Box Score
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team was unable to protect a five-run lead and ultimately dropped the opener of their four-game series to Central Connecticut State 14-6 on Friday afternoon.
The Knights (12-31, 8-15 NEC) led 5-0 in the second inning before the Blue Devils (30-20, 18-7 NEC) broke loose with six unanswered runs to take the lead.
Jason Fatzinger,
Mike Veit and
Owen VonEsslinger each tallied two hits for the Knights in the loss, while
Ryan Brennan knocked in a pair of runs with his seventh home run of the season.
The Blue Devils received a huge boost Kyle Anderson, who came on in relief of starter Mike Appel and pitched five scoreless innings for his first win of the season.
The Knights scored five of their six runs in the second frame. Freshman catcher
Joe O'Rourke opened the scoring with an RBI single and freshman center fielder
Mike Veit followed with a run-scoring infield single.
Matt McCann scored on a failed pickoff attempt, which led to Brennan's two-run blast. Brennan added to his team-leading RBI total and now has 45 on the campaign.
The Blue Devils struck back with three runs in the home half of the second highlighted by a two-run single by center fielder Tyler Coleman. Coleman finished the day 2-for-6 with a run scored.
In the third, the Blue Devils went back to work against Knights starter
Evan Layne and netted three more runs to capture a 6-5 lead. The three runs scored via four hits in the inning.
The Knights would tie the game in the fourth after freshmen Veit and
Brandon Seltzer set the table. Veit walked and Seltzer moved him to third with a single, which allowed McCann to make it a 6-6 game with a sacrifice fly.
Appel was able to escape the jam by inducing an inning-ending double play resulting in his final two outs of the afternoon.
A ground-rule double by CCSU designated hitter Mitch Guilmette set the stage for a big fourth inning for the Blue Devils. First baseman Buddy Dewaine followed with an RBI double and right fielder Franklin Jennings knocked in another with a single, which gave the home team an 8-6 lead.
Dewaine led an 18-hit attack by the Blue Devils with a 3-for-5 effort.
CCSU tacked on two in the sixth and fourth in the seventh en route to the victory.
With his two-hit game, Veit boosted his batting average to .405 on the season. The freshman has seven multi-hit games across the Knights' last nine.
The two teams square off again tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m.
