MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The first collegiate grand slam home run for sophomore first-baseman Scott De Jong (North Haledon, N.J.) highlighted a five-run fifth inning which carried Felician College to a 7-3 non-conference baseball win over Merrimack College on Sunday morning at the Ripken Experience complex. The contest concluded a season-opening five-game stay at the Northeast Challenge event for the Golden Falcons.

Merrimack (3-1) is ranked No. 7 in the NCAA Division II East Region preseason writers poll. Felician received votes in that balloting.

After three scoreless innings, the Warriors, the designated home team, pushed across a run off of Felician starter Stephen Paladino (Staten Island, N.Y.) in the bottom of the fourth on Mike Forgione's (North Branford, Conn.) one-out single. Paladino, however, then worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam to limit the damage.

In the top of the fifth, the Golden Falcons (2-3) filled the bases with none out on a walk and two singles. Merrimack sophomore lefty Zach Schindler (Kingston, Mass.) (0-1) seemed poised to escape unharmed after inducing a pair of pop-ups. But Felician senior second-baseman Aaron Brill (West Palm Beach, Fla.) worked out a walk to plate Chris Faber (Neptune, N.J.) with the tying run, and De Jong followed with a long, high blast to left field for his second home run of the season.

Paladino, who had run up a high pitch count, was lifted after four frames. Merrimack scored a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth, but the Golden Falcon bullpen responded with 4 1/3 shutout innings. Sophomore lefty Joe Schultheis (Bethpage, N.Y.) was credited with his first career victory after tossing two scoreless frames, and fellow southpaw Jack Fowler (Shrewsbury, N.J) came on to obtain the final out of the seventh.

Sophomore righty John Holland (Jackson, N.J.) worked the final two innings for his first save of the season. Holland struck out three batters, giving up one hit and one walk. The Warriors left 14 runners on base for the game.

Felician sophomore shortstop Ralph Caccavale (Massapequa, N.Y.) was 2 for 3 and scored twice, including coming home for one of his team's two insurance runs in the ninth. Brill also finished with a pair of hits.

Forgione joined designated hitter Dionys Quezada (Lawrence, Mass.) and center fielder Bobby Losanno (Peabody, Mass.) with multi-hit games for the Warrors.

De Jong has driven in eight out of Felician's 14 runs thus far in 2014. Holland has nine strikeouts in five innings pitched.