ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The FDU Knights kicked off their season with a doubleheader against the UNC Asheville Bulldogs. In a hard-fought opener, the Knights came up short in a 10-7 battle. In game two, the Burgundy and Blue struggled to find their offensive rhythm, falling 5-0 to wrap up the first day of action.
The Knights struck first, taking advantage of some shaky fielding by the Bulldogs.
Jimmy Mantuano put FDU on the board with an RBI, followed by
Nate Dudeck's two-run single to right field, giving the Knights an early 3-0 lead.
UNC Asheville responded in the bottom of the first, cutting the deficit to 3-2, but the Knights held onto their advantage.
Freshman
Johnathan Gomez recorded his first collegiate hit with a single and quickly stole second. Moments later, Mantuano drove him in with another base hit to extend the Knights' lead.
The Bulldogs took control in the third inning, erupting for six runs to seize the lead. They added another in the sixth, pushing the score to 9-4.
In the top of the seventh,
Franklin Gomez Jr. sparked a rally for FDU, clearing the bases with a line drive to right field and cutting the deficit to 9-6. However, UNC Asheville tacked on an insurance run in the bottom half, extending their lead to 10-6.
The Knights pushed for a comeback in the ninth, plating a run to make it 10-7, but their rally fell short as they dropped the game to the Bulldogs.
Chris Mattioli took the mound for the season opener, looking to set the tone for the Knights. However, the Bulldogs' offense proved to be a challenge, as he allowed seven earned runs over the course of his outing.
Jeremy Cheeseman took the mound for the Knights, facing a tough UNC Asheville lineup that struck first with a four-run second inning.
Ethan Rembish entered in the third, making his long-awaited return after missing a season. The graduate student looked sharp, delivering 3.1 scoreless innings while striking out two.
Logan Magdits took over in relief, pitching the final 2.2 innings, allowing just one run and recording a strikeout.
Despite strong efforts from the bullpen, the Knights couldn't generate enough offense and fell to the Bulldogs, 5-0.
"The guys played hard, but one bad inning in each game hurt us," said head coach
Manny Roman. "The bullpen threw well, and we had great at-bats in both games. I'm excited to see where we will be once we clean some things up defensively."
FDU will close out their three-game series at UNC Asheville February 15 at 2 pm at Greenwood Baseball Field.
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