ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Eastern University Baseball pounded out 21 hits, but it was not enough as the visiting Neumann University Knights took advantage of a monstrous seventh inning to pull away to a 23-13 win. Justin DiCesare had four hits and Matthew Gonglik drove in four runs.

With incredible weather, the hitters for both sides had something to look forward to coming into the game. The Eagles scored twice in the bottom of the first on RBi hits from Evan Barks and a double from DiCesare. Th Knights grabbed the lead with three runs on three hits in the top of the second. In what would become a disturbing trend for the day, the Eagles looked to be on their way out of a jam, but the Knights picked up the third run on back-to-back wild pitches. For the game, 17 of Neumann's 23 runs came with two outs.  

After the Eagles went quietly in the second, the Knights took a 9-2 lead with a six-runs on three hits in the third. The big blow in the inning came after a two-out bases-loaded walk. Nick Gielbocki hit a towering shot to left center for four of his seven RBI's on the afternoon. 

Down 9-2, the Eastern offense rallied. DiCesare homered to lead off the bottom of the third and, after two line-drive outs, Brian Lang ripped line-drive that found outfield grass. He then scored on Gonglik's first career home run. The next two Eastern hitters reached, but the Eagles could not add on and trailed 9-5 going into the fourth inning. 

Ghraham Adams retired three-straight hitters on seven pitches in the top of the fourth, and the Eagles pounded out five more hits in the bottom of the inning. With one out, DeCesare doubled and Luke Meehan singled Falco, Lang, and Gonglik all knocked in runs with hits, but the inning ended with the score tied when a hard ground ball from Connor Schilling turned into two outs. 

The Knights got a single run off Adams in the fifth, but the rookie pitched stranded two Neumann runners with a strike out to end the frame. Thomas Kozlusky tripled to lead off the fifth and tied the score on a Robert Del Buono ground ball against a drawn-in infield. Later in the inning, David Hunsberger delivered a pinch-hit sacrifice fly to give the Eagles an 11-10 lead. The Eagles then loaded the bases and caught the most unfortunate of breaks. Gonglik hammered a 2-1 pitch up the middle that looked sure to drive in two runs. His line drive caromed off the Neumann pitcher and right to the second baseman for a 1-4-3 putout to end the rally.

The Knights took the lead for good with four runs in the the sixth, but the Eagles stayed within sight when Koslusky doubled and scored and Del Buono hit his first career home run. 

Things came unraveled int he seventh. After Kasey Baumgart walked the bases loaded, Joe Juliano came on and was within a pitch of getting out of the jam with only one run in. Juliano had struck out a pair of Neumann hitters and was up 0-2 on Colton Shaub, the Knight's ninth hitter. His inside pitch hit the batter to force in a run. By the time the smoke had cleared, the Knights held a ten-run lead.

"We ended up giving them too many free bases," Head Coach Scott Renauro said after the loss. "It's tough to win any game when you lose the free base battle. I am pleased to see our offense continues to produce in ways that will help us win. Twenty hits and 13 runs should be enough to win games. We feel good about who we have on the mound and at the plate for our conference series this weekend. "

Then Eagles open MAC Commonwealth play at Widener on Friday. They will host the Pride in a doubleheader of Saturday.