TEANECK, N.J. – The FDU Knights hosted the LIU Sharks for game two of three in their NEC opening weekend set at Naimoli Family Baseball Complex. The Knights defeated the Sharks 5-4 behind a stellar day on the mound from Rich Racibaldo and
Patrick Gardner.
Racobaldo is coming off three straight starts with five innings pitched and two or fewer runs allowed as he got the ball for the Knights against the Sharks. The big right-hander gave up two runs in the top of the 1
st after Clayton Harper and JC Navarro drove in runs but he settled down and gave FDU five solid innings. After struggling in the 1
st inning he put down nine straight LIU hitters to take control and allow the Knights to get back into the game.
The FDU offense got a run back in the bottom of the 1
st before tying the game and taking the lead in the 3
rd inning behind RBIs from
George Rosales,
Hunter D'Amato, and
Joan Sosa. In the 5
th inning, LIU tied the game after stringing hits together off Racobaldo and knocking him out of the game; his final line was five innings, four earned runs, and seven strikeouts.
In the 6
th inning, the Knights drove in the go-ahead and eventual winning run when leadoff man
Justin Sierra stepped up to the plate and sliced a double down the right field line to score
TJ Werner all the way from first base. The 5-4 lead was enough for
Patrick Gardner who came out of the bullpen and pitched one of the best outings for the Knights so far in the early part of the season. Gardner came into the game in the 6
th inning when he relieved Racobaldo, and he needed no help to shut the Sharks down and end the game. He finished with four scoreless innings, zero hits, and five strikeouts. He set down all 12 batters that he faced in the game to earn his first Division I collegiate win.
The Burgundy and Blue picked up 10 hits off the LIU staff including two each from Sierra, D'Amato, and Werner. The Sharks were only able to muster three hits in the contest.
FDU and LIU will wrap up their weekend three-game set tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Naimoli Family Baseball Complex. Forewarning for Knights fans, tomorrow's contest will not have a live stream, live stats, or live updates on social media. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this brings.
