Box Score

TEANECK, N.J. – Behind a gutsy, eight-inning performance from senior right-hander Logan Frati, the Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team claimed the first of four games against Mount St. Mary's this weekend, 5-2 on Friday afternoon at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex.
 
Frati labored through the first two innings but managed to hold the Mountaineers (4-18, 2-5 NEC) to just two runs before settling in and tossing six shutout frames. Fellow senior Ryan Brennan came on and pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his second save of the season and give the Knights (5-14, 3-1 NEC) the series-opening victory.
 
Offensively, freshman second baseman Jorge Iza delivered the big hit with a two-run home run in the sixth inning, which gave the Knights some much needed breathing room. Iza's blast was his third of the season as the first-year infielder led the Knights with a 2-for-4 effort on the afternoon.
 
Frati danced out of trouble in the first by inducing an inning-ending, double-play lineout to Iza, who stepped on the second base bag for the final out. 

The Mountaineers broke through with their two runs in the second thanks to a double by catcher Sean Kelly and a run-scoring ground out by Zach Hostetter.
 
After allowing the two runs, Frati (1-3) locked in and appeared to get stronger as the game went on. The senior right-hander held the Mountaineers to just two hits over his final six frames and racked up five strikeouts along the way. 
 
Trailing 2-0, the Knights answered back in the bottom of the third as two runs crossed thanks to a Mount miscue. Freshman center fielder Brandon Seltzer started things by laying down a textbook bunt single on the first pitch of the inning.
 
A pair of walks by Matt McCann and Bobby Romano set the stage for the two runs. Brennan hit a sharp grounder to shortstop, which would have scored one run, however, a wild throw at second base allowed McCann to race around third and score the second tally.
 
Following a scoreless fourth inning, the Knights went in front for good by scratching across a run in the fifth. Romano almost single-handedly manufactured the run for FDU. The junior third baseman smacked a single up the middle and then stole second and third base. Brennan plated Romano with a groundout to shortstop, which put FDU on top 3-2.
 
Iza put the finishing touches on the scoring by launching an 0-1 pitch over the center field fence.
 
For the Mountaineers, Vaughn Parker paced the offense with a pair of hits and a run scored. Senior Seth Schubert started for the Mount and took the loss allowing three runs (two earned) and six hits across his five innings of work.
 
These teams square off again tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex. The series will conclude on Sunday, April 9 with a single-game series finale.