NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team was unable to avoid the sweep at Central Connecticut this weekend, falling 8-4 and 8-5 in Saturday's double-dip after dropping Friday's series opener.
With Saturday's losses to the Blue Devils (24-19, 14-7 NEC), the Knights (15-34-1, 9-12 NEC) now trail Sacred Heart (10-11 NEC) by one game and LIU Brooklyn (9-11 NEC) by half a game for the fourth and final NEC postseason spot.
The Knights host Wagner next weekend in a three-game series which will determine their NEC Tournament fate.
Freshman outfielder
Tom Ruscitti regained the NEC home run lead over teammate
Salvatore Monticciolo with a two-run shot in game two. Ruscitti, who now has 13 home runs on the season is just three long balls away from breaking the Knights' single-season record, which was set by John Biancamano in 1991.
Game One: CCSU 8, FDU 4
In Saturday's opener, the Blue Devils established a 5-0 lead after two innings of play and despite a late charge, the Knights were unable to get close than three runs over the final seven frames.
Redshirt freshman
Adam Frank paced a nine-hit FDU attack with a 3-for-5 effort, while junior outfielder
Mike Veit was the lone other Knight to record multiple hits finishing 2-for-4.
Sophomore right-hander
Aaron Cohn (4-2), who has been outstanding over his last four stats, took the ball for the Knights in game one and lasted three innings. The Blue Devils registerd six runs (five earned) on nine hits against the FDU starter.
An first-inning RBI triple by Jake Siracusa helped the Blue Devils jump out to a 3-0 lead. In the second, Matt Bertochi chased home two more with a triple of his own and the home team lead by five after two.
Trailing 7-1 in the seventh, Frank knocked in Ruscitti with an RBI double. Then in the eighth, the Burgundy and Blue clawed closer with a bases-loaded walk from
Tony Socci and an RBI knock by Ruscitti, however, the Blue Devils would stop the bleeding and add another run with a solo blast in the bottom of the inning.
Brandon Fox (3-4) earned the win for CCSU by holding the Knights to just one unearned run on seven hits across his six innings of work.
Game Two: CCSU 8, FDU 5
In game two the Knights held a pair of leads only to see the Blue Devils comeback twice before stealing the win.
Sophomore right-hander
Austin Crebs took the mound for the Knights in game two and held the Blue Devils scoreless over the first three innings.
In the top of the third, Ruscitti put the Knights in front with a two-run blast which chased home teammate
Nate Brodsky.
The 2-0 lead would hold until the bottom of the fourth when the Blue Devils struck for three runs on four hits including a two-run home run by Peyton Stephens.
Back-to-back singles by Monticciolo and
Evan McDonald opened the sixth inning for the Knights and set the table for
Bobby Romano. Romano stepped in and clobbered a three-run homer – his sixth of the season – and put the Knights back on top 5-3.
After two of the first three Blue Devils reached with singles in the home sixth, head coach
Justin McKay turned to reliever
Emmanuel Corporan, who limited the damage to a sacrifice fly.
Holding a one-run lead in the seventh, Corporan and the Knights were unable to keep the Blue Devils down. The inning began with an error, a walk and a strikeout. Siracusa followed with a game-tying single and the next batter TT Bowens put CCSU in front with an RBI knock of his own. When the inning concluded, the Knights found themselves trailing 7-5.
A double play ended the Knights' eighth before they went down in order in the ninth as Jared Gallagher nailed down his seventh save of the season for the Blue Devils.
The Knights return to action with their season on the line against Wagner this week. The three-game series begins on Thursday, May 16 at 3:00 p.m. and concludes on Saturday, May 18 with Senior Day festivities at 1:00 pm.
