CENTER VALLEY, Pa. (April 11, 2019) - The FDU-Florham baseball team was topped by DeSales University 11-4 in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom play Thursday afternoon.
The Devils fall to 11-17 on the season, 4-9 in the MAC Freedom while DeSales improves to 14-13, 8-5 in the conference.
Sophomore
Joseph Kastner set the Bulldogs down in order in the first, needing just nine pitches including two strikeouts. The Devils got on the board with two runs in the second, taking a 2-0 lead. Juniors
Michael Tufano and
Kevin Smiegocki led off with singles before moving up a base each on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore
Joe Moskowitz. After the out, freshmen
Tyler McCulloch and Brian Schanck delivered consecutive run-scoring singles to make the score 2-0.
The hosts battled back, scoring four times in the second and three times in the third to build a 7-2 lead. The Bulldogs took advantage of a trio of Devils errors in second to score those four tallies. DeSales added two additional runs in the fourth on a double that brought both runners in. Sophomores
Nate Peacock and
AJ Yurista singled to lead off the fifth, but the next three hitters were retired. DeSales closed out their scoring with single runs in the fifth and sixth frames, with the run in the fifth being unearned.
Peacock led off the seventh with a single to left field before coming around to score on a one-out double to left field by Tufano. The Devils capped the scoring off in the ninth, as Yurista singled and classmate
Chris Ciancimino walked to lead off the frame. After a fielder's choice, junior
Billy Podurgiel grounded out to first base to plate Yurista. Senior
Ian Havran singled to keep the inning going, but a runner was thrown out at home plate to end the game.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Schanck had a career-high four hits in going 4-for-4 with an RBI.
- Peacock, Yurista, and Tufano all recorded two hits and a run scored, while Havran went 2-for-2 off the bench,
- Senior Will Lapham struck out three in two innings of work, allowing just two hits and an unearned run.
- Freshman Thomas Consiglio worked a career-best 2 2/3 innings, allowing no hits and just one walk while striking out one.
UP NEXT
The Devils will continue the three-game series with the Bulldogs with a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 11:30 a.m. The games will be played at Yogi Berra Stadium in Montclair, N.J. on the campus of Montclair State University.