WILSON, N.C. – The Felician College baseball team began its 2015 season with a 6-5 non-conference loss to East Stroudsburg University on a chilly Friday afternoon at Fleming Stadium. Sophomore Brennan Price (Middlesex, N.J.) was 3 for 5 with a double and senior transfer Branden Shaw (Cooper City, Fla.) drove in three runs for Felician.

Felician is ranked No. 6 in the NCAA Division II East Region preseason writers' poll. East Stroudsburg, also playing its first game of the year, is the No. 10-ranked squad in the Atlantic Region.

With temperatures barely peaking above the freezing mark, the teams played to a 5-5 tie through six innings. ESU, the designated visiting team, saw sophomore Connor Crookham (Hatboro, Pa.) single to begin the top of the seventh. Crookham stole second base, but Golden Falcon reliever Lawrence Schoer (Manalapan, N.J.) (0-1) struck out the next two hitters. Warrior sophomore Ben Bortz (Reading, Pa.) followed with a single, however, to plate Crookham for what proved to be the winning run.

Felician had four runners thrown out on the basepaths, including two in the fateful bottom of the ninth. Shaw led off that frame with a walk, but was caught stealing on the first pitch to sophomore Andrew LaMura (