Box Score

EMMITSBURG, Md. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team held a 4-0 lead but saw Mount St. Mary's score eight unanswered runs to take game one of the four-game series 8-4 on Friday afternoon. 

Junior catcher Evan McDonald had a great afternoon, finishing 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored in the loss. The Knights' backstop also launched his team-leading sixth home run of the season, a solo blast in the third inning. Sophomore center fielder Brandon Seltzer was the lone other Knight to log a multi-hit effort, with a 2-for-4 game including an RBI and a run.

The Mount (11-22, 5-9 NEC) was led by second baseman Alex Kriss' 3-for-5 day and shortstop Patrick Causa, who knocked in three runs in the victory. 

The Knights (8-22, 0-11 NEC) jumped out to a 2-0 lead with Mike Veit and McDonald delivering a pair of run-scoring singles. Seltzer set the table with a one-out double and then scored on Veit's single to left. Veit stole second -- his team-best 11^th theft of the season -- and McDonald knocked him in with a base hit up the middle.

An opposite-field double by Seltzer, which gapped the right and center fielders gave the Knights a three-run lead in the top of the second. In the third inning, McDonald would stretch the Knights' lead to 4-0 with his sixth homer of the season, a solo blast over the left-center field fence.

With freshman right-hander Trent Valentine keeping the Mountaineers' bats in check, the Knights seemed poised to net their first conference win of the campaign, however, the home team would break loose in the bottom of the third when Causa knocked in the team's first run with a sacrifice fly.

Then, in the home fourth, catcher Zack Costello came through with one of his two hits on the day -- a run-scoring single, which sliced the Knights' lead in half. 

After the Mount escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the fifth, they would tie the game in the home half of the frame. Kriss and Causa delivered back-to-back doubles and then No. 5 hitter Vaughn Parker slapped an RBI single to right field. Parker's single marked the end of Valentine's day as interim head coach Justin McKay turned to another freshman, right-hander Austin Crebs.

Crebs retired the first Mountaineer on batter's interference but the next hitter Randall Minogue came through with an RBI double down the right field line, which tied the game at 4-4 heading to the sixth inning. With two outs in the sixth, Causa provided the game-winning shot, a two-run double to left-center field. 

The Knights would get two men on in both the seventh and ninth innings but were unable to score again as the Mount scored a pair in the home seventh to finalize the four-run victory.

Valentine's final line was 4.1 innings, five strikeouts, seven hits allowed and four earned. Freshman Aaron Cohn followed Crebs and provided the Knights 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. 

Mount reliever Noah Smith pitched 3.2 scoreless frames to earn the victory before Jordan Geber came on to net his second save of the season.

These two teams are back in action tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m.