MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. -- Four Felician College pitchers struck out 17 batters and a pair of freshmen hit home runs as the Golden Falcons defeated Molloy College, 7-3, in non-conference baseball action Friday evening at Big Rock Stadium. The contest marked the 2013 season opener for both schools.

After using the longball to score early, Felician displayed its speed and short game to take the lead for good, posting a four-run bottom of the seventh. With the score knotted at 3-3, junior shortstop Aaron Brill (West Palm Beach, Fla.) reached on a one-out bunt single off of eventual losing pitcher Lou Liberatore (Blue Point, N.Y.). After a groundout and two walks, Brill scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.

Junior Jordan Tackett (Fredericksburg, Va.) followed with a run-scoring infield single. The Golden Falcons tallied twice more when, on another wild pitch with runners on first and third, the throw by the catcher to the pitcher was wild. Tackett, running on the play, scored all the way from first base.

Felician sophomore left-hander Jerry Vasto (Atlantic Highlands, N.J.) struck out eight batters, walked one, and yielded four hits in five-plus innings in a no-decision. Matthew Facendo (Hazlet, N.J.) earned the victory with two innings of one-run relief, and John Holland (Jackson, N.J.) and Jack Fowler (Shrewsbury, N.J.) each struck out the side in their only inning of work. Molloy's final eight offensive outs came via strikeout. The Golden Falcon staff walked only one batter and hit two.

Felician trailed, 1-0, before redshirt freshman first-baseman Scott DeJong (North Haledon, N.J.) powered a two-run homer to left-center in the third inning. Lion senior Erik Pyle (Atlantic Beach, N.Y.) put his team ahead with a two-run double in the top of the sixth, but Matt Caposio (Staten Island, N.Y.) answered for the Golden Falcons with a two-out solo shot in the bottom of the frame.

Pyle was 2 for 3 and drove in all three runs for Molloy. Starting pitcher Alex Miden (Ozone Park, N.Y.) worked five innings, giving up two runs on two hits with six strikeouts and five walks.