June 16, 2005 BASEBALL BASEBALL PLAYERS HONORED BY ECAC AND ABCA: CALISTRI NAMED ECAC METRO PLAYER OF THE YEAR MADISON, NJ – FDU-Florham senior third baseman Thomas Calistri (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan High School) was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Metro Region Player of the Year. Additionally, Calistri earned Second Team All-Middle Atlantic Region recognition from the American Baseball Coaches Association. Junior shortstop Jim DaSilva (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) was named Second Team All-ECAC Metro while junior catcher Joe Franzese (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farell) was named to the the American Baseball Coaches Association All-Middle Atlantic Region Third Team. Calistri wraps up one of the finest baseball careers in school history, finishing with a career batting average of .400 (211-for-527), marking the highest career batting average in school history and making him the first player in program history to ever finish a four-year career with a .400 average. He also is the Devils all-time leader in home runs (25), runs batted in (192), doubles (50), hits (211), and runs scored (144). This year he hit .381 (53-for-139), led the team with 15 doubles, hit six runs including a game-tying grand slam in the Freedom Conference playoffs, and drove in 48 runs. DaSilva, after just three seasons, ties for the most triples in a career with 15, ranks second at FDU all-time in doubles (38), second in runs scored (139), second in stolen bases (53), third in hits (164), third in RBI (108), and ranks second in career batting average (.397 — 164-for-413). This year he led the team with a .450 batting average (67-for-149), set the Devils single season record for hits with 67, had 14 doubles, a school-record 7 triples, and drove in a team-leading 53 runs. He also stole 15 bases in 17 tries and scored 48 runs. Franzese batted .398 (51-for-128), with 12 doubles and two home runs. He ranked third on the team with 47 runs batted in. Franzese started all 38 of the teams games and made just three errors. He threw out 16 baserunners. May 6, 2005 BASEBALL EDGED BY DeSALES, 7-6 ON 8^TH INNING HOMER: CALISTRI GRAND SLAM TIES GAME, BUT DEVILS LOSE AND WILL FACE WILKES TOMORROW AT 11 AM QUAKERTOWN, PA — Things did not look so good for the fourth-seeded Devils as they trailed the top-seeded DeSales Bulldogs 6-0 through six innings in the first game of the Freedom Conference Playoffs at Memorial Park, but that all changed in the eighth inning. The Devils chipped away with a run in the seventh, and then managed another in the eighth. But with two outs and the bases loaded, Thomas Calistri hit a grand slam over the left field wall to tie the game 6-6. DeSales dashed the Devils’ hopes in the bottom of the eighth, however, when Kyle Peters hit a solo homer to left field to give the Bulldogs a 7-6 lead. DeSales held on to win by that score, improving to 29-8 and advancing in the winner’s bracket. FDU drops to 22-13 and will play Wilkes tomorrow at 11 am in the losers’ bracket. Wilkes was beaten 8-0 by King’s. in the 7:30 pm game. For FDU, Calistri went 2-for-4 with four RBI. Jim DaSilva went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Matt Reppert (7-2) earned the complete-game win. He struck out 11 and walked two while scattering seven hits. He allowed six runs (one earned). For FDU, Chris Voigtsberger took the loss, going the distance. He allowed seven runs (four earned) on 12 hits. He struck out 2 and walked four. April 29, 2005 DEVILS BEATS DREW, 13-8 TO CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT MADISON, NJ — The FDU-Florham Devils beat the Drew Rangers, 13-8 to improve to 10-6 in the Freedom Conference. The Devils are now 21-10 overall while Drew drops to 12-18-1 overall and 7-9 in the Freedom. FDU took a 1-0 lead in the first when Brian Norton (Livingston, NJ), the second batter of the game, singled to knock in Lucas Cittone (Highland Park, NJ) who led the game off with a triple. Drew tied the game up in the third, but FDU scored three in the bottom of the third and four more in he bottom of the fifth to go up 8-1. Drew managed another run in the top of the sixth, but the Devils posted another four runs in the bottom of the frame to go up 12-2. Drew added two runs in the top of the eighth. The Devils scored their final run in the bottom of the eighth. Drew scored four more in the top of the ninth, three of which came on a homer by Joe Cardinale. For FDU, Lucas Cittone (Highland Park, NJ) went 2-for-5 with a homer, an RBI, and three runs scored. Joe Franzese (Staten Island, NY) went 3-for-5 with five RBI, and a bases-loaded double that knocked in three runs. Jim DaSilva (Basking