MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Felician College baseball team was defeated, 4-0, by Stonehill College during first-day action at the Northeast Challenge on Thursday evening at the Ripken Experience complex. The contest marked the 2014 season opener for both schools.

Both the Golden Falcons and Skyhawks received votes in the preseason NCAA Division II East Region writers poll.

Felician had trouble solving Stonehill senior pitcher Zach Soulier (Milford, Conn.). The left-hander allowed five hits, struck out five batters and walked one in seven shutout innings. His most stressful inning was the third, when he escaped a second-and-third, two-out jam by inducing a grounder to shortstop. Soulier struck out the final two batters he faced in the seventh with a runner on second base.

The Skyhawks tallied single runs in the second, third, and fifth innings off of Felician starter Jerry Vasto (Atlantic Highlands, N.J.), but only one was earned. Anthony Pagano (Cranston, R.I.) came home on a two-out wild pitch in the second, Christian Baglini (Milford, Conn.) delivered a run-scoring single in the third, and leadoff man Brian Campbell (Franklin, Mass.) had an RBI double in the fourth. Stonehill added a run in the eighth off of the Golden Falcon bullpen.

Felician, the designated home team, drew a pair of walks in the bottom of the eighth off of reliever Mike Krupczak (Springfield, Mass.), but a double-play grounder killed the rally. Jeremy Roberts (Reading, Mass.) pitched a perfect ninth for the Skyhawks.

Campbell had a double and a triple and Pagano and Chris Hoyt (Walpole, Mass.) also posted two hits apiece for Stonehill. Center fielder Gabriel Fellin (Temple, Pa.) stroked a double for the Golden Falcons, and Felician freshman Nick Vazquez (Palm Coast, Fla.) picked up his first collegiate hit.

Junior lefty Vasto gave up four hits, walked four, and struck out three in five innings.