NEW BRITAIN, Conn.  – The LIU Brooklyn baseball team dropped the opener of a four-game Northeast Conference series, 12-3, at Sacred Heart on Thursday. The Pioneers scored an early run in the bottom of the first inning, and then exploded for seven runs in the fourth frame to put the game away. Played at SHU's off campus home, the New Britain Stadium, the series will pick up on Friday with a doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m.

Senior James Taubl (2-5) earned his second win of the season, limiting the Blackbirds to eight hits and three walks, while going 7.1 innings with four strikeouts. Sophomore Patrick Clyne (3-4) got the loss, going only 3.2 innings and getting only two strikeouts in his team-high 12th start on the hill for LIU.

The Blackbirds (24-22, 12-10 NEC) finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth inning with a two-run home run by junior Alex Briggs down the left field line. Then in the ninth, junior Luiny Monegro, who got an infield hit to lead off the frame, scored on a Luis Arias de los Santos double to close the gap to 12-3, but that's as close as the visitors would get in the series opener.

Sacred Heart (15-31, 10-12) received a strong offensive day from left fielder Anthony Capzziello, with a game-high three runs batted in, including a solo home run to lead off the aforementioned fourth inning.

Senior Andrew Turner and junior Lois Arias de los Santos each had two hits to lead LIU, while Briggs had the two RBIs on his team-leading sixth homer of the season.

Tomorrow's expected starters are two junior righties in game one, with LIU's Zach Pederson (5-3, 3.60 ERA) facing SHU's Brent Teller (3-6, 5.59 ERA), followed by junior lefty Cory Hart (3-2, 6.35 ERA) for the Blackbirds against freshman righty Cooper Thompson (4-4, 5.08 ERA) for the Pioneers.