TEANECK, N.J. - FDU Baseball (11-7, 6-1 NEC) used another massive offensive output to blow out the New Haven Chargers(1-12, 1-3 NEC) on Friday afternoon at Naimoli Family Baseball Complex. The Knights racked up their fifth victory of the homestand by way of the mercy rule, while also getting a phenomenal start from right-hander Joe Barbarino.
Barbarino showed his only blemish in the outing early in the contest, as the Chargers jumped on the scoreboard first with an RBI single that put New Haven up 1-0. FDU would flip the scoreboard in the bottom of the first, by way of a
Jimmy Mantuano RBI double that plated both
Diego Urreta and
Johnathan Gomez.
Urreta would be at the center of a scoring play in the third as well, as the Knights extended the lead to 3-1 when Urreta doubled home Gomez. In the following frame, the Knights added some more runs as Nick Quagliatio hit a single through the left side which brought home
Jeremy Cheeseman. In that same inning,
Johnathan Gomez sent one over the left center field wall to push the FDU advantage to five runs heading into the fifth inning.
The Knights would put up a four spot in the fifth inning, as both Jeremy's, Delamota and Cheeseman tallied two run hits as Cheeseman plated two with a single, followed by Delamota doubling home another pair, the Knights pushed the lead all the way out to a 10-1 advantage.
New Haven would add another run in the sixth inning, by way of a sacrifise fly, but FDU would respond by putting the game out of reach in the bottom half. Both
Garryn Plummer and Nick Quaglaito sent baseballs out of Naimoli Family Baseball Complex, as Plummer hit his first homer as a Knight to make the lead 12-1 FDU, followed by a Quagliato grand slam in the same inning.
Diego Urreta would draw a bases loaded walk in the sixth to mark the 17th FDU run of the ballgame.
Knights reliever
Chris Messina was able to keep his momentum on the mound, as he shut down New Haven in the top of the seventh, ending the game with a mercy rule win for FDU.
The victory Friday afternoon marks the sixth in a row for FDU, and the 17 runs scored adds to the overall total of 127 runs in the eight game homestand.
FDU and New Haven will square off once again at Naimoli Family Baseball Complex on Saturday afternoon, with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
Jeremy Cheeseman is the scheduled starter for FDU for the Saturday ballgame.