Ridge, NJ) went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI, three runs scored, and a stolen base. Norton went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, an RBI, and two stolen bases. Manny Fernandes (Lodi, NJ) went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run. Thomas Calistri (Bridgewater, NJ) went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run. For Drew, Kevin Dinkel went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Larry Canales went 3-for-5 with two RBI. For FDU, starter Ryan Flannery (Carlstadt, NJ) earned the win, going seven innings. He scattered eight hits and allowed two runs (one earned). He walked one and struck out seven. For Drew, starter Justin Distler took the loss. He went five innings, allowing nine runs, eight earned, on eight hits. He struck out four and walked two. FDU will travel across town to play a Freedom Conference doubleheader at Drew tomorrow to wrap up the conference schedule. April 25, 2005 DaSILVA NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK MADISON, NJ — FDU-Florham’s junior shortstop Jim DaSilva (Basking Ridge, NJ) was named Freedom Conference Player of the Week. DaSilva went 17-for-26 (.654) on the week with four triples, two doubles, 16 RBI, six stolen bases as the Devils went 4-6 on the week, winning two out of three conference games against King’s. DaSilva hit a school-record three triples in one game, against Rutgers-Camden. With FDU down 4-1, he keyed the Devils’ fifth inning rally against King’s in game two on Sunday, ripping a line drive single up the middle with the bases loaded to drive in two runs and make the game 4-3, then scoring the Devils’ fifth run to put FDU up 5-4, the eventual final score. April 24, 2005 FDU-FLORHAM BASEBALL SPLITS WITH KING’S: Devils Lose Game One, 12-10, Win Game Two 5-4 MADISON, NJ — The FDU-Florham Devils split a Freedom Conference doubleheader with the King’s Monarchs. FDU lost game one 12-10 and then came back from a 4-1 deficit to win game two 5-4. In game one, the game was tied 8-8 after six innings. King’s then scored four times in the top of the sixth to take a 12-8 lead. FDU scored twice in the bottom to make it 10-8. In the seventh, the Devils left men on first and third as the game ended on a line-out to shortstop. For FDU, Jim DaSilva (Basking Ridge, NJ) went 3-for-4 with a triple, a double, a single, and two RBI. He stole a base and scored three runs. Thomas Calistri (Bridgewater, NJ) went 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles and an RBI. Joe Franzese (Staten Island, NY) went 2-fpr-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Rob Porcaro (Neshanic Station, NJ) went 2-for-3 with three RBIand a double. In game two, King’s extended their lead to 4-1 with a run in the top of the fifth inning. But FDU’s bats woke up in the bottom of the frame as the scored four times to take a 5-4 lead and eventually held on to win by that score. The rally started with a two-out single by Manny Fernandes (Lodi, NJ). That was the first of six straight singles by the Devils to drive in the four runs. DaSilva drove in two runs, Calistri knocked in another, and Franzese knockedi in the fourth. For the game, Lucas Cittone (Highland Park, NJ) went 2-for-4, scoring a run. Brian Norton (Livingston, NJ) went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. DaSilva went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI. Chris Voigtsberger (Mercerville, NJ) earned the win, going five innings, allowing four runs five hits. He struck our four, walked four, and hit a batter. FDU will travel to Doylestown, PA to play Delaware Valley for a single Freedom conference game tomorrow. April 21, 2005 FDU-FLORHAM BASEBALL BEATS KING'S POINT, 10-5 FDU steals 10 bases en route to win MADISON, NJ — The FDU-Florham Devils beat the King’s Point Mariners (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy) 10-5 today in a non-conference game. The Devils are now 16-9 overall with the win, and now counting their seven-inning games in Florida that had originally been discounted by the NCAA. King’s Point drops to 10-15 on the year. The Mariners scored two runs in the first as Harlow Wood led off with a walk and went to third on a double by Bernie Lutz, the next batter. The third hitter, Bobby Neelon then doubled to knock in two runs. The Devils managed a run in the bottom of the first. With one out, Jim DaSilva (Basking Ridge, NJ) reached first on a fielder’s choice. He stole second, then third, and scored on a passed ball. But the Devils exploded in the second inning, scoring five times to go up 6-2. Thomas Calistri (Bridgewater, NJ) drove in two runs with a double. Joe Franzese (Staten Island, NY) knocked in a run with a sac fly, and Zack Ellis (Madison, NJ) drove in a run with a single. The Mariners picked up one run