Box Score

TEANECK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team dropped the rubber game of their three-game series to Wagner, 6-3 at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex on Sunday afternoon.
 
With the loss, the Knights (12-26, 8-10 NEC) drop to fifth place in the NEC standings as the Seahawks (16-23, 8-9 NEC) now hold a half-game lead for the fourth and final postseason spot.
 
Wagner leapt out to a 4-0 lead thanks to a first-inning grand slam by center fielder Joe Silvestrone. Silverstrone's blast came with two outs in the inning off of FDU starter Corey Zeller.
 
Right-hander Danny Marsh, who's 1.14 ERA leads the NEC, started for the Seahawks and kept the Knights off-balance for most of the game. Marsh limited the Knights to just one hit over the first five innings and the Seahawks led 5-0 after five.
 
Despite the lack of hitting, the Knights had baserunners throughout those first five innings as Marsh surrendered seven walks. The Seahawks' right-hander chalked up a final line of six innings, one earned run, three hits, seven walks and five strikeouts.
 
The Knights broke through in the sixth against Marsh when Jorge Iza clubbed a triple into the left-center field gap. Evan McDonald followed and knocked in Iza with a single through the right side but Marsh settled in and escaped with just the lone blemish.
 
In the seventh, the Knights further chipped away at the deficit by netting two more runs. Three straight singles by the top of the order brought cleanup man James Donlon to the plate with the bases loaded. Donlon drew an RBI walk, and two batters later, McDonald plated a run with a sacrifice fly to make it a 6-3 game.
 
Freshman right-hander James Sharkey provided the Knights 3.2 scoreless innings of work and allowed his team to stay within three.
 
The Knights posed a major threat in the eighth inning and loaded the bases with two outs. With Wagner lefty reliever Freddy Sabido on the bump, the Knights turned to right-handed pinch-hitter Hunter Reeser. Reeser battled to a full count but Sabido won the battle and escaped the jam by striking out the FDU freshman with a pitch down in the zone.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, the Knights again found themselves with a chance to tie or win the game. Iza served as the kickstarter with a leadoff double to right-center field. McDonald followed with a walk and then the Seahawks went to the bullpen for Nick Robino.
 
Robino promptly induced a 5-5-3 double play and forced the Knights to their final out. Freshman left fielder Mike Veit kept the Knights alive with a single through the right side of the infield but Robino was able to retire pinch-hitter Danny Demetrops with a comebacker for the game's final out.
 
One day after becoming the fifth Knight to reach 200 career hits, senior shortstop Matt McCann was one of four Knights with two hits in the game. Along with Iza, McCann was 2-for-5, while Veit and Ryan Brennan each went 2-for-4.
 
Third baseman Anthony Pecora paced the Seahawks' attack with a perfect 4-for-4 afternoon, while Silvestrone finished 2-for-5 with a run and the aforementioned four RBI.
 
The Knights are back in action next weekend when they host LIU Brooklyn for a crucial four-game series. The series begins with a single game on Friday, May 12 and first pitch is set for 3:00 p.m. at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex.