LYNDHURST, N.J. – Sophomore pitcher Dean Loucka (Wood-Ridge, N.J./Wood-Ridge) earned his first collegiate victory, allowing no earned runs in five innings to lead Felician College to a 5-3 non-conference baseball victory over visiting Merrimack College on Friday afternoon at the Lyndhurst Recreation Complex. Felician was playing in its 2014 home opener.

The Golden Falcons (8-9) earned their second win of the season over Merrimack. The Warriors (6-5) are ranked No. 8 in the most recent NCAA Division II East Region writers poll.

Loucka (1-0) surrendered two unearned tallies, including an RBI single in the top of the fifth by Merrimack senior Eddie Newton (North Billerica, Mass./Arlington Catholic) that knotted the game at 2-2. But Felician took the lead for good with three runs in the home half of the fifth.

Senior Joe Petosa (Spotswood, N.J./Spotswood) blasted a one-out double to straightaway center field, and freshman designated hitter Brennan Price (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex) followed with another double, plating Petosa with the go-ahead run. Price scored when Jay Collazo's (Wall, N.J./Manasquan) single was misplayed in the outfield, and, following a wild pitch, Collazo darted home on a shallow sacrifice fly from Matt Kleinstein (Marlboro, N.J./Colts Neck) to cap the rally.

The Warriors tacked on a run off of the Felician bullpen in the sixth, but the Golden Falcons received scoreless frames from right-handers Lawrence Schoer (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan) and Stephen Paladino (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's Boys). Sophomore John Holland (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Liberty) escaped a first-and-second, one-out jam in the ninth to pick up his third save of the season.

Loucka gave up four hits, struck out three batters, and worked around four walks and two hit batsmen. Aaron Brill (West Palm Beach, Fla./John I. Leonard) had a double and an RBI triple. Brill and Petosa were among four Golden Falcons with a pair of hits, as Felician out-hit the Warriors, 10-7.

Merrimack left 13 runners on base for the day. Newton finished 3 for 5 with two RBI, and teammate Sean O'Neill (Norwood, Mass./Norwood) was 2 for 4. Warrior junior right-hander Colin Smith (Somerset, Mass./Somerset) (0-1) pitched the fifth and sixth innings and suffered the loss.