WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. – Day two of the NEC Championship kicked off with a matchup between #1 Sacred Heart and #6 FDU. The Pioneers edged the Knights in a tightly contested matchup by a score of 5-4.
Sacred Heart now advances to the winner's bracket final, while FDU will play #3 Merrimack in an elimination game tonight.
Just like yesterday, the Knights jumped on the board first.
Joan Sosa drove in
Joey DiMotta in the top of the second to give the Knights a 1-0 lead. An inning later, FDU added to that lead courtesy of a sacrifice fly off the bat of
Justin Sierra.
In the bottom of the third inning, this game officially became comparable to a seesaw. Sacred Heart took the lead with one swing of the bat on a three-run home run that put them ahead 3-2.
Manny Roman's team immediately answered in their half of the fourth inning.
Nate Dudeck spit a groundball through the right side of the infield and Nick Quagliatio charged across homeplate to tie the game at 3-3.
Sosa continued his hot streak in the top of the sixth inning when he launched a double to the left field gap. The Knights were now in front 4-3.
Despite falling behind twice, the Pioneers kept on coming. In their half of the sixth, they plated two more runs and took a 5-4 lead. This lead held up for good.
Even though the tying run would reach base in the next three innings, the Knights were unable to scratch across a run. The game ended in an identical score to the Pioneers and Knights' matchup in the 2023 NEC tournament.
WHAT'S NEXT
FDU will now order some coffee and get set for a 9 p.m. elimination game against #3 Merrimack tonight. The Knights defeated the Warriors yesterday by a score of 9-7. Fans can catch the game on NEC Front Row and ESPN+.
