BRIDGEPORT, CONN. -The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team (10-17, 4-2 NEC) avoided a series sweep against Sacred Heart (4-22, 3-3) by earning a split in a doubleheader Saturday. The Knights showed outstanding offense in game one of the day to win 10-3 and came up short in a late-inning rally, dropping game two 8-7 at Memorial Park in Bridgeport, Conn. 

Game One: FDU 10, SHU 3 

• The scoring came early for FDU in the first game as the Knights used a five-run inning to take the lead in the second. TJ Werner sent Tom Ruscitti and Luke Cantwell home on a 2-RBI single to center field. Hunter D'Amato picked up an RBI on a bunt to score William Pope. George Rosales hit a single to the right, scoring Werner, and Joan Sosa drove in D'Amato on an RBI single to left field.   
• The Knights extended their lead in the third inning 7-0 as Ruscitti scored on an RBI single to left field by Werner, and Pope reached home on a passed ball.  
• Ruscitti grounded out to the second base in the fourth, sending Justin Sierra home.  
• After a scoreless fifth inning, Ruscitti reached first on an error by the first baseman and sent Sierra home, making it 9-0.  
• Sacred Heart blasted a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh.  
• Tommy Verga scored the tenth run for the Knights in the eighth on an RBI double from Matthew Milone.  
• In the last two innings, the Pioneers added two more runs to make it 10-3, but it was not enough to catch up to FDU. 

Inside the box 

• Rich Racobaldo (1-2) picked up the win by going six innings, striking out six, and allowing zero runs. 
• Rosales went 3-3 with a pair of walks and one RBI. 
• Werner registered three RBIs and finished 2-5 with a run. 
• Ruscitti finished with two RBIs and two runs. 

Game Two: FDU 7, SHU 8 

• Milone opened the scoring in the second inning with a three-run homer, the first blast of his career as a Knight.  
• Sierra lined a single to shortstop to drive in a run by Rosales.   
• Sacred Heart scored three in the bottom of the fourth to make it 4-3.  
• In the fifth, Rosales stole third and scored on an error by the catcher.  
• The Pioneers added two runs in the seventh and eighth to tie the game 5-5.  
• FDU regained the lead by two runs in the top of the ninth when D'Amato ripped an RBI triple down the right-field line and then scored on a Rosales' sac fly.  
• SHU rallied back to win the game in the bottom of the last inning and scored three runs off a double and a walk-off single, making the final score 8-7. 

• Brendan Medoro (1-3) took the loss for allowing five runs in the last 4.2 innings pitched and striking out one.
• Rosales finished 2-4 with two runs and one RBI. 
• Milone went 1-3 with three RBIs. 

Up next  
The Knights return to action Wednesday, April 6, as they host the Iona Gaels for a 3:00 p.m. showdown at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex.  

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