TEANECK, N.J. – In a wild Saturday afternoon series finale between the FDU Knights (10-30, 10-11 NEC) and the Mercyhurst Lakers (10-27, 8-13 NEC), the Knights came out on top in a thrilling 18-15 slugfest.
FDU turned to their reliable left-hander,
Jordan Savinon, to open the game on the mound, and the junior delivered a solid performance. Savinon tied his career high with eight strikeouts over 4.2 innings, allowing four runs on five hits.
The Knights wasted no time getting on the board, striking for four runs in the first inning.
Johnathan Gomez,
Diego Urreta, and
Jimmy Mantuano each singled, with Mantuano's knock driving in two runs to cap the frame.
Mercyhurst responded in the top of the second, as third baseman Ranciel Ventura launched a two-run homer to cut the deficit to 4-2.
FDU answered right back in the bottom half.
Hunter Ray and Gomez belted back-to-back solo home runs—the second time this series the duo went back-to-back—to stretch the lead to 6-2.
In the third, with a runner aboard,
JR Bozek crushed a pitch over the left field fence for his first home run of the season, extending FDU's lead to 8-2.
The power surge continued into the fourth inning. Gomez hit his second homer of the game, followed by a blast from
Jeremy Cheeseman, as the Knights pushed their lead to 10-2.
Mercyhurst chipped away in the fifth with a two-run triple by catcher Landon DiBeradin, trimming the score to 10-4.
FDU quickly responded in the bottom half. A bases-loaded walk brought home one run, and Cheeseman added two more RBIs with a single through the right side.
Out of the bullpen,
Nick Noble pitched 1.1 innings, but the Lakers capitalized with the bases loaded. Cleanup hitter Jayden Walker crushed a grand slam to right-center, narrowing the gap to 13-8.
The Knights tacked on more in the sixth.
Anthony Chiappetta led off the scoring with an RBI double, and after Gomez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Cheeseman drew a walk to bring in another. A wild pitch allowed Ray to score, giving FDU a 17-8 lead.
In the eighth, Mercyhurst's Ethan Adams delivered a two-run double to cut the Knights' lead to 17-10.
FDU capped their scoring in the bottom of the eighth when Urreta drove in Ray with a sacrifice fly to left, making it 18-10.
Despite a spirited ninth-inning rally by Mercyhurst—which included two home runs and a double—the Knights held on to secure the 18-15 victory in a high-octane offensive battle.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Knights will hit the road on Wednesday, April 23 to take on Fairfield. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
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