ERIE, Pa. - FDU Baseball (25-15, 18-5 NEC) used a fantastic effort on the mound from seniors Jeremy Cheeseman and Nick Noble to hold down the Lakers (13-23, 12-11 NEC) in a Saturday contest at Mercyhurst Baseball Field. The Knights grabbed their 25th victory of the season, and their 18th in NEC play. 

FDU was the first to the scoreboard on Saturday, as the Knights got on the board with the Nick Quagliato solo home run that made the score 1-0 FDU in the second frame. The Knights and Lakers would exchange scoreless innings, as FDU starter Jeremy Cheeseman and Mercyhurst starter Nate Vargo both had the game on cruise control. The Lakers finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth inning, breaking Cheeseman's shutout with an RBI single, tieing the game at one through the first two thirds of the ballgame. 

The Knights were once again quick to answer, as they got their answer in the form of another big fly from Hunter Ray, as Ray became the new single-season home runs leader in the NEC with his 21st bomb of the season, cementing himself as the only player in NEC history to crack 21 or more home runs in a season. On that same play, Ray set the FDU record for RBI's in a season, a record that had stood for 27 seasons was broken with a home run, giving Ray 62 RBI's at the end of play Saturday afternoon. 

Knights closer Nick Noble came on and shut the door once again for FDU, picking up his fifth save of the season, giving up just one hit, but throwing up three zeroes in the process. This marks the seventh time the Knights have held their opponent to two or less runs, and the Knights are a perfect 7-0 in those ballgames. 
 

WHAT'S NEXT

FDU and Mercyhurst will meet for the final game of the three game series at Mercyhurst Baseball Field Saunday afternoon. The game is set for a noon start, and the game will be streamed on NEC Front Row. Cooper Montelbano is the scheduled starter for the Knights.  Read Full Article