BRIDGEPORT, Conn.— Fairleigh Dickinson scored seven runs in the top of the fourth inning en route to defeating the Sacred Heart baseball team 13-8 on Saturday afternoon. The Knights (9-17, 7-4 NEC) outhit the Pioneers (11-23, 5-4 NEC) 21-11 to evade a series sweep. Despite the loss, SHU earned its second conference series win on the season. 

Captains Ted Shaw and Keith Klebart led the Pioneers at the plate as Shaw went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and Klebart went 2-for-3 with a double and three runs scored. Redshirt junior PJ DeFilippo and junior Cody Doyle recorded two hits on the afternoon. DeFilippo and Freshman Elijah Brown led SHU in runs batted in as DeFilippo recorded three on his double and Brown picked up a two RBI double.

The Pioneers jumped out to an early 4-0 lead with a big bottom of the second inning as DeFilippo cleared the bases loaded with his three RBI double down the left field line off Corey Zeller with no outs. After a groundout, Doyle knocked in DeFilippo with his RBI single to left field. SHU continued to hit in the bottom of the third as Klebart lined a one-out double down the left field line. He would score on Shaw's RBI single to left field to push the lead to 5-0. 

FDU refused to back down as they added seven runs on six hits in the fourth. Evan McDonald had the big at bat off senior John Sostarich as he smacked a bases clearing three RBI double to left center field. The Knights tacked on three more runs in the top of the fifth inning on four hits off sophomore Jackson Aldam to take 10-5 lead.

SHU responded in the bottom of the sixth inning as junior Dan Schock led off with a walk and advanced to second on a single by Doyle. After the Knights switched pitchers, Brown stepped up to deliver a hooking two RBI double down the left field line to put the score at 10-7. Ryan Brennan delivered a two-run home run off junior Ethan Lonardelli in the top of the seventh to push the FDU lead back to five.

The Knights added one more run in the top of the ninth on the RBI single by Bobby Romano. SHU didn't go down quietly as Klebart opened the ninth with a single and then advanced to second on a throwing error by Romano. Shaw followed in the next at bat with a bunt single to third, advancing Klebart. A wild pitch by Brennan would score Klebart from third. After freshman Austin Markmann was hit by a pitch, DeFilippo dropped a single to right field to load of the bases with no outs. Brennan settled down with back-to-back strikeouts before getting a pop out to end the game 13-8. 

The Pioneers travel to crosstown rival, Fairfield for a midweek contest on Wednesday, April 19 at 3:30 p.m.