Box Score

BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team dropped the final contest of its four-game Northeast Conference series with LIU Brooklyn, 5-0, on Sunday at LIU Field. With the victory, the Blackbirds improve to 23-20-1 (10-10 NEC) on the season, while the Knights fall to 13-26 (4-12 NEC) overall.

Junior Joe Borelli (Wallingford, Conn./Mark T. Sheehan ) and LIU starter Bobby Maxwell found themselves in the middle of a pitcher's duel through five scoreless innings. Borelli pitched out of jams in the second, third and fourth innings, while Maxwell retired FDU in order until the top of fifth when the Knights loaded the bases on two infield singles and an error. But the visitors could not score a run, as sophomore Joel Roman (East Hartford, Conn./East Hartford) crushed a rocket off Maxwell's glove, who then threw out McClure at home, before freshman Matt McCann (West Windsor, N.J./West Windsor-Plainsboro ) ended the threat with an inning ending 4-6-3 double play.

After both sides went down in order in the bottom of the fifth and the top of the sixth, Borelli sandwiched two outs around a hit batsman in the bottom of the sixth. A walk to Harrison Preschel would end his day and prompt sophomore Nick Cuono (Hawthorne, N.J./Montvale Saint Joseph ) into the game. Cuono then faced Anthony Capo, who singled to right field. Junior Shane Sieber made a perfect throw from his position in right in plenty of time to throw out Kevin Needham at the plate for the final out, but freshman catcher Zach Tondi (Wood-Ridge, N.J./Bergen County Technical) could not field the toss cleanly, which allowed LIU to take a 1-0 lead on the unearned run.

The Blackbirds would score two more unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh on a balk and a RBI groundout, before John Ziznewski hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to make the final score 5-0.

The Knights mustered only three hits of Maxwell, who went the distance for LIU in the complete-game shutout. He did not issue a walk and struck out two. Ziznewski had two hits and two RBI to lead the Blackbirds' seven-hit performance.

Borelli (1-2) was charged with a tough-luck loss after allowing one unearned run in 5.2 innings of work while walking three, striking out two and plunking two batters.

FDU will return to action next weekend for its final home series of the season when first-place Bryant comes to the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex.