BRONX, N.Y.— The LIU Brooklyn baseball team was edged out by Sacred Heart, 6-5 in its Northeast Conference opener on Friday afternoon at Houlihan Park.

SHU capitalized early in the ball game on a pair of LIU miscues, drawing runners on second and third with one out in the bottom of the first inning. The designated home team plated both runners on a RBI single to center field for a 2-0 lead.  The Pioneers doubled up the lead in the bottom of the second inning with timely two-out hitting to take a 4-0 advantage.

LIU got going in the top half of the third as sophomore Colin Adams led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a balk. SHU picked up a strikeout before a single by junior Tim Bechtold put a pair of runners in scoring position for the Blackbirds. Senior Brock Hallum came through with the RBI groundout to get LIU on the board. Senior Gregory Vaughn Jr. cut the deficit to one with a two-run jack off SHU's Cooper Thompson for a 4-3 game.

SHU pushed the lead back to two in the bottom of the fifth inning with a one-out sacrifice fly to bring the score to 5-3.  Vaughn continued his strong day at the dish with a leadoff home-run against Thompson in the top of the sixth for LIU to bring the score back within one. The Pioneers responded in the bottom half of the inning with a RBI triple to keep the lead at 6-4.

The Blackbirds looked to rally in the top of the eighth inning with runners on first and third with one out. Senior Joe Mercadante picked up the RBI fielder's choice to bring the score to 6-5. LIU looked to keep the inning going as senior Andrew Smith sent a line drive to second but SHU's Danny Glendon made the extended catch to escape the inning. LIU was able to get the leadoff man on in the top ninth but the Pioneers held on with a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to end the game.

Junior Jackson Svete suffered the loss for LIU, going seven and a third innings in the start. He surrendered four earned runs and struck five while not issuing a walk in his efficient 97-pitch outing. Junior Rob Griswold closed out remaining two outs for the Blackbirds in the eighth.

Vaughn led the way at the dish for the Blackbirds with his first career multi-home run game, he also recorded a season-high three RBI on the afternoon. The Pioneers outhit the Blackbirds 13-7 in the opener, LIU's top five batters all registered a hit in the game.

UP NEXT

The Blackbirds close out the weekend series against the Pioneers tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at noon from Houlihan Park.