Box Score

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team had not played in nine days thanks to seven cancelled or postponed games due to inclement weather but on Tuesday the Knights travelled up north to Army and fell, 7-3, in the lone contest this season between the two schools. With the loss, the Knights fall to 6-11 on the season while the Black Knights improve to 16-9. 

Army scored in three consecutive innings to jump out to a 5-0 lead after four innings and would hold on to their lead for the victory. 

Freshman Joe Flack (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's Boys) (0-3) was saddled with his third loss of the season after giving up a solo home run to Jacob Page during his one inning of work.

All four starters piggy-backed one another after the slew of rained out games with Nick Cuono (Hawthorne, N.J./Montvale Saint Joseph ) taking first-pitch duties. Cuono fired a perfect inning and Flack's only blemish was the home run. Brendan Butler (W. Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) entered in the third but didn't escape it after starting the inning with consecutive strikeouts before giving up four straight hits and a walk to extend Army's lead to 3-0. 

The Knights were sent down in order over the first two innings before sophomore Ryan Brennan (Mooresville, N.C./Mooresville) led off the third with his fourth double of the season. It would be until the sixth inning for FDU's next hit when sophomore Dylan Sprague (Brunswick, N.Y./Averill Park) led off with sixth double of the season. The Knights would get their first run that inning with Sprague crossing the plate after a Riley Moonan (Syracuse, N.Y./Cicero North) groundout. 

The Knights would score two more in the eighth inning. Freshmen Zach Tondi (Wood-Ridge, N.J./Bergen County Technical) and Matt McCann (West Windsor, N.J./West Windsor-Plainsboro ) both singled to start the frame and Sprague scored Tondi with a fielder's choice. Junior Shane Siebler (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) was hit by a pitch and Moonan walked for the second time to load the bases for sophomore John Giakas (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) who grounded out to score Sprague. 

We have to get more consistent to our approach to hitting; we are just not consistent enough," Head Coach Gary Puccio said. "We have to establish a level of play, and we have not done that yet. Obviously we pitched everyone today to get ready for league play, which was the other thing we felt we had to do today."

Army starter Brock Davidson improved to 2-0 on the season while firing 3.1 innings of one-hit ball to go along with a walk and three punchouts. Freshman Johnny Griffith locked the game down in the ninth with a perfect inning and three strikeouts. Page paced the offense while going 2-3 with his solo shot. Second baseman Kris Lindner had a game-high two RBIs. 

Next up for FDU is Northeast Conference play starting with a four-game home series against Sacred Heart. First pitch from the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex on Friday, April 4 is scheduled for 3 p.m.