NORFOLK, Va. - FDU Baseball (31-16-1, 24-6 NEC) scored 11 runs to top the Norfolk State Spartans (19-28, 15-15 NEC) on Mother's Day afternoon at Marty L. Miller Field. This win secured a series win for the Knights, as well as their 31st win of the season, tieing for the most in school history in a single season.
FDU once again opened the ballgame trailing, as Norfolk State got to FDU starter
Cooper Montelbano first with a RBI single in the first inning. Montelbano was able to keep the deficit just a run until the Knights took the lead in the third inning, starting with a
Hunter Ray RBI single, followed by a run on a throwing error, and then the Knights were able to extend their newly gained lead with a two run single from
Jeremy Cheeseman.
FDU would manufacture another run in the fourth, as
Travis Stroh came home to score on a wild pitch, pushing the FDU lead out to four runs, making it a 5-1 ballgame. After the Spartans cut the lead with a run in the fourth, FDU added some more in the top half of the sixth, with a two run double from
Diego Urreta, followed by a two run home run from
Jeremy Cheeseman.
Norfolk State quickly answered with five runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning, and then got two more insurance runs in the seventh, as
Luke Russo provided a sacrifice fly, and
Travis Stroh scored on a passed ball.
FDU reliever
Derek Bartek would surrender one run across his 3.1 innings of work, nailing down the save for the Knights. This win marked season win number 31, and conference win number 24 for the Knights, keeping the club in a first place tie with LIU, heading into the last three ballgames of the season.
FDU and LIU will take part in a three game series that will decide the NEC's regular season title this weekend at Naimoli Family Baseball Complex. The Knights and Sharks both head into the weekend 24-6 in NEC play, and will get the chance to play the three game series with the winner taking the NEC regular season crown. All three ballgames are set to be played at Naimoli Family Baseball Complex, with the first being Thursday at 3 p.m.
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