in the fifth and two in the sixth, but FDU scored once in the fourth, twice in the sixth, and once more in the seventh to hold on. At the plate, Brian Norton (Livingston, NJ) went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Ellis went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Rob Porcaro (Neshanic Station, NJ) went 2-for-3 with a double and two stolen bases. DJ Hanna (Stanhope, NJ) went 2-for-5 with three stolen bases. FDU starter Greg Warger (Ringoes, NJ) threw four innings, giving up two runs, both earned. He allowed two hits and five walks. He struck out five. John Toolan (Three Bridges, NJ) earned the win in relief, tossing the last five innings. He allowed three runs, one earned. He struck out three and walked two. For Merchant Marine, Brandon Howse took the loss, going 2.1 innings. He allowed five runs, three earned. He walked three. At the plate, Bobby Neelon went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI. FDU will travel to Wilkes-Barre, PA to play King’s for a 3:30 pm Freedom conference game tomorrow. April 20, 2005 FDU-FLORHAM BASEBALL BEATS STATEN ISLAND 20-6 MADISON, NJ — The FDU-Florham Devils beat the Staten Island Dolphins 20-6 in non-conference action today. FDU improves to 14-6 overall while Staten Island drops to 8-15. The Devils got on the board right away, scoring eight times in the first inning. FDU then piled on another nine runs in the second frame. On the day, Jim DaSilva (Basking Ridge, NJ) went 4-for-6 with three RBI, two stolen bases, and two runs scored. Lucas Cittone (Highland Park, NJ) went 3-for-4 with a triple, a double, four RBI, a stolen base, a hit-by-pitch, a walk, and four runs scored. Joe Franzese (Staten Island, NY) went 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles. He drove in two runs and scored twice. For FDU, Larry Fabrizio (Bridgewater, NJ) earned the win, throwing six innings. He allowed four runs (all earned) and 10 hits, walking no one and striking out two. Alex MacNeil (Oakland, NJ) threw four innings in relief to finish the game, allowing two runs (both unearned), and five hits. He walked one and struck out four. For Staten Island, Bob Glennester went 3-for-5 with a triple, an RBI, and three runs scored. Mike LiConti went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer. Joseph Ruiz went 3-for-3 with three singles. For Staten Island Jeff Applebaum took the loss. FDU will host Merchant Marine for 3:30 pm game tomorrow. April 16, 2005 FDU-FLORHAM BASEBALL BEATS BAPTIST BIBLE, 22-2: Porcaro Hits Grand Slam MADISON, NJ — The FDU-Florham Devils beat the Baptist Bible Defenders, 22-2. FDU improves to 13-5 with their fourth straight win. The Defenders lose their 13th straight and drop to 3-14. Baptist Bible took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on two singles, an RBI groundout, and a wild pitch. But that would be all the scoring that the Defenders could manange. Their only other hit of the day was a single that came in the fourth inning. The Devils chipped away at the lead with in a run in the bottom of the first, but then added three in the third to take a lead. FDU then posted five runs in the fourth, seven more in the fifth, and six more in the eighth inning. Rob Porcaro (Neshanic Station, N) went 2-for-4 with four RBI, coming on a grand slam in the fifth inning that made the score 15-2. Kyle McCarthy (Lebanon, NJ) went 3-for-4 with two RBI and three walks. DJ Hanna (Stanhope, NJ) went 2-for-3 with three RBI. Brian Norton (Livingston, NJ) went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Manny Fernandes (Lodi, NJ) went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Jim DaSilva (Basking Ridge, NJ) went 2-for-7 with a pair of doubles and two RBI. Greg Warger (Ringoes, NJ) earned the win, tossing five innings. He allowed just three hits, striking out seven and walking five. He allowed two runs, both earned. For Baptist Bible, Andy Cross went 1-for-2 with two walks, a run, and a stolen base. Jim Sintic went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases and a run scored. Jared Bier went 1-for-three with a walk. FDU will travel to Rutgers-Camden for 3:30 pm game on Tuesday. April 14, 2005 FDU-FLORHAM BASEBALL BEATS SUNY-NEW PALTZ, 13-4 MADISON, NJ — The FDU-Florham Devils beat the SUNY-New Paltz Hawks 13-4 in non-conference action today. FDU improves to 12-5. New Paltz drops to 7-15 overall. FDU picked up a run in the first. Jim DaSilva (Basking Ridge, NJ) reached first base by way of a walk, he stole second and then third and scored on an error by the catcher. The Devils went up 2-0 in the third inning. Brian Norton (Livingston, NJ) laid down a bunt single to lead off. He advanced to second on a wild pitch then scored on an RBI double by Joe Franzese (Staten Island, NY). New Paltz