Box Score BALTIMORE, Md. – The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team earned a 35-24 victory over Coppin State on Wednesday afternoon. The win is the 100
th for
Gary Puccio as the head coach of the Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team. The Knights improve to 15-16 on the season, while Coppin State falls to 9-23 on the year.
The Knights fell behind 9-3, but used five runs in the fourth, six in the fifth, six in the sixth and five in the seventh to take a 26-18 lead in the eventual victory. FDU tacked on eight runs in the top of the eighth and a single run in the top of the ninth.
Coppin State scored three in the first and six in the second to grab a 9-3 lead and hung in the game through the sixth inning. They added five runs in the bottom of the ninth to set the final score.
The 35 runs for the Knights are the most in a game in program history, eclipsing the 31 FDU scored against Dominican in 1999.
The game took five hours and five minutes to complete and featured 59 total runs, which falls just three runs shy of the NCAA Division I record for combined runs in a game. The record of 62 was set in 1968 when Denver beat Air Force 33-29.
The Knights sent at least nine batters to the plate in five straight innings from the fourth through the eighth.
FDU pounded out a season-high 24 hits with senior
John Giakas (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville), redshirt junior
Ryan Brennan (Mooresville, N.C./Mooresville), sophomore
Bobby Romano (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan ) and freshman
Evan McDonald (Circleville, Ohio/Logan Elm) each recording four hits.
McDonald went four-for-five at the plate and drove in six runs. He also scored five times. Romano and senior
Joel Roman (East Hartford, Conn./East Hartford) were each credited with five runs batted in. Romano and Brennan scored a team-high six runs in the game. Giakas scored five times and senior
Dylan Sprague (Brunswick, N.Y./Averill Park), sophomore
Jason Fatzinger (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) and freshman Craig Alleyne each scored three times.
FDU connected on 11 extra base hits with 10 going for doubles and Giakas connecting on the team's only home run. Giakas delivered a two-run home run to left center in the sixth to give the Knights a 17-15 lead. McDonald hit three doubles and Giakas and Romano each recorded two.
Coppin State hit two home runs, but only six total extra base hits.
Fatzinger, Sprague and junior
Chris Grupp (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands College Park) each recorded two hits. Alleyne and Roman each picked up one hit.
The Knights also benefitted from 17 walks and four Coppin State errors.
The Knights stole nine bases in the game, including three by Romano and two each by Sprague, Brennan and Alleyne.
Coppin State scored its 24 runs on 17 hits.
On the mound, the Knights used six pitchers with freshman
Corey Zeller (Carroll, Ohio/Bloom Carroll) earning the win by pitching the fifth inning. He improves to 3-1 on the season with the victory.
Coppin State used nine pitchers in the game. All 15 pitchers who entered the game surrendered at least one run.
The game featured eight combined sacrifice flies, five by FDU and three by Coppin State, which is one more than the NCAA record of seven combined which had been set multiple times prior to the 2016 season.
The Knights will remain in Maryland and play Mount St. Mary's in a four game Northeast Conference series beginning on Friday.
