MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – On Friday afternoon, the FDU Knights (0-4, 0-0) opened a three-game series against the Middle Tennessee State Raiders (2-3, 0-0), falling 6-4 in the series opener.
Right-hander
Chris Mattioli took the mound for the Knights, facing a strong Middle Tennessee State lineup that struck first with a leadoff home run. The Raiders added another run in the third inning, taking a 2-0 lead through the first third of the game.
After two scoreless frames, Middle Tennessee State tacked on two more runs in the sixth off reliever
Nick Noble, extending their lead to 4-0.
The Knights' offense responded with two runs in the seventh and eighth innings, courtesy of RBIs from
Diego Urreta and
Jimmy Mantuano, cutting the deficit in half at 4-2.
The Raiders added insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth when Badylak drove in two more RBIs, widening their lead.
FDU fought back in the ninth, plating two runs on hits from
Joey DiMotta and
Johnathan Gomez, but the late rally fell short as the Knights ultimately dropped the game, 6-4.
"We got to be better defensively in order to start picking up some wins," said head coach
Manny Roman. "Pitching kept us in it and gave us a shot, offense battled a tough starter once we got him out we were able to manufacture some runs. Got to put today behind us and jump on them early tomorrow."
The Knights will play game two of their three-game series against Middle Tennessee State on Saturday, February 22 at 2 p.m. ET.
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