Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team was edged in both games of its doubleheader at Seton Hall, falling 4-2 and 5-4 on Sunday afternoon at Owen T. Carroll Field. Each game was seven innings.

Junior catcher Evan McDonald led the Knights (7-16) offense with a 3-for-6 performance across the two games, while the Pirates (11-12-1) were paced by sophomore first baseman Connor Hood, who knocked in a pair of runs in game one before plating three more in game two.

Game One: Fairleigh Dickinson 2, Seton Hall 4
Junior right-hander Corey Zeller took the ball for the Knights in game one and lasted four innings, striking out five to go along with five hits and three earned runs.

After a scoreless first, the Pirates netted two runs in the second on an RBI single from Sebastiano Santorelli and a run-scoring double by Hood. Zeller escaped the jam with a strike him out, throw him out double play. McDonald nabbed Hood at third base as he attempted to swipe the bag for the final out.

Leading 3-0, Hood added to his team's lead with an RBI knock in the sixth before the Knights attempted a seventh-inning comeback.

In the top of the seventh, freshmen Connor Stanton and Evan Raiburn opened the inning with singles. Sophomore Owen VonEsslinger followed with an infield knock, which loaded the bases and then Stanton scored on a wild pitch with the Knights' first run. The Knights' second run scored on an errant throw by the Seton Hall shortstop before the Pirates intentionally walked McDonald to load the bases with two outs.

Seton Hall right-hander Ryan McClinskey, who entered the game and issued the free pass to McDonald, closed out the win by inducing an Oliver Tavares groundout to net his first save of the season. 

McDonald finished the game 2-for-3 as the Knights outhit the Pirates 9-7 in the loss. Freshman Austin Crebs pitched two innings in relief of Zeller and allowed one earned and two hits.

Right-hander Billy Layne Jr. earned the win for the Pirates and struck out six Knights move to 2-0 on the season.

Game Two: Fairleigh Dickinson 4, Seton Hall 5
Redshirt-senior Joe Flack made his first start of the season for the Knights in game two on Sunday and went the distance, tossing six frames, allowing five earned runs on six hits, while striking out one.

Flack surrendered a two-run double to Hood in the second as the Pirates jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

The Knights would strike back and take their first lead of the day by scoring three runs on three hits in the top of the fourth. Sophomore center fielder Brandon Seltzer led things off with a double and advanced to third on a Mike Veit single.

Two batters later, McDonald knocked home Seltzer with a single through the left side. The aggressive Knights netted a second run when Veit and McDonald completed a successful double steal to tie the game at 2-2.

With two away, an error by the Pirates' shortstop on a ground ball by James Donlon allowed McDonald to score with the go-ahead run.

The Pirates immediately tied the game at 3-3 in their next turn at bat thanks to Tyler Shedler, who drew a walk and then stole second and third base. Shedler scored on a groundout and Flack surrendered back-to-back hits before escaping with a line out.

Still tied in the sixth, the Knights would recapture the lead when Tavares tripled home Jason Fatzinger with an opposite-field shot, however, the Pirates fought back again in the bottom of the inning.

Once again, Shedler served as the catalyst by reaching via a hit by pitch and stealing second base. He eventually scored as the tying run when Cullen Dana laced a triple to left field. Hood chased home Dana with a sacrifice fly, which proved to be the game-winning tally.

Noah Thompson shut the door on the Knights in the seventh by striking out two in the final frame to earn the victory. Thompson tossed two innings of relief after Andrew Politi pitched the first five for the Pirates.

The Knights return home for their next six games beginning this Wednesday, April 11 against Saint Peter's. First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m. at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex.