Photo Gallery | Walkoff Homer

NORWICH, Conn. – Sacred Heart had just given up three runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game. Fairleigh Dickinson had grabbed the momentum but that did seem to phase Jayson Sullivan.

The senior, who has a history of clutch base hits in the tournament, may have delivered his most memorable moment of his storied career. Down 0-2 in the count, Sullivan launched a hanging curveball over the left field fence to set off a celebration at home plate and give Sacred Heart a dramatic 9-8 victory in its opening game of 2016 Northeast Conference Tournament on Thursday evening at Dodd Stadium.

That capped a perfect day at the plate for Sullivan, who went 2-2 with three walks, two runs and the walkoff RBI.

Ted Shaw, Cody Doyle and PJ DeFilippo also had two hits for SHU, who with the win, secured its fourth 30-win season in the last seven years. The Pioneers move into the winners' bracket where they will face regular season champion and one seed Bryant, who defeated Central Connecticut State 8-1 in the opening game, tomorrow at 4 p.m.

The walk off would have never happened if Fairleigh Dickinson (26-27) did not answer Sacred Heart's three-run eighth with three runs of their own in the top of the ninth. Baylor Sundahl seemed to be well in command when he struck out the leadoff hitter but Ryan Brennan began the comeback with the first of five straight singles.

Patrick McLure and Joel Roman followed with singles of their own to load the bases and end Sundahl's day in favor of fellow freshman Jackson Aldam. This did not halt the momentum, as Robby Romano and Jason Fatzinger lined similar singles through the left side to make it a one-run game.

It was then Jason Foley getting the call, and although his wild pitch tied the game before a walk loaded the bases, he gutted out the final two outs to keep the score tied with the bases loaded. He got the first out on a pop up to first and then dug deep for a strikeout to send the game to the bottom half.

Fatzinger's ninth inning single was his third base knock of the game to lead FDU, while Brennan, McClure and Bobby Romano also had multi-hit days for the Knights. 

As mentioned, SHU appeared to have taken control in the eighth when Zack Short laid down a sacrifice bunt that resulted in an error and permitted DeFilippo, who had led off with a single, to come all the way around from first and break a 5-5 tie. A foul out momentarily left Short on third for one out but Dan Schock then doubled him home to add insurance before Shaw did the same with a two-out single.

Fairleigh Dickinson opened the scoring with three runs in the second on RBI's from Shane Siebler, Dylan Sprague and Matt McCann, but Sacred Heart starter James Cooksey provided scoreless frames in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth to allow the Pioneers to get back in it.

Doyle helped SHU get on the board with a leadoff double in the third. Schock moved him over to third with a ground out to second and Alex Perry drove him in with a sacrifice fly to left field.

Cooksey walked the leadoff man in the seventh and after getting the first out, gave up an RBI double to Brennan that ended his day. He went six and a third, allowing four earned runs on nine hits and four walks.

Sundahl entered and induced a groundout, but after knocking the ball down and scrambling to get to it and make the throw, he threw it wildly past the first baseman to permit the tying run to come in to score. He would sit down the next two hitters though and worked a scoreless eight before being relieved in the ninth. He was credited with three earned on three hits in two innings.

Foley moved to 4-4 by earning the win with the final two outs in the ninth. Tim Quinn was credited for the loss after coming on for Frati and surrendering four runs, three of which were earned, on five hits in 3.1 innings.