MANAHAWKIN, N.J. (March 25, 2017) - The FDU baseball dropped a pair of Middle Atlantic Conference games to Misericordia Saturday.
The Devils dip under .500 at 4-5, while Misericordia is now 9-4.
GAME 1: Misericordia 11, FDU 4
It was the Cougars who got on the scoreboard in the top of the first, scoring three times on three hits. After Garret Ruoff reached on an error to leadoff and
Reynaldo Diaz singled, Chris Franco delivered an RBI double down the left field line. The next hitter,
Josh DellaPietro, knocked in Diaz with a run-scoring groundout.
Misericordia broke the game open with four in third, including a lead-off home run from Tyler Holzapfel. The Cougars had two on with two out, but
David Wilbur nabbed a runner stealing second to end the inning. Freshman
Logan Brown entered in relief and settled the game down, allowing just one run over the next three innings.
FDU chased Cougars starter Garret Pelko after leadoff hits by Nick Deangelis Jr. and Diaz to begin the fifth inning. Franco belted a double to center to score Deangelis, and
Ben Thompson lofted a sac fly to score Diaz. The Cougars added three in the sixth and one in the seventh for the final runs.
Diaz and Franco each had three hits, including a pair of doubles for Franco.
GAME 2: Misericorida 5, FDU 3
With one out in the bottom of the first, Deangelis stroked a single to right center, and Diaz sent a 1-2 offering over the fence for his first home run of the year. Devils starter
Brad Norris put runners on in each of the first three frames, but the Cougars couldn't capitalize.
After a hit by pitch and a two-base error, Misericordia had runners on second and third with just one out. Norris got a strikeout, but Scott Carton delivered game-tying two run double to left for the Cougars first hit of the game.
The Cougars grabbed a 3-2 lead in the top of fifth, with the run coming home on a single that just missed getting stopped by the second basemen. The Devils answered, as
Ben Thompson drove a 3-2 pitch to the opposite field for his first home run of the year as well.
After a leadoff single and sac bunt, Misericordia took the lead with a single to short that took a bad hop into left field. A well-timed hit-and-run then put runners on the corners with one out, the Cougars laid down a bunt to score an additional run.
Matt Zingaro escaped the sixth without further injury by getting a strikeout with the bases loaded.
Deangelis and Diaz each had two hits, while Norris tossed 5 1/3 innings, striking out seven. Of his five runs, only three were earned. Zingaro tossed 1 2/2 perfect innings out of the pen, striking out one.
FDU will be back home for its true home-opener Tuesday, taking on Rutgers-Camden.
