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Health & Fitness

Blackbirds Beat Bulldogs In 1st Round of NEC Baseball Tournament

Justin Topa's arm and John Ziznewski's bat lead LIU Brooklyn to a 7-2 win over top-seed Bryant. Next up for LIU is 2-time defending champs Sacred Heart.

Yesterday in perhaps his final appearance in an LIU Brooklyn uniform, pitcher Justin Topa delivered his finest performance as a Blackbird, dominating top-seeded Bryant for a 7-2 victory in the first round of the 2013 Northeast Conference Baseball Tournament.

With six strikeouts and a solitary walk over nine stellar innings, Topa picked up his fourth complete game of the season while knocking the Bulldogs into the losers bracket of the double elimination tournament.

Next up for LIU Brooklyn is two-time defending champion Sacred Heart, which beat third seed Monmouth 7-1 in Thursday’s second game. Blackbird Jordan Wilcox (5-5, 4.83 ERA) will face the Pioneers’ Kody Kerski (6-2, 2.59 ERA) at 3:30 today at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood, New Jersey.

LIU (21-30-1), a fourth-seed playing in its second NEC playoff in the last three years, appeared far more comfortable yesterday than Bryant (40-16-1). The NEC’s top team entered the game riding a seven-game winning streak and set a league record with 27 wins in regular season conference play. But the Bulldogs—appearing in the NEC playoffs for the first time in school history—got four runs down early to the Blackbirds and never recovered.

The game’s most critical play turned out to be a 69-minute rain delay right at the start of the third inning. Bryant pitcher Pete Kelich cruised through LIU’s lineup for the first two frames, but the stoppage clearly affected the Bulldog’s ace as he gave up 6 hits in the top of the third that netted the Blackbirds an early 4-0 cushion.

Kevin Needham delivered the inning’s biggest blow, a two run single that put LIU up 3-0.

While Kelich simply could not weather the long delay, the rain stoppage did not affect LIU ace Topa. After waiting while his teammates hit the Bulldog starter hard, Topa pitched a clean bottom of the third, finishing the inning with a swinging strikeout of Bryant’s Jonathan Scott.

Topa ran into a rough patch in the fourth as the Bulldogs sandwiched two singles around a walk to narrow their margin to 5-1. However, Topa got Dan Muscatello to fly out to LIU centerfielder Pete Leonello to end Bryant’s threat.

The Bulldogs picked up a meaningless run in the ninth but Topa’s dominance was complete, as he likely closed out his career in Brooklyn with his biggest game as a Blackbird. Rated as one of Baseball America’s top 100 college baseball prospects, Topa’s services are sure to be in great demand when the 2013 Major League Baseball draft takes place June 6 - 8.

But Topa’s superlative effort wasn’t the only story for the Blackbirds as they seek their first NEC title since 1990.

With a 5 for 5 day and 3 RBIs, junior John Ziznewski led an LIU offense that pounded out 14 hits against three Bryant pitchers. Ziznewski’s fourth inning triple plated the Blackbird’s fifth run, while his singles in the sixth and eight innings extended LIU’s lead.

Today Ziznewski and his LIU teammates face the daunting task of derailing a Sacred Heart squad that has owned the NEC tournament of late. The Pioneers have been to the NEC championship game the past four years, capturing crowns in 2011 and 2012.

"Great team effort,” said LIU pitching coach Craig Noto of his squads opening round win. “We received great starting pitching, had some timely hits and played errorless baseball. That's the recipe for a good day in this game.”

Coach Noto knows the Blackbirds need to come ready to play against the Pioneers, who come into today’s contest having won 13 of their past 14 games.

“The guys competed for 9 innings against Bryant and did a great job,” said Noto. “That being said, we have another tough game that we need to prepare for."

LIU pitcher Wilcox may be just the antidote to Sacred Heart’s hot streak. The right-handed sophomore has been extremely effective down the stretch, winning 2 of his last 3 decisions including a 4-3 win over Monmouth last Saturday that clinched a NEC playoff berth for the Blackbirds.

First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 today. Catch all the action live on NEC Front Row.

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