Teaneck, N.J. – The Le Moyne College baseball team (6-13, 3-5 NEC) split a conference doubleheader with the FDU Knights (8-13, 5-3 NEC) on Sunday at FDU's Naiomoli Family Baseball Complex.
The Dolphins won game one of the doubleheader 4-2, then FDU bounced back with an 8-4 win in game two.
Le Moyne was the designated home team for both games, as the two sides were originally scheduled to play a three-game series in Syracuse at Dick Rockwell Field, but weather forced the two sides to cancel one of the games and play a doubleheader on Sunday in New Jersey.
"I'm pretty proud of the way the guys handled themselves this weekend," said Le Moyne head coach
Scott Cassidy '98. "Everyone was excited to play at home and the weather, unfortunately, did not cooperate. We made the trip on the road and came away with a split after a great outing by
Max Parker in game one. Now we look forward to another road game on Tuesday before we open at home on Thursday," Cassidy concluded.
Game One:
Senior left-handed starting pitcher
Max Parker (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) limited the Knights to two runs, one earned run and two walks with six strikeouts in 8.0 innings of work to improve his record to 1-0 this season. Parker has now gone at least eight innings seven times in his career.
Freshman right-hander
Billy Canale (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) got the final three outs in the top of the ninth to record his second save of the season.
Adam Sullivan (Syracuse, N.Y./Marcellus) and
Brady Fureno (Canajoharie, N.Y./Fort Plain) both drove in two runs during the win.
Sullivan knocked in
Dewey Roden (Sherrill, N.Y./Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) and
Zach Brush (New York Mills, N.Y./Utica Notre Dame) with a single to center field in the bottom of the first inning, then Fureno brought in
Benji Ries (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) with a sacrifice fly later in the inning.
FDU scored its first run of the game in the top of the second, and cut the deficit to 3-2 with the help of a leadoff triple from Brelon Harden in the top of the fifth.
Fureno gave the Dolphins an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth with a two-out solo home run, his second long ball of the season.
After allowing a walk with one out and nobody on in the top of the ninth, Canale got a flyout to left field and a swinging strikeout to secure Le Moyne's third conference victory of the season.
Game two:
Le Moyne left-handed starting pitcher
Jacob Crystal (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) made his sixth start of the season and went 5.0 innings, allowing three earned runs, three unearned runs and three walks with five strikeouts.
Right-hander
Jordan Goldmann (Encinitas, Calif./Canyon Crest Academy/Palomar College/Grossmont College) tossed 2.0 scoreless innings in relief.
FDU right-handed starting pitcher Zac Capps, the reigning NEC Pitcher of the Week, limited the Dolphins to six hits, two walks and four runs with nine strikeouts in 6.0 innings, then right-hander Vladimir Ceverino recorded his second save of the season after allowing just one hit, zero walks and zero runs with four strikeouts in the final 3.0 innings.
Joey DiMotta and Franklin Gomez Jr. both recorded two hits, and RBI and a run scored for FDU, while Zack Will provided two hits, a run and two RBI.
Le Moyne sophomore catcher
Brody Keneston (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) went 2-4 at the plate with a three-RBI double in the bottom of the third following an RBI from Sullivan which gave the Dolphins a 4-2 lead, but FDU scored the final six runs of the game to salvage a split and improve to 5-3 in NEC play.
Up Next:
The Le Moyne baseball team will play a non-conference game at St. Bonaventure on Tuesday at 2 p.m., then the Dolphins will play their first home games of the season when they host NEC foe Coppin State for a three-game series at Dick Rockwell Field beginning on Thursday at 3 p.m.
