HACKENSACK, N.J. – FDU baseball (5-15, 4-11) secured the win on Sunday afternoon by holding on to a late lead against Mount St. Mary's (6-22, 2-13) 8-6. The Knights took two out of the three games from the Mountaineers over the weekend.

How it Happened:
1^st Inning:

• Mount St. Mary's opened the scoring with two outs and two strikes. Following a balk by starting pitcher James Donlon that put a runner on second base, the Mountaineers struck for their first of back-to-back doubles that would put two runs on the board
• In the bottom half of the inning, the Knights got started with a leadoff single by senior Mike Veit
• Veit would score after freshman Hunter D'Amato singled to center field and the ball was misplayed and rolled to the wall. D'Amato attempted to score but was thrown out at the plate

3^rd Inning:

• D'Amato started the rally with a one-out single down the left field line
• An error by the second baseman allowed junior Tom Ruscitti to reach base
• Donlon then helped his cause by doubling to left-center field for two RBIs and giving FDU the lead

4^th Inning:

• The Mount retook the lead with another two-out hit, this time a two-run home run to center field

6^th Inning:

• Senior Brad Levinson pitch-hit for freshman Blaise Rantanen and began the inning with a single up the middle
• The next two batters for the Knights were hit-by-pitches loading the bases
• Following a pitching change for The Mount, Veit grounded into a fielder's choice and RBI bringing home Levinson and tying the game
• D'Amato got his third hit on the afternoon hitting a line drive that was knocked down by the third baseman bringing sophomore David Bordieri Jr. across home and giving the Knights the lead
• Ruscitti kept the rally going with a double off the right field wall which extended the lead to 6-4

7^th Inning:

• The Mount responded with a leadoff single followed by an RBI double off the left field wall to cut the lead in half

8^th Inning:

• Another hit for D'Amato began the bottom half of the inning as he doubled down the right field line
• Ruscitti then followed with a single to right field, and then stole second base on the proceeding pitch
• The Mountaineers pitcher then balked, which brought home D'Amato and advanced Ruscitti to third
• Sophomore Justin Sierra then flew out to left field for a sacrifice fly giving the Knights a three-run cushion

9^th Inning:

• The Mount would score one run with a solo home run to start the inning
• Junior pitcher Brendan Medoro would close out the win for FDU

 
Quote from Head Coach Rob DiToma:

"This was a great bounce-back game. James Donlon and Brendan Medoro battled all day long on the mound for us. And every single piece of the offensive team helped us grind out a win today. The team played hard for each other and we are very excited to get back on the field Tuesday."
 
Inside the Box Score:

• Donlon started the game for FDU going 3 innings and giving up 2 runs
• Medoro came on in relief and went the rest of the way earning his first win on the season
• D'Amato continued his hot hitting as he extended his hitting streak to six games and his seventh multi-hit game of the year. D'Amato is now tied with Veit for most hits on the team this season
• Ruscitti now leads the team in RBI with 17 and is batting .325 over the last 14 games
• Veit recorded his 150^th career hit in the Burgundy and Blue with his single in the first inning

 
Next Up:
The Knights return to Naimoli Family Baseball Complex on Tuesday, April 20 for a non-conference contest against Wagner. First pitch will be at 3 p.m. Fans can watch all of the action by tuning in to NEC Front Row.