Box Score

NORWICH, Conn. - The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team defeated Sacred Heart 11-8 on Saturday afternoon to advance to the championship round of the 2016 Northeast Conference Tournament.  The victory is the 28th of the season for the Knights (28-27), matching the program record for wins in a season.  The trip to the championship round is the first for the Knights since the 1999 season.

The Knights jumped out to an early 5-0 lead against Sacred Heart starter Jason Foley with a RBI double by senior John Giakas (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) and a bases clearing three-run triple by sophomore Bobby Romano (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan ).  Sophomore Jason Fatzinger (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) plated the fifth run with an RBI single.

The Pioneers (30-27) got three runs back on a three-run home run by Dan Schock, but the Knights answered with an RBI ground out by Giakas to make it a 6-3 game.

In the top of the fifth, Sacred Heart tied the game at 6-6 with three runs.

A two-run single by Fatzinger made it an 8-6 game through five innings.  The Knights broke it open in the sixth with a solo home run by Giakas and another two-run single by Fatzinger.

Sacred Heart got two runs back in the seventh and then threatened in the ninth, but freshman right-hander Tim Quinn (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem East) was able to work out of trouble and preserve the win.

Quinn pitched the final 2.2 innings to pick up his first career save.  He allowed three hits, no runs and struck out three.

With two runners on and two out in the ninth, Quinn ended the game by striking out Schock on a high fastball.

Freshman Chris Kachmar (East Greenville, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) (6-3) picked up his sixth win of the season with five innings of work.  He surrendered six runs, two earned, on four hits and five walks.  He struck out four Pioneers.

Giakas' home run was his 13^th of the season moving him into a four-way tie for the second highest single-season total in program history.  The FDU single-season record is 15 by John Biancamano in 1991.

Giakas and Fatzinger each had three hits in the game.  Fatzinger drove in five runs, while Giakas and Romano each collected three RBIs.

The Knights will play Bryant in the championship round later I the day on Saturday.