BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team suffered a 13-1 loss to LIU Brooklyn on Thursday afternoon at LIU Field. Thursday's contest marks the first of the Knights' final three games this season as they close out the slate tomorrow with a doubleheader against the Blackbirds.
In the loss, junior catcher
Evan McDonald launched his team-leading ninth homer of the season -- a fifth-inning solo shot -- however the Knights (10-34, 1-24 NEC) were able to muster just the lone run on eight hits against LIU pitching. McDonald's nine home runs are a career-high for the Circleville, Ohio native, who ranks third in the Northeast Conference in the category.
The Blackbirds (26-24, 14-12 NEC) celebrated senior day by scoring in every inning except the second, while notching 12 hits on the afternoon.
In their first turn at bat, the Knights threatened as
Brandon Seltzer led off with a single and
Mike Veit drew a two-out walk but LIU Brooklyn starter Patrick Clyne escaped the jam.
The home team wasted no time breaking into the run column as pair of doubles by Andrew Smith and Alex Briggs resulted in a 1-0 lead after one inning of play.
In the third, an RBI single by Dom Paiotti and a sacrifice fly extended the lead to 3-0 against FDU freshman right-hander
Austin Crebs. Crebs lasted 3.2 innings, allowed five earned on six hits and five walks while striking out three in the loss.
The Knights put two men on in the third but were unable to score and then in the fifth, senior right fielder
Jason Fatzinger reached in front of McDonald with a single but was picked off by Clyne. McDonald stepped in and clobbered the first pitch he saw over the center field fence to make it a 5-1 game.
LIU answered with one run in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings before tacking on five more in the eighth, highlighted by a grand slam from Briggs. Briggs finished 2-for-5 in the victory with five RBIs and a run scored.
The Blackbirds' leadoff man Briggs, scored four times and tallied three hits on the day, while Clyne pitched eight frames allowing the one earned run on six hits to go along with three walks and five punch-outs.
For the Knights, Fatzinger and freshman
Peter Theodorellis each recorded two hits in four at bats.
These two teams close out the regular season tomorrow. First pitch for the doubleheader (two, nine-inning games) is set for 12:00 p.m.
