Siena Baseball rallies past Fairleigh Dickinson

NEW JERSEY — Siena freshman Jonathan Crimmin tied the game with a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the eighth, and senior Dan Swain delivered the go-ahead RBI triple in the ninth to rally The Saints past Fairleigh Dickinson 9-7 Wednesday. The team cored seven of the game’s final eight runs to finish the month of March on a four-game win streak.

Freshman Rich Gilbride produced three hits out of the ninth spot in the order, and Swain, junior Jordan Bishop and sophomore Brian Kelly added two hits apiece to lead a 13-hit barrage by Siena (7-12-1) which put 24 runners on base. Gilbride, Swain and junior Joe Drpich each scored twice, while Bishop and Kelly joined Crimmin in driving in a pair of runs apiece.

Sophomore hurler Tim Zehnbauer tossed a perfect eighth inning in being credited with his first collegiate win, and freshman Danny Hobbs also retired all three batters that he faced in the ninth to record his second save.

Fairleigh Dickinson (4-11) scored four times in the second, and added a pair of runs in the fourth to claim an early 6-2 lead. The Saints responded with a three-run fifth capped by a two-run single by Kelly to pull within one.

Still trailing 7-5 in the eighth, the pinch hitter Crimmin deposited his first collegiate home over the left field wall as the two-run shot drew Siena even.

The Saints put the first three batters aboard to start the ninth as Gilbride led off with an infield single, and Swain followed with what would prove to be the game-winning three-bagger. Bishop followed with an RBI single to plate Swain with an insurance run.

Ryan Brennan drove in three runs for the Knights. He also added two hits, as did Matt McCann and Owen Vonesslinger.

The Saints open the month of April and begin conference play Saturday at Manhattan College. The three-game series starts with a doubleheader at 1:30 p.m. at Dutchess Stadium, the home of the Hudson Valley Renegades in Fishkill, New York.