ST. DAVID'S, Pa. – The Neumann University baseball team won in a back-and-forth slugfest 19-13 on Wednesday afternoon at Eastern University.
 
Anthony Basciano went 4-for-6 with three RBI as the Knights tallied 20 hits in the game. Marty Cortellessa was 3-for-5 with five RBI. Shawn Vega, Ryan Lopez and Alec Silverman all added three hits.  
 
Marcus White got the scoring started in the top of the first with a leadoff homerun on the second pitch of the ballgame. Zach Mullins took the mound to start and went 2.2 giving up six runs on six hits in the no decision.
 
The Eagles answered with seven straight runs, including six in the third inning, but the Knights showed no quit. Neumann responded with a big fifth inning as Zach Ray hit an RBI double. Vega followed with a two-RBI double and Silverman doubled in another run for a 7-5 game. Cortellessa singled in a run to pull the Knights within one.
 
After a big shutdown inning by Vic Mejia, who earned his first college win going 2.1 innings and giving up one earned run, the Knights would add a few more. After Basciano doubled to lead off the inning, White singled to score Basciano and tie the game at seven. Lopez hit a sacrifice fly to score White as Neumann plated six runs in the inning to take a 12-7 advantage.
 
Eastern plated a run in the sixth before Neumann added four more runs in the seventh on two homeruns. Vega hit a solo hot and Cortellessa hit a three-run shot.
 
With the bases loaded in the top of the ninth and a 16-12 score, Basciano hit a bases-clearing doubled to increase Neumann's lead to 19-12. The Eagles hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the ninth, but the Knights would take the game 19-13.
 
Pat Leighton, Brian Van Etten and Joe Longo all saw time on the mound in the game.
 
Neumann (10-17) heads back into conference action this weekend and will head to Immaculata on Friday for a single game. First pitch is slated for 3:00 PM.