ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team was edged 3-1 at Navy on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Knights (3-7), who led 1-0 in the contest, received four shutout innings from sophomore right-hander Phillip Romeo but were unable to break out offensively against the 11-1 Midshipmen.
 
Five Knights finished with one hit apiece in the loss including sophomore infielder Michael Gruber, who went 1-for-3 with a run scored.
 
Tommy Goodridge (2-0) earned the win for the Midshipmen pitching 6.1 innings with one earned run and four strikeouts, while Trent Topping pitched the final 2.2 frames to net the save.
 
After a scoreless first, the Knights jumped on top 1-0 in the second inning. Gruber started the rally with a one-out single and the next batter, Jake Ellowitz singled down the left field line. Gruber scratched across the first run with some heady baserunning as he scored all the way from second base on a fielder's choice.
 
Sophomore infielder Nate Brodsky followed with a bunt single but Goodridge escaped the jam and held the Knights to the one run.
 
Despite issuing seven walks, Romeo continued to hold down the Midshipmen as he completed four scoreless frames. The Ohio native threw 73 pitches and struck out one, while allowing just one hit.
 
Leading 1-0 in the home fifth, the Knights turned to junior right-hander Jesse Bloom (0-1), who allowed a pair to score on a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch. The Midshipmen tacked on another with a second sacrifice fly in the sixth, which finalized the scoring.
 
The Knights would threaten in the eighth after Kyle Huber walked and Tom Ruscitti singled but Topping induced an inning-ending double play to thwart the rally.
 
Junior right-hander Austin Crebs pitched a scoreless eighth but the Knights were unable to cut into the deficit before the final out.
 
The Knights conclude their weekend in Maryland when they take on Penn State at 12 p.m. in Annapolis.


Paul Miller Auto Group is the presenting sponsor of the 2020 FDU baseball season.