LYNDHURST, N.J. – Trailing by six runs, the Felician College baseball team sent the potential tying run to the plate before succumbing to visiting Pace University, 8-4, in Game 1 of the teams' non-conference baseball doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at the Lyndhurst Recreation Complex. Pace also earned the victory in Game 2, 1-0. Felician (7-12) was playing its 2013 home openers.

Both contests on Sunday were scheduled for seven innings. In the opener, Pace (4-3) jumped out to a 5-1 lead after two. The Setters picked up two hits and two run-scoring outs to tally three times in the first inning, then tacked on two more in the second.

Leading, 6-2, after six, Pace picked up two insurance runs in the top of the seventh when designated hitter James Pjura (Shelton, Conn./Shelton) blasted an RBI triple and continued home on an outfield misplay. The runs proved crucial when Felician rallied in the bottom of the frame.

After the first two hitters were retired, Golden Falcon junior Mike Farrell (Red Bank, N.J./Middletown South) walked, advanced to third base on a Scott De Jong (North Haledon, N.J./Eastern Christian) double, and scored on a wild pitch. Junior Jay Collazo (Wall, N.J./Manasquan) followed with a run-scoring single to right-center field, and Chris Faber (Neptune, N.J./Neptune) drew a walk. Senior right-hander Edward Byrne (Yonkers, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) entered for Pace and issued another walk to load the bases before recording a strikeout for his first save of the season.

Senior righty Neil Pezzullo (Harwich, Mass./Harwich) (2-1) started on the mound and earned the victory for the Setters, allowing one earned run on six hits over five innings. He struck out three batters and walked three. His counterpart for Felician, junior right-hander Stephen Paladino (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's Boys) (0-3) departed after 3 2/3 innings, having given up six runs on five hits.

Chris Gili (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport-South Manor) and Brandon Martineson (Prospect, Ky./Warwick Valley [N.Y.]) had two hits each for Pace. Farrell was 1 for 1 with three walks and Matt Caposio (Staten Island, N.Y./Poly Prep) went 2 for 3 for the Golden Falcons.

Caposio, a freshman outfielder, had an 11-game hitting streak stopped in Game 2 when Felician was held to one base hit in a 1-0 loss. He fell three games shy of the Felician record held by Dave Schoer.

Pace sophomore lefty Jonathan Chudy (Old Tappan, N.J./Northern Valley) (1-1) baffled the Golden Falcon hitters for six innings. He struck out four batters and walked four, but only Collazo, with a one-out single in the second, reached via base hit. Felician had two runners picked off and two others erased on double plays. Setter junior Robert Rizzitelli (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) issued a leadoff walk to Farrell to start the seventh, then struck out the next three hitters for the save.

Pace scored in the top of the fifth when Martineson's triple eluded the dive of Caposio in right field, plating Dave Pepe (Caldwell, N.J./James Caldwell) from first base. Pepe and Martineson each had two of the Setters' six hits off of Felician starter Vic Monteagudo (West Palm Beach, Fla./John I. Leonard) (1-2), who finished with four strikeouts and one walk in 4 2/3 innings.

The Division II East Region foes were meeting for the first time in nearly five years. Felician has lost a season-high four games in a row after a 2013-best three-game win streak.