BRONX, N.Y.— The LIU Brooklyn baseball team opens Northeast Conference play this weekend with a three-game set against Sacred Heart. All three games will be played at Houlihan Park on the campus of Fordham University due to poor field conditions at Veterans Park in Bridgeport. Friday's opener will be at 2:00 p.m. before a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at noon to close out the weekend.
LAST TIME OUT
The Blackbirds have gone 1-1 on the week thus far with a pair of midweek contests. LIU earned a 4-3 win over Fairfield in the home opener on Tuesday. The Blackbirds were led offensively by multi-hit games from senior Joe Mercadante, junior Tim Bechtold and sophomore Colin Adams. Senior Gregory Vaughn Jr. recorded a home run and two RBI. Junior Rob Griswold earned the win with two shutout innings of relief and senior Mike Kreiger closed it out for his 19th career save.
LIU suffered a 9-3 setback against Stony Brook yesterday afternoon. The home team got off to a strong start with seven runs in the first four innings. The Blackbirds recorded six hits on the day with five coming from its first five batters in the lineup. Senior Brock Hallum drove in a career-high three RBI including a two-run single in the seventh.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Sacred Heart enters the weekend 3-11 overall and in the midst of a five game losing skid. The Pioneers have picked up early wins over Georgetown, William & Mary and Stetson to start the season.
Sophomore Isiah Daubon leads the team with a .317 batting average to go along with 13 hits in 12 games this season. Junior duo of Elijah Brown and Austin Markmann pace the offense with seven RBI each. The Pioneers weekend rotation features a pair of sophomores in Cooper Thompson & Ryan Lamay along with rookie southpaw Justin Jordan. Thompson has earned a pair of wins on the year, including NEC Pitcher of the Week honors after a one-hit outing against William & Mary on February 22.
Sacred Heart claimed the season series a year ago with a 3-1 series win. After falling in its first three games in Connecticut, LIU picked up a 7-4 win at Houlihan Park to close out the weekend and keep their playoff hopes alive. Senior Alex Briggs recorded a game-high three hits to go along with three RBI. Senior Andrew Smith drove in a pair of runs while scoring three times on the day.
ON DECK
The Blackbirds have a pair of early midweek games this coming week against a few MAAC opponents. LIU will host Iona College on Tuesday, March 19 at 3:00 p.m. before traveling to Rider on Wednesday, March 20 for a 3:00 p.m. start.