BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn baseball team had a complete team win over Manhattan Wednesday afternoon in its home opener on LIU Field, as both good pitching and strong hitting played a crucial role in the 11-2 win for the Blackbirds.

Sophomore William Jackson III had a perfect game through five innings, and finished the contest with just one hit in 6.0 innings, along with eight strikeouts, while three different LIU players had home runs in the win, three of 12 hits for the LIU offense.

Neither team would score for the first two innings; LIU got on the board first, scoring four runs in the bottom of the third. Sophomore Andrew Smith led off with a triple, and came home three batters later, on classmate Joe Mercadante's sacrifice fly. Freshman Joe Curcio added two more runs on the next at-bat, when he had a two-out home run to right field that would put LIU up, 3-0. And sophomore Edward Modica Jr. made it 4-0 when he hit the next pitch out of the park over the left field fence.

Jackson continued to hold the Jaspers scoreless in the top of the fourth, striking out all three batters.

Sophomore Luis Arias de los Santos added another run to the total in the bottom of the frame, hitting the first pitch over the right center field fence and putting the Blackbirds up 5-0.

Manhattan got a runner on base for the first time in the top of the sixth, with a leadoff walk and a bunt single. Two RBI groundouts would score the lone runs, putting the Jaspers on the board, 5-2.

LIU would answer in the top of the seventh by scoring four runs. The Blackbirds loaded the bases, and Modica would come through once more, with a double to left center field that brought two runners in. Senior Harrison Preschel would score two more with a two-RBI single up the middle that put LIU on top, 9-2.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Blackbirds added two more, on a sacrifice fly from junior Dom Paiotti, and an RBI single from Mercadante, going up, 11-2.

Sophomore Mike Kreiger would pitch 2.0 innings of scoreless relief to help the Blackbirds finish out the win. Jackson (1-0) earned the win with 6.0 innings of action, including eight strikeouts.

Sophomore Edward Modica led LIU at the plate, going 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored, while freshman Joe Curcio was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Joe Mercadate went 1-for-3 with two RBI, while senior Harrison Preschel also had two RBI in the win.

Up next, the Blackbirds travel to East Orange, N.J. to take on Seton Hall in a three game series, Friday, March 30 to Sunday, April 2.