BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team's rally from five-runs down at CSU Bakersfield came up short on Sunday as the Knights fell 5-4 at Hardt Field.
 
The Knights (2-5-1) trailed 5-0 and had the go-ahead run on base with one out in the top of the ninth but Graham Kuck shut the door to earn the save and the win for the Roadrunners (8-9).
 
Freshman Brendan Medoro (1-2) started for the Knights and provided the team seven solid innings of work, allowing seven hits and five earned, while striking out three.
 
Medoro surrendered a first-inning grand slam to Nick Grossman but held the home team to just one run over the next six frames.
 
CSUB starter Edgar Barclay (2-1) held the Knights at bay for the first three innings and finished with 11 strikeouts across his seven innings of work.
 
Trailing 5-0 in the fourth, the Knights broke into the scoring column courtesy of an Evan McDonald double. McDonald drove his two-base hit down the left-field line and knocked in Adam Frank.
 
In the top of the sixth, freshman shortstop Nate Brodsky led off with a triple and later scored on a groundout by senior Bobby Romano.
 
The Knights continued to chip away in the eighth as Frank delivered an RBI double to right-center field, which chased home sophomore Mike Veit as the Knights' third run.
 
Entering the ninth trailing 5-3, the Burgundy and Blue went to work. McDonald led off with a walk and two batters later scored when freshman Salvatore Monticciolo clubbed a double to right-center field. Head coach Justin McKay turned to his bench and Brett Mercier came through with a pinch-hit walk. With one away, CSUB went to Kuck to close out the game and he responded by registering a strikeout and a game-ending groundout.
 
In addition to Medoro's performance, freshman right-hander Griffin Gilbert made his collegiate debut and pitched a scoreless eighth for the Knights.
 
The Burgundy and Blue close out their four-game series with the Roadrunners on Monday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. (EST).