Madison, NJ (May 20) – For the sixth time in program history and for the first time since 2012, the FDU-Florham baseball team was crowned champions of the ECAC. The Devils swept Penn State Behrend this afternoon by scores of 3-2 and 6-1 to hoist the trophy at Vincent J. and Lenda F. Naimoli Ballpark.
 
Following the series, FDU-Florham fifth year outfielder Matt Nodoro (Morristown, NJ) was named Most Valuable Player of the Tournament. In game two, Nodoro went 2-for-2 with a double, a home run, two RBI, three runs and a walk.
 
FDU-Florham ended its season with an overall record of 22-19, the most wins for the program since 2014 and the 14th time the Devils have eclipsed 20 wins in a season.
 
Game One – FDU 3, Penn State Behrend 2
 
In the opener, with FDU-Florham as the visitors on the scoreboard, Tyrus Chippendale (Middlesex, NJ) plated Mark Geist (Middlesex, NJ) on an RBI single to right for the early 1-0 edge in the top of the second inning. The score remained 1-0 until the top of the fourth when DJ Gonneli (Berkeley Heights, NJ) brought in Chippendale and Dylan Hode (Manalapan, NJ) and a single up the middle. Hode began the frame with a single to left before Chippendale earned a walk.
 
FDU-Florham starter Christian Capuano (Vernon, NJ) shutdown Penn State Behrend for six innings and picked up his 100th strikeout of the season. Capuano is the first student-athlete in program history to accomplish the feat and is just one of 16 student-athletes in Division III this spring to strikeout 100 or more batters.
 
Penn State Behrend attempted to rally in the bottom of the seventh and scored twice, but Capuano got out of the jam and got the final batter of the game to ground out to first giving FDU a 1-0 lead in the best of three series.
 
Capuano (6-4) tossed a complete game, scattered four hits, allowed two unearned runs and struck out eight in the opener. Jacob Lindow took the loss (4-2) on 6.2 innings, seven hits, three earned runs, four walks and five strikeouts.
 
Game Two – FDU 6, Penn State Behrend 1
 
Penn State Behrend loaded the bases with three straight singles in the top of the first and Juston Jones plated the run on fielder's choice before FDU starter Joseph Kastner (Springfield, NJ) got out of the early jam.

Chippendale immediately tied the game in the bottom of the first with the first home run of his collegiate career on a ball hit to left field. Kastner settled in and did not surrender another run to the Lions as FDU-Florham went on to win the ECAC title.
 
FDU added two runs on a single to center by Geist in the second, two runs on a homer by Nodoro in the fourth and one run in the sixth on a triple down the right field line in the sixth.
 
Kastner (6-2) scattered eight hits, allowed one earned run and struck out three in the clinching victory. Jeff Zick took the loss (3-3) on four innings, five hits, five earned runs and two strikeouts.

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