tied it up with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning. Jeff Cote led off with a single and then stole second. The next batter, Justin Buonamano singled, knocking in Cote. Buonamano then scored on an error. FDU took control with a five-run inning in the bottom of the fourth. The Devils added another four runs to go up 11-2 through the bottom of the fifth inning. On the day, Zack Ellis (Madison, NJ) went 3-for-4 with a single, a double, and a triple. Matt Thompson (Milford, NJ) went 2-for-3 with a run scored. DaSilva went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Norton went 2-for-5 and scored three runs and an RBI. Thomas Calistri (Bridgewater, NJ) went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI, and three runs scored. Kyle McCarthy (Lebanon, NJ) went 1-for-1 with homer in the ninth inning in his only at-bat of the game. Franzese went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. FDU will host Baptist Bible for a 3:30 pm game tomorrow. April 13, 2005 BASEBALL BEATS JOHN JAY 30-4 DaSilva goes 6-for-6 MADISON, NJ — The FDU-Florham Devils beat the John Jay Bloodhounds 30-4 today in a non-conference game. FDU improves to 11-4. Jim DaSilva (Basking Ridge, NJ) went 6-for-6 with two doubles, six RBI, a stolen base, and three runs scored. Lucas Cittone (Highland Park, NJ) went 5-for-6 for the Devils, scored six runs, and drove in two runs. For John Jay, James DeCesare went 2-for-4. Kenneth Sepulveda went 2-for-5 with two RBI. Larry Fabrizio (Bridgewater, NJ) earned the win, going six shutout innings. He allowed three hits and a walk. He struck out five. FDU will host New Paltz for a 3:30 pm game tomorrow. April 9, 2005 FDU-FLORHAM BASEBALL SWEEPS SCRANTON, 5-1, 15-1: Voigtsberger Strikes Out 11 in Game One MADISON, NJ — The FDU-Florham Devils beat the Scranton Royals 5-1 in the opener and 15-1 in the nightcap. FDU improves to 8-4 overall and 5-2 in the Freedom Conference. Scranton drops to to-2-9 overall and 1-6 in the Freedom. Scranton had a 1-0 lead in both games. In game one, Chris Voightsberger (Mercerville, NJ) earned the complete-game win, striking out 11 without walking a batter. He gave up three hits, allowing one run, unearned. He hit one batter. Scranton scored in the third inning. Sean Putnam singled with two outs and scored on an error two batters later. Scranton almost scored a second run on the play, but Michael Cottone was thrown out at the plate by Manny Fernandes (Lodi, NJ) to end the inning. But FDU came back in the bottom of the frame, scoring twice. Matt Thompson (Milford, NJ) singled to lead off the inning. The next batter, Fernandes then singled, moving Thompson to third. Lucas Cittone (Highland Park, NJ) singled to knock in Thompson. D.J. Hanna (Stanhope, NJ) then grounded out to shortstop to knock in Fernandes. The Devils scored once more in the fourth. With one out, Thompson singled and then stole second base. He then scored when Cittone reached on an error. FDU put their final two runs on the board in the fifth. Jim DaSilva (Basking Ridge, NJ) led off with a single. Thomas Calistri (Bridgewater, NJ) doubled and moved DaSilva to third. Joe Franzese (Staten Island, NY) knocked in DaSilva with a sacrifice fly to center. Two batters later, Rob Porcaro (Neshanic Station, NJ) drove in Calistri with a single. For the game, DaSilva went 2-for-4 with a double. In game two Scranton once again scored in the third inning. Putnam singled and was driven in by a John Sheehan single. The Devils did not trail for long, as they pounded out 12 runs on nine hits with the help of three errors. FDU scored three more runs in the sixth to make the final 15-1. Chris Jones (Mercerville, NJ) earned the win, tossing five innings. He allowed four hits and one run, earned. He struck out one, walked two, and hit a batter. At the plate, DaSilva went 2-for-5 with a triple, a double, an RBI, and a run scored. Calistri walked three times, once intentionally, and was hit by a pitch. He scored two runs. Franzese went 2-for-3 with two runs. Brian Norton (Livingston, NJ) went 1-or-1 with a double and a run scored. FDU will host Delaware Valley at 1:00 pm on Monday for a Freedom Conference doubleheader. April 5, 2005 BASEBALL BEATS FARMINGDALE 11-5 MADISON, NJ — The FDU-Florham Devils beat the Farmingdale State Rams 11-5 to improve to 5-3 overall. The Rams drop to 1-4. Farmingdale got on the board first when Anthony Scali walked and advanced to second on an error. He scored on an RBI double by Stephen Corveti. But FDU got a run back in the bottom of the frame as sophomore outfielder Lucas Cittone (Highland Park, NJ) led the inning off with a walk and came around to score on an error. FDU then got out to a 9-1 lead with an eight-run second inning. The Devils hit three singles and a