Box Score

TEANECK, N.J. -- Despite taking a 5-0 lead in the first inning and knocking out Seton Hall starter Conor Krauss after two-thirds of an inning, the Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team was defeated by the 22nd-ranked Pirates, 10-5, on Saturday at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex. With the victory, Seton Hall improves to 14-4 on the season, while the Knights fall to 6-9 overall.

Sophomore Dylan Sprague (Brunswick, N.Y./Averill Park) led off the bottom half of the first with a one-hopper off the fence down the left-field line before moving to third base on junior Shane Sieber's single to center field. After a strikeout, Siebler advanced to second on a wild pitch, and sophomore John Giakas (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out.

Freshman Zach Tondi (Wood-Ridge, N.J./Bergen County Technical) came to the plate and took the first pitch he saw through the left side to score Sprague, before redshirt sophomore Patrick McClure (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius ) stroked an RBI single to bring home Siebler and make it 2-0.

After a fielder's choice left the bases loaded with two outs, sophomore Ryan Brennan (Mooresville, N.C./Mooresville) delivered an RBI single that scored Tondi, and freshman Matt McCann (West Windsor, N.J./West Windsor-Plainsboro ) ended Krauss' day when he ripped a first-pitch-two-run double down the left-field line, as McClure and sophomore Joel Roman (East Hartford, Conn./East Hartford) came around to score, which extended the lead to 5-0.

The Pirates got a run back in the top of the second when cleanup batter Sal Annunziata hit a wind-blown home run over the right-field fence off FDU starter Brendan Butler (W. Sayville, N.Y./Sayville), which cut the lead to 5-1.

Seton Hall then took the lead for good in the top of the third when it scored five times to take a 6-5 lead. The big play of the inning came with runners on second and third and one outs, as miscommunication by the Knights' infield allowed a popup to fall in right by the pitcher's mound, scoring the first run of the inning. The Pirates took advantage of the gift, as Annunziata followed with an RBI single, before Tyler Boyd followed with a three-run homer.

The visitors would put the game away with three more runs in the fifth and one more in the seventh to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

Butler (0-2) was charged with the loss after lasting only 4.1 innings. The righty allowed nine earned runs on nine hits, walked three and recorded three strikeouts. The FDU bullpen of juniors Ryan MacDonald (Bethpage, N.Y./Island Trees), Anthony Calise (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River), Yonah Perline (Dix Hills, N.Y./St. Dominic) and sophomore Ryan McGrath (Lansingburgh, N.Y./Lansingburgh) combined to limit Seton Hall to only one earned run on six hits over the final 4.2 innings.

The Pirates' Luke Cahill, who recorded the final out of the first inning, limited the Knights to only three hits over his 6.0 innings of relief while striking out two en route to picking up the victory.

FDU's offense recorded 11 hits in the contest, with Sprague, Siebler, Brennan and Giakas all collecting two apiece, while McCann had a team-best two RBI.

Kyle Grimm and Boyd both had three hits for Seton Hall, who had 15 in the game. Boyd led the way with three RBI, and Annunziata scored three runs.

The two sides will conclude their three-game series on Sunday back in South Orange, N.J. at Owen T. Carroll Field, with first pitch slated for 1 p.m.