NORIWCH, Conn. – The LIU baseball team saw its season come to a close Friday afternoon at the 2021 Northeast Conference championship tournament. The Sharks fell in the elimination game to #3 seed Sacred Heart, 5-4.
 
With the loss, LIU ends the season with a 20-15 overall record.
 
Sacred Heart got on the scoreboard in the top of the second inning, scoring two runs on an RBI single. They'd score twice more in the top of the fourth on four hits and a walk, taking a 4-0 lead.
 
The Sharks would score their first run in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Christopher Wasson reached on a fielder's choice and stole second. He moved to third on a single from Giovanni Ciaccio, and scored on a balk by SHU's pitcher.
 
LIU would add two more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Colin Adams and Cade Biddle both singled to get on, and the first run scored on an RBI single from senior Anthony Warneke. Wasson then came to the plate and had another RBI single, closing the gap to 4-3.
 
SHU would score once more in the sixth on an RBI single to make it 5-3.
 
The Sharks had their best chance of the day in the bottom of the sixth, when three straight walks loaded the bases with no outs. LIU got one run in when Biddle reached on an error, but with the bases still loaded, the Pioneer pitching staff got the three outs in four batters, ending the inning maintaining a 5-4 lead.
 
From there, neither team would score again, as defense and pitching stayed strong through nine, and SHU took the win to advance, 5-4.
 
Alec Huertas (2-4) had the loss on the mound. Seniors Patrick Clyne, Salvatore Ferro and Rob Griswold combined to pitch the final 5.1 innings, holding SHU to just seven hits and one run, combining for five strikeouts.
 
Biddle and Wasson led LIU at the plate. Biddle was 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI, while Wasson was 2-for-5 with a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base.
 
The Sharks end the 2021 season with a 20-15 overall record.