WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. — The Sharks were defeated by CCSU on Saturday afternoon, dropping an 8-6 decision for their first loss of the NEC Tournament.
 
Despite the loss, LIU still has a chance to advance to the title match. The Sharks will play Wagner on Saturday evening, with the winner set to advance to Sunday's championship.
 
LIU still put up quite a fight against CCSU, however. Despite facing an early 2-0 deficit, the Sharks bounced back to tie things up, thanks to a two-RBI single from Joseph Durso in the bottom of the second. After driving in a pair during Friday's 7-2 win over Stonehill, the catcher kept on rolling and helped LIU take a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning with a solo home run.
 
CCSU later took the lead by scoring six runs in the top of the seventh, but the Sharks got one of those back in the bottom of the inning when Durso came around to score on a wild pitch, making it 8-4. LIU scored two more runs in the ninth on a pair of bases-loaded walks to Ryan Rivera and Noah Sorensen, but the late-game rally wasn't enough to close the gap and take the lead.
 
The Sharks will face Wagner on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. in hopes to advance.