Hoboken, N.J. – The Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team dropped a 7-4 decision to Arcadia University in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom action on Friday afternoon.

Griffin Zitko went 3-for-4 for Stevens (16-13, 6-7 MAC Freedom) as Arcadia (17-9, 10-3 MAC Freedom) used small ball for the win, getting hit by seven pitches and tallying eight sacrifice bunts.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Knights opened the scoring with two runs in the top of the first, with both tallies unearned. They only registered one hit, scoring runs on a passed ball and squeeze bunt. Stevens got a run back in the bottom of the first, starting with a two-out single by Jackson Wein. Zitko dropped a single to center before Dylan Fishbough legged out an infield single. On the throw to first, Wein broke for the plate and beat the throw, cutting into the deficit.

Arcadia added two unearned runs in the second, the big blow coming on a two-run single with two outs. The Ducks chipped into the lead in the third, shrinking the deficit to two. Quinton Sterling legged out an infield single with one out, and two batters later, Zitko drilled a double to left, plating Sterling. Stevens starter Erik Sibbach held the Knights off the board in the third and fourth but found himself in trouble in the fifth. The guests loaded the bases with two outs, but Sibbach got a ground ball to third to retire the side.

Stevens made it a one-run deficit in the fifth, as after a one-out double from Chip Krese, Sterling brought Krese in as he reached on a throwing error. Arcadia extended the margin back to four with a two-run home run in the sixth and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch in the seventh. The Ducks put their first two runners on in the eighth, as Zitko singled to left before Fishbough ripped a double to right-center. Adam Barrington entered as a pinch-hitter and sent a long fly ball to deep center. The center fielder caught it at the wall, and Zitko scored to make it 7-4. Stevens was unable to get any closer, as Arcadia retired the next five hitters to seal the win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Zitko went 3-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to 10 games. In his last two games, he is 6-for-9 with two RBI and two runs scored.
• Krese pushed his hit streak to 12 with seven multi-hit games over the stretch.
• Dawson Guerard tossed 1 1/3 scoreless frames and matched fellow reliever Connor McLachlan with two strikeouts.

UP NEXT
The Ducks will face Arcadia again tomorrow in a doubleheader, this time in Ambler, Pa. First pitch at Skip Wilson Field is scheduled for 12:00 pm.