PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa.— The LIU Brooklyn baseball team completed the weekend series sweep of Villanova on Sunday, beating the Wildcats 4-1. The Blackbirds used a four-run eighth inning to erase a one run deficit and earn its first weekend series sweep of the season.
The Blackbirds produced 10 hits on the day with eight batters in the starting lineup contributing a hit. Senior
Brock Hallum led LIU with two hits and two runs batted in. Seniors
Andrew Smith and
Gregory Vaughn Jr. both added an RBI in the eighth inning.
Sunday's finale featured a pitching duel to start between Jimmy Kinsbury for the Wildcats and junior
Jackson Svete. Both right handers held each team in check with just five combined hits through the first five frames.
Villanova scratched home a run in the bottom half of the sixth after a leadoff walk and failed pick off attempt put a runner on third with no outs. Svete kept the ball in the infield for the next two outs but the Wildcats were able to get a two-out RBI single to left field for their first run in fourteen combined innings against LIU.
The Blackbirds finally got going in the top half of the eighth inning as senior
Joe Mercadante earned a one-out hit by pitch to start the LIU rally. Smith went first pitch hunting and delivered a RBI triple to left center field to tie the game at 1-1. After a Villanova pitching change, Vaughn continued his strong week at the plate with a RBI single through the left side for the lead. Senior
Alex Briggs then reached on a single to give LIU a pair of runners. Hallum stepped to the dish and smacked a two-run double into the gap in right center for the final runs of the ballgame.
LIU got quality relief over the final innings as junior
Rob Griswold pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning for his second win of the season. Senior closer
Mike Kreiger pitched the final two innings for the Blackbirds, yielding just one hit in his fourth save of the season.
UP NEXT
The Blackbirds return to downtown Brooklyn on Tuesday, March 26 to take on Manhattan College for a 3:00 p.m. start.