BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Apr. 18, 2015) - On Saturday, the LIU Post baseball team dropped both ends of an East Coast Conference doubleheader to Bridgeport, 3-2 in 12 innings and 10-0, at the LIU Post Baseball Field in Brookville.

In the opener, the Pioneers (14-12, 11-8 ECC) got an outstanding effort from sophomore pitcher James Long (Oceanside, N.Y.) but struggled at the plate.

However, the green and gold would strike first. With red-shirt senior Anthony Brunetti (Bayville, N.Y.) on second, junior second baseman Matt Bowers (Staten Island, N.Y.) singled to center to give LIU Post a 1-0 lead.

Long would keep Bridgeport (17-19, 12-7 ECC) off the board through the first six innings but the Purple Knights would get to the lefty in the seventh.

With the bases loaded and one out, back-to-back run-scoring singles made it 2-0 Bridgeport. Long would get the next two batters to strike out swinging, but the Pioneers found themselves down a run.

The 2-1 lead would hold up until the bottom of the ninth, when the green and gold took advantage of some sloppy fielding. After Bowers reached on a fielder's choice to put a runner on with two outs, freshman Rob Andreoli (North Wantagh, N.Y.) came in to pinch run. Senior Rick Alessi then hit a chopper to third that Chase McCone would field but threw wildly to first, allowing Andreoli to come all the way around to score the tying run to send it to extra innings.

Reliever James Dromm (Glen Head, N.Y.) would run into some trouble in the top of the 10th, but the junior would get out of a bases-loaded jam to keep it tied at 2-all.

In the 11th, Dromm ran into some more trouble, loading the bases with one out. Freshman Vinny Ruggiero (Plainview, N.Y.) was called upon to put out the fire, and the righty did just that. Ruggiero fielded a comebacker and got the lead runner at the plate before getting the next batter to strikeout to end the threat.

In the 12th, a run-scoring double would give the Purple Knights a 3-2 edge. The Pioneers would get a two-out baserunner, but it wouldn't be enough.

In the nightcap, the two teams looked destined for another pitchers' duel as red-shirt senior hurler Connor McCarthy (Westbury, N.Y.) allowed just one run through four innings.

Bridgeport would then put up four in the fifth and add five in the seventh, as Rob Andersen kept the LIU Post bats quiet in a complete-game shutout.

Head Coach Mike Gaffney and the Pioneers wrap up their four-game set with Bridgeport on Sunday (Apr. 19) in Bridgeport, Conn. The first pitch is set for 12 p.m.