base to end the threat.

One inning later, freshman John Giakas (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) led off the bottom of the sixth with a double and scored on senior Eric Andersons RBI single to right field to tie the contest, 2-2. Anderson reach second base with one out after freshman Dylan Sprague (Brunswick, N.Y./Averill Park) was hit by a pitch, but both men were left stranded on the base paths.

Both sides had scoring opportunities in the seventh and eighth innings and failed to score before going down in order in the ninth and 10th innings and setting up the Bobcats' winning rally in the 11th. FDU had the bases loaded with nobody out in the eighth but was unable to plate a runner.

The Knights had 11 hits on the day, with Loftus leading the way with a 3-for-5, one-run effort. Moonan and Anderson added a pair of hits and an RBI.

Dwyer had three of Quinnipiac's eight hits, while Pescitelli had two runs to lead the Bobcats' offense.

Gary Binkiwicz improved to 2-2 on the season after shutting out FDU and limiting the Knights to three hits while walking one and striking out three in 3.2 innings of relief. Kevin OConnell pitched a 1-2-3 11th to pick up his first save of the season.

In the season finale, neither side scored over the first two innings, but Quinnipiac scored three times in the top of the third to take a 3-0 lead. With two outs and the bases loaded, Vincent Guglietti singled to center field, but the ball got past Moonan, which allowed all three runners to score.

After going hitless over the first three innings, freshman Ryan McGrath (Lansingburgh, N.Y./Lansingburgh) started the bottom of the fourth with a single through the right side before a Moonan walk and a Giakas single loaded the bases. Weeks hit the first pitch he saw for an RBI single to score McGrath, which was his 100th career hit, and Anderson followed with his 100th career RBI, as his infield single scored Moonan. Freshman Joel Roman (East Hartford, Conn./East Hartford) then tied the game, 3-3, with an RBI fielder's choice to plate Giakas. The frame ended with the bases loaded.

Guglietti put the Bobcats up 4-3 in the top of the fifth on a two-out RBI double. And the visitors then put the game away with five runs in the top of the sixth to take a commanding 9-3 lead.

FDU scored its final two runs on a balk in the eighth and a double play in the ninth to make the final score 10-5.

Senior Matt Cadigan (Freehold, N.J./Freehold), who was also making his final appearance on the mound in a Knights' uniform, was charged with the loss after going 5+ innings. The southpaw allowed eight runs, seven earned, on four hits, walked eight and struck out five.

Weeks and Anderson each had two hits and an RBI in their final game with FDU to lead the offense, which had eight hits. McGrath added two runs out of the leadoff spot.

Justin Thomas (4-1) picked up the victory for Quinnipiac on the mound after tossing 7.1 innings and allowing four earned runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out four.

The Bobcats had seven hits, and Guglietti paced the offense with three safeties and six RBI.

“Once again, we played hard, especially in the 11-inning loss,” Head Coach Gary Puccio said. “Hopefully the guys will be healthy next year and they play better. There was big improvement over the second half of the season but, we did not have enough horses to overcome the injuries.”

The Knights, who had 21 freshmen and sophomores on the roster this year, will lose Anderson, Cadigan, Warner and Weeks to graduation.