Box Score
TEANECK, N.J. – Propelled by a pair of home runs from James Donlon and Jason Fatzinger, the Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team picked up its first victory of the season by defeating Lafayette 10-9 at the Naimoli Baseball Complex on Tuesday afternoon.
 
The Knights (1-9) busted out offensively and held off a late surge by the Leopards (2-11) as senior Ryan Brennan closed the door to earn his first save of the season.
 
Southpaw Danny Demetrops (1-0) earned the victory for the Knights tossing 5.1 innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on five hits, while striking out two.
 
After Demetrops retired the Leopards in order to start the game, the Knights struck for three runs in the home first. Matt McCann singled to kick start the frame as the Knights capitalized on four Leopard errors in the inning.
 
Trailing 3-1 in the top of the third, the Leopards pulled even at 3-3 thanks to a two-run blast by Luke Robinson. But the Knights immediately answered in the bottom of the inning when Donlon launched his first homer of the season to dead center field and gave the Knights a 5-3 edge.
 
The Leopards got a run back in the sixth with a solo home run from Spencer Rouse but FDU continued to respond.
 
Fatzinger crushed a two-run homer over the left field fence in the sixth then the Knights netted three more in the seventh on a double by Jorge Iza, an RBI groundout by Donlon and a sacrifice fly by Fatzinger. When all was said, and done, FDU held a 10-5 lead heading into the eighth inning.
 
The Leopards refused to go quietly as the first three men tallied singles to start the eighth before Gary Puccio turned to his closer Brennan to finish the job.
 
Brennan allowed a pair of singles as the Leopards clawed to within one 10-9. But the senior closer locked in and struck out pinch hitter Trey Durrah to end the game.
 
The game was called after Durrah's strikeout due to darkness.
 
McCann led the Knights with three hits on the day and added two more stolen bases to his team-leading total, while Donlon and Fatzinger each finished with three RBI in the win.
 
Lafayette was paced by John Selzor's three-hit day and two hits and two RBI from Rouse.
 
The Knights are back in action when they host NJIT tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. Evan Layne is set to throw for FDU, while Johnny Malatesta will go for the Highlanders.