April 26, 2008

Box Score

TEANECK, NJ - Freshman Matt Fitton (Lebanon, CT) blasted a three-run homer to left with two outs in the top of the eighth to give the Sacred Heart baseball team a 9-6 win over Fairleigh Dickinson in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon.

RBI singles by Steve Armato and Ryan Lynch in the first inning, followed by an RBI groundout by Tyler Santos in the fourth helped the Pioneers jump out to a 3-0 lead.

FDU tied the score with three in the bottom of the fourth off SHU starter Jack Wagoner. A bases loaded double by Jeff Vincent with one out plated all three runs.

Sacred Heart, 8-30 and 6-8 in the Northeast Conference, got the three runs back in the fifth on back-to-back, bases-loaded doubles by Phil Tantillo and JJ Edwards. Santos drove in the third run with a single to right center.

The Knights, 9-29 and 4-9, tied it at 6-6 in the bottom of the inning and chased Wagoner from the game. All three runs were unearned due to a dropped fly ball to the second batter of the frame. After the error, Wagoner walked a batter to load the bases but got the next two hitters on called third strikes that should have ended the inning. With the bases full, Wagoner hit Brett Lazar to force in a run and then a single up the middle by Vincent that scored two more. Freshman Mick Oswald came on to relieve Wagoner and got the final out of the inning.

Oswald kept the Knights off the board in the sixth and seventh to send it to extra innings. Santos led off the top of the eighth for the Pioneers with a walk. FDU reliever Nick Melchiore struck out Lynch for the first out but gave up a single to center to Chris Whittemore to put two on. A force out in the middle on a ball hit by Armato put runners on the corners with two outs. Fitton took Melchiore deep to put the Pioneers on top.

Oswald pitched a perfect bottom of the eighth, striking out two, to even his record at 1-1.