double, but were helped by four walks and three errors. FDU picked up one run each in the fourth and fifth innings. The Rams made it 11-2 with a run in the eighth, but their ninth-inning rally fell short as they scored three runs. For FDU, junior shortstop Jim DaSilva (Basking Ridge, NJ) went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI. Sophomore outfielder Rob Porcaro (Neshanic Station, NJ) went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base. Cittone drew three walks, scored twice, and stole two bases for FDU. For Farmingdale, Block went 2-for-4 with two doubles. Feliciano went 2-for-4 with a double. Senior pitcher Kyle Sternadori (Flemington, NJ) earned the win for FDU, going five innings. He allowed five hits, one unearned run, and one walk while striking out six. For Farmingdale, Keith Gottschalk took the loss. He went one and two-thirds innings, gave up four hits, and walked six. He struck out one batter. FDU will play a Freedom Conference double header at Wilkes tomorrow. April 4, 2005 FRANZESE NAMED FREEDOM BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK MADISON, NJ – FDU-Florham catcher Joe Franzese (Staten Island, NY) was named Freedom Conference Player of the Week today by the conference office. Franzese led the Devils to a 2-0 week as FDU beat two conference opponents. Against DeSales, he went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored, leading FDU to a 6-4 win. Against Wilkes, he went 3-for-5 with two home runs, knocking in five of the Devils’ 12 runs. April 1, 2005 BASEBALL BEATS WILKES 12-1 MADISON, NJ — The FDU-Florham Devils beat the Wilkes Colonels 12-1 for their second straight conference win to improve to 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the Freedom Conference. Wilkes drops to 1-6 overall and 0-1 in the Freedom. FDU is scheduled to play a doubleheader at Wilkes tomorrow. On the day, Joe Franzese (Staten Island, NY) homered twice, driving in five runs. Freshman pitcher Larry Fabrizio (Bridgewater, NJ) earned the win, tossing seven innings, allowing six hits and one run, which was unearned. He struck out four and walked three. Wilkes took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Fabrizio started the inning off with two walks, putting Casey Kulago and Josh Turel on base. After Fabrizio struck the next two batters out, Charles Hampton reached first on an error by the left fielder which allowed Kulago to score, but Hampton was out at second base, 7-5-4. The Devils put two runs on the board in the second inning when senior third baseman Thomas Calistri (Bridgewater, NJ) led off with a double that was followed by Franzese’s first homer. FDU then put together an eight-run third inning. Lucas Cittone (Highland Park, NJ) hit a two-run homer to make it 4-1. Three batters later, Franzese followed with his second homer of the day, a three-run shot to put the Devils up 7-1. Two batters later, Rob Porcaro (Neshanic Station, NJ) hit a two-run homer to make the score 9-1. Two consecutive singles and an error led to another run to put FDU up 10-1 through three innings. FDU got their final two runs when Jim DaSilva (Basking Ridge, NJ) drilled a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning. For FDU, Franzese went 3-for-5 with two homers. He drove in five runs on the day and scored twice. DaSilva went 3-for-4 with a homer, two RBI, a stolen base, a walk, and two runs scored. Cittone went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBI. For Wilkes, Justin Popovich went 2-for-2 with a walk. Chris Mayerski went 1-for-3 with a double, Wilkes’ only extra-base hit. March 30, 2005 FDU-FLORHAM BASEBALL BEATS DeSALES, 6-4 MADISON, NJ — The FDU-Florham Devils beat the DeSales Bulldogs 6-4 to improve to 3-2 overall and 1-2 in the Freedom Conference. DeSales drops to 9-3 on the year and 2-1 in the Freedom. FDU got out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. DeSales tied it up in the top of the second. The Devils scored another run to go up 3-2 in the bottom of the second, but DSU scored in the top of the third to make it 3-3. The Devils managed three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Bulldogs scored their final run in the top of the seventh to make it 6-4. For FDU, Jim DaSilva (Basking Ridge, NJ) went 2-for-3 with a run, two walks, and an RBI. Brian Norton (Livingston, NJ) went 2-for-3 with run and an RBI. Joe Franzese (Staten Island, NY) went 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Chris Voigtsberger (Mercerville, NJ) earned the win for FDU in relief. He tossed two scoreless innings, walking one and striking out four. Matt Reppert took the loss for DeSales, going five innings, allowing nine hits. He walked four and struck out four. FDU will host Wilkes Friday for a 3:00 pm conference game.