Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team dropped the second and third games of their four-game series at Sacred Heart on Friday, falling 6-5 and 15-9 at the Harbor Yard.
The Knights (8-17, 6-4 NEC) entered the series riding high off of their four-game sweep of Mount St. Mary's but now have dropped the first three games to the Pioneers (11-22, 5-3 NEC) and will look to avoid the sweep in Saturday's finale.
In game one, the Knights fought back from a 4-2 deficit before ultimately succumbing in the final two innings. Game two featured a high-scoring affair where the Knights did most of their damage in a seven-run fourth inning before the Pioneers again came through in the late innings to complete the doubleheader sweep.
Game One:
Senior shortstop
Matt McCann opened the day with a triple and then scored on a groundout by
Bobby Romano to immediately give the Knights a 1-0 edge. The Pioneers quickly answered back with a run of their own in the home half thanks to a ground-rule double by Anthony Capozziello, which set him up to score later in the inning.
McCann again pushed the Knights in front in the second inning by plating
Jason Fatzinger with a basehit.
Trailing 4-2 in the fifth, the Knights fought back to take the lead with three runs on just one hit. Freshman center fielder
Brandon Seltzer delivered the team's big knock with a poke to left field, which scored
Jorge Iza and gave the Knights a 5-4 edge.
Again, the Pioneers responded in their next turn at bat as Capozziello reached on a single and then scored on a game-tying double by first baseman Keith Klebert.
The Pioneers went in front for good with a run in the sixth courtesy of a sacrifice fly by Elijah Brown.
For the second straight game, Mike Lembo shut the door with a flawless final frame to earn his second save of the campaign.
Knights left-hander
Danny Demetrops pitched all six innings, allowing six runs (five earned), eight hits and two walks to go along with four strikeouts.
Game Two:
In the second game of the day, the Knights led 2-1 through after an inning and a half, highlighted by
Evan McDonald's solo home run. McDonald's blast, which he hit down the left field line, tied him for the team-lead with five on the campaign.
A four-run third allowed the Pioneers to briefly capture the lead as Austin Markmann and P.J. DeFilippo delivered run-scoring knocks.
The Knights responded with a huge fourth inning, which saw seven players cross the plate on five hits. Seltzer led things off with a single, McCann walked and Romano slapped a run-scoring single through the left side of the infield.
Ryan Brennan followed with a two-run double, which played McCann and Romano and tied the game at 5-5. After a pitching change, McDonald singled and
Owen Vonesslinger was hit by a pitch, which loaded the bases for Iza.
Iza laced a double to left field that scored Brennan and McDonald and then a
Joe O'Rourke captured his first collegiate RBI with a groundout, which pushed the lead to three. A fielder's choice by Seltzer ended the scoring and gave the Knights a 9-5 cushion.
The determined Pioneers did not waste anytime erasing the deficit as they tallied four runs in the home half of the inning. Aided by four walks a pair of wild pitches and an error, the home team evened the score at 9-9. Markmann registered the team's lone RBI in the inning with a single to right.
From that point on, it was all Sacred Heart as they scored one in the fifth and tacked on five in the sixth to pull away with the win.
Hal Shaw and Ethan Lonardelli combined to pitch the final three scoreless frames and preserve the win.
Logan Frati started for the Knights and was hurt by a costly error allowing nine runs but just one earned across his four innings of work. Frati walked six on the afternoon and allowed four hits to go along with a pair of strikeouts.
Offensively, McCann, Brennan and McDonald led the Knights by each tallying two hits in the loss.
These teams will conclude the series with one game tomorrow. First pitch is set for 11:00 a.m. at the Harbor Yard.
