Box Score

NORWICH, Conn. – The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team was edged by Sacred Heart on Thursday evening in an opening round game of the 2016 Northeast Conference Tournament at Dodd Stadium.  The Knights (26-27) scored three times in the top of the ninth inning to tie the game at 8-8, but Sacred Heart's Jayson Sullivan led off the ninth inning with a walk-off home run to give the Pioneers a 9-8 victory.

The Knights will play Central Connecticut in an elimination game on Friday, May 27 at 12 p.m.

The Pioneers (30-26) will face Bryant at 4 p.m. on Friday.

Trailing 8-5 after eight innings, the Knights strung together five consecutive singles.  Redshirt junior Ryan Brennan (Mooresville, N.C./Mooresville) singled and advanced to second on a hit by senior Patrick McClure (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius ).  Senior Joel Roman (East Hartford, Conn./East Hartford) followed with a single to load the bases with one out.  Sophomore Bobby Romano (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan )'s base hit scored Brennan and sophomore Jason Fatzinger (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus)'s single scored senior Jose DeLeon (Paterson, N.J./Eastside) who had pinch run for McClure.  Still trailing by one, the Knights tied the game on a wild pitch that scored pinch runner Craig Alleyne II (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside Chestnut Hill Academy).

However, SHU's James Foley was able to work out of further trouble, sending the game to the bottom of the ninth tied 8-8 and setting the stage for the walk-off home run.

Freshman Tim Quinn (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem East) took the loss for FDU.  He falls to 4-3 on the season.  Quinn allowed four runs, three earned, over 3.1 innings of relief.

Redshirt junior Logan Frati (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport/South Manor) started for FDU and allowed five runs over 4.2 innings.  He did not factor in the decision.

Foley picked up the win for SHU by pitching the final two outs of the ninth.  He improves to 4-4 on the season.

In the top of the second inning, senior Shane Siebler (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) laced a line drive single to center to score FDU's first run of the game.  Senior Dylan Sprague (Brunswick, N.Y./Averill Park) followed with a sacrifice fly to left field and junior Matt McCann (West Windsor, N.J./West Windsor-Plainsboro ) made it a 3-0 lead for FDU with a RBI single.

Sacred Heart scored a run in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly.

The Pioneers then grabbed a 5-3 lead with four runs in the fifth.

In the seventh the Knights tied the game at 5-5 on a RBI double by Brennan and a Sacred Heart throwing error.

However, the Pioneer scored three more runs in the eighth inning to retake the lead.

The winner of tomorrow's game between FDU and CCSU will advance to play another elimination game on Saturday at 12 p.m.