Box Score CARY, N.C. – Junior left-handed pitcher Jerry Vasto (Atlantic Highlands, N.J.) recorded his 100th career strikeout, but suffered the loss as Felician College fell to Southern New Hampshire University, 6-2, in non-conference baseball action during the Coaches vs. Cancer Invitational on Friday evening at the USA Baseball Complex.
Southern New Hampshire (10-3) is ranked No. 15 in the most recent NCAA Division II national writers poll, and is tied for first regionally. The Penmen salvaged a split of their two games this season with Felician.
Vasto (1-2) struck out five batters in seven innings of work. He allowed four runs (two earned) on nine hits with one walk. He became the 10th pitcher in Felician history to reach 100 career strikeouts, currently with 102 in 109 1/3 innings.
Senior catcher Jay Collazo (Wall, N.J.) went 3 for 4 and scored both Golden Falcon runs. Classmate Joe Petosa (Spotswood, N.J.) was 2 for 4. All 11 Felician base hits were singles.
SNHU, the designated visiting team, went ahead to stay in the top of the fifth inning, snapping a 1-1 tie with a pair of runs. With runners on first and third and none out, Penmen leadoff man Brendan O'Brien (East Bridgewater, Mass.) stroked an RBI double, and, one out later, Al Stanton (Sandwich, Mass.) delivered a sacrifice fly.
Collazo stole third base and scored on a fielder's choice grounder by Ralph Caccavale (Massapequa, N.Y.) in the bottom of the fifth, but SNHU tacked on a run in the sixth on Alejandro Diaz's (Old Bridge, N.J.) two-out RBI single. A two-run double in the ninth off of the Felician bullpen by Penmen third-baseman Bryan Toland (Wildwood, N.J.) completed the scoring.
Senior righty Derrick Sylvester (Franklin, N.H.) (2-1) scattered 10 hits over 6 2/3 innings to earn the victory. He received a boost when Sam Fuller (Barre, Vt.) entered to escape a second-and-third, two-out jam in the seventh with a strikeout. Fuller retired all four batters he faced, and Ryan Gendron (Nashua, N.H.) tossed a scoreless ninth.
Felician grounded into two double plays and had four other runners thrown out on the basepaths. Diaz finished 3 for 3 plus a walk for the Penmen.
The Golden Falcons play three more games this weekend in the Coaches vs. Cancer Invitational. To make a donation to the American Cancer Society in the name of Felician Baseball, visit http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/CoachesvsCancer/CVCCY14National?px=36035179&pg=personal&fr_id=61706.
