WAPPINGER FALLS, N.Y.- Led by superb starting pitching, #3 FDU began the NEC Championship on Wednesday with a crisp 2-0 opening round victory over #6 UMES.
As he has been all year for head coach
Manny Roman,
Rich Racobaldo was reliable, efficient, and in full-command on the mound. He retired the side in order in the first two innings, which propelled him to the best outing of his FDU career.
The right-hander never wavered from that dominance of the opening frames. He struck out 11 batters, allowed zero runs on just four hits, and went the distance for his first-career complete game shutout victory. Even more proof of Racobaldo's dominance was the fact that he only issued one walk on the day and allowed just one UMES runner to reaching scoring position.
In the only time that Racobaldo found himself in trouble, he pitched himself right out of it. In the sixth inning, UMES put runners at the corners with two outs. With momentum on the line, Racobaldo rose to the occasion, striking out the batter and ending the inning with the runners stranded on base. He put the Hawks down in order in the ninth to seal the game. The win improves Racobaldo's 2023 record to 8-2.
The Knights' offense showed up early to give Racobaldo the lead in the first inning. After a base-hit from
Tom Ruscitti loaded the bases,
Brian Sanders skied a sacrifice-fly which scored
George Rosales. Then All-NEC First-Teamer
Hunter D'Amato launched an opposite-field single which plated
Justin Sierra and expanded the lead to 2-0. This earned D'Amato his 53rd RBI of the season.
Aiding Racobaldo was the Knights' defensive prowess. T.J. Werner,
Brelon Harden, and
Tom Ruscitti all made impressive defensive plays, which robbed UMES of base-hits at key times in the game. Their leather helped preserve the shutout.
The win earns #3 FDU a spot in the winner's bracket semi-final against #2 Wagner tomorrow at 3pm at Heritage Financial Park. The Knights posted a 1-2 record against the Seahawks this season. Catch the action, and the entire NEC baseball Championship, on ESPN3 and streaming on NEC Front Row.
