Box Score
Brooklyn, N.Y. - It took a fine performance by starter
Matt McCormick, 13 hits and a pair of bizarre, run-scoring plays for the Long Island University baseball team to win its first Northeast Conference series of the season, downing Fairleigh Dickinson, 7-3, for its third win in four games. Second baseman
Gerard Tingos went 4-for-5 with three doubles and a stolen base.
McCormick (1-3) earned his first career win with seven innings of four-hit ball. The freshman lefthander allowed three runs (two earned) while walking three and striking out three. Classmate
Evan Zerff picked up his second save with two hitless innings.
Long Island took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth. Tied 3-3, catcher
Tyler Jones hit an infield single with one out and stole second. After third baseman
Greg DeSantis walked and shortstop
Drew Walsh moved the runners up with a groundout, the first of a pair of perplexing plays occurred.
Fairleigh Dickinson catcher Scott Morrison caught a pitch from starter Mike Strachman, hopped up and fired to second base in an attempt to pick off DeSantis. The only problem was that neither the shortstop or second baseman were anywhere near the bag. After Morrison’s throw sailed into center field, Jones waltzed home to give the Blackbirds a 4-3 lead.
Long Island scored again in the sixth on another interesting occurrence. Designated hitter
Chris Kievit led off with a single, his second hit of the day, advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by left fielder
Julian Castro. Centerfielder
Sam Sciamarelli came up and hit a grounder to second baseman Matt Holsman, whose throw pulled first baseman Joe Martino off the bag, allowing Sciamarelli to reach on the error. Kievit did not originally break for home, but after the error was able to score when Martino’s throw home was high. Morrison caught the ball and fired right back to Martino to pick off Sciamarelli, who had wandered off first base.
Long Island added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth on successive doubles by Sciamarelli and Tingos.
Strachman took the loss for the Knights, falling to 1-3. In 6 1/3 innings, he allowed five runs (two earned) on 11 hits and a walk.
Extra bases. Long Island eclipsed the 10-hit mark for the seventh time this season… The win, snapped a string of five straight series losses for the Blackbirds… Tingos’ four-hit game was the first of his career. He had hit safely in five straight games… Sciamarelli’s double in the eighth extended his hitting streak to seven games, the longest by a Blackbird this season… DeSantis finished 3-for-3 with a walk and an RBI… Kievit’s hit in the fourth snapped a nine-game hitless streak. He had been mired in an 0-for-21 slump… Long Island improved to 5-18 (3-5 NEC), while the Knights fell to 4-16 (3-5 NEC). Long Island will return to action on Wednesday, April 7, hosting Saint Peter’s at 3:30 p.m.