GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn baseball team had a thrilling win in game two of Saturday's doubleheader to salvage a split with Fairleigh Dickinson at William Bonomo Memorial Field. After the Knights won the first game of the day, 8-7, the Blackbirds won the second game in extra innings, on senior Brian Lamboy's walk-off RBI single. With the split, LIU moves to 15-33 on the year, and 9-15 in Northeast Conference games, while FDU is now 25-25, 15-14 in the NEC.

Game One – FDU 8, LIU 7
In the first game of the day, the Knights took an early lead in the top of the second inning. FDU scored three runs on four hits and a walk, taking the lead, 3-0.

LIU answered two innings later, in the bottom of the fourth. Junior Harrison Preschel led off with a double to center field, and freshman Kyle Ruth's single put him on third. Ruth stole second on the next at bat, and the throw to catch him stealing went wide, allowing Preschel to score on an error. Sophomore Andrew Turner came up next, and singled to put Ruth in scoring position. He came home on the next batter, when freshman Andrew Smith had an RBI single up the middle. With one out, a wild pitch advanced both runners, and junior Charles Misiano came to the plate. The second baseman had a RBI fielder's choice, as Turner beat the throw at the plate. Another wild pitch moved both runners over again, and senior Brian Lamboy had a sacrifice fly to bring home the fourth run of the frame for the Blackbirds, putting LIU up, 4-3.

FDU would use a single home run in the top of the fifth inning to tie the game up, until LIU would retake the lead in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs, LIU would score three runs to go up on the Knights. Misiano started the run, with a single through the left side. Lamboy came to the plate, and hit a ball deep to right field. FDU's outfielder muffed the play, sending the ball into left field, and both Misiano and Lamboy were able to come around the score on the play. Junior Tommy Jakubowski came to the plate next, and made it 7-4 Blackbirds, with a home run to center field.

FDU would score two runs in the top of the eighth on a two-RBI triple, and went up for good in the top of the ninth. With two outs, the Knights rallied to get two runners on. A double down the right field line would score two runs, and FDU led, 8-7. The Blackbirds couldn't mount a rally in the bottom of the ninth, and the visiting team took the win, 8-7.

Game Two – LIU 10, FDU 9 (9 inn.)
In the second game of the day, the hitters took center stage, as the two teams would combine to score 19 runs on 29 hits and six errors.

FDU got the scoring started right away. With one out, two hits put runners in scoring position, and a single up the middle would plate them both, putting the Knights up, 2-0. LIU answered in the bottom of the frame. Lamboy singled to right field to get on base, and junior Tommy Jakubowski had his second home run of the day, belting the ball over the center field fence to tie the game up, 2-2.

The scoring spree would continue in the top of the second inning, with some help from the defense. FDU would score two runs on one hit and three LIU errors, taking the lead, 4-2. LIU would neutralize the threat again in the bottom of the frame, matching FDU's runs. Freshman Kyle Ruth led off with a walk, and advanced on a balk. Andrew Turner singled to get on, and a sacrifice bunt by freshman Joe Mercadante put two runners in scoring position. Charles Misiano brought the first run home with a double down the right field line, and Turner would score on a throwing error by the Knights, to tie it up, 4-4. LIU would take the lead in the bottom of the third inning. Sophomore Dom Paiotti led off with a single, and advanced on an error. He would score two batters later on an RBI groundout by freshman Andrew Smith, and LIU led, 5-4.

FDU tied it up in the next frame on an RBI double, and another RBI double in the top of the fifth inning put the Knights up, 6-5. FDU would widen the lead to 8-5 in the top of the sixth, on a triple and a home run. But in the bottom of the sixth, the Blackbirds came from behind to retake the lead. Lamboy started the scoring with an RBI single, and with two runners in scoring position, Dom Paiotti had a long single to left field that would bring both runners home, tying the game up, 8-8. Paiotti stole second, and was brought home on Harrison Preschel's RBI double down the left field line. LIU held on to the 9-8 lead for just one half inning.

In the top of the seventh, the Knights used two hits and a sacrifice bunt to score the tying run. Though the Blackbirds would load the bases in the bottom of the seventh inning, LIU couldn't score the needed run, and the game went to extra innings.

LIU would finally score the run it needed in the bottom of the ninth. With one out, Joe Mercadante and Charles Misiano had back to-back singles to put runners on the corners. Senior Brian Lamboy came to the plate, and had a long single down the left field line that would bring Mercadante home, and give LIU the walk-off win, 10-9.

Freshman Mike Kreiger (1-4) had the win on the mound for LIU, giving up just one run in 3.0 innings pitched.

The two teams conclude the four-game series, Sunday, May 15, in a doubleheader slated to  begin at 1 p.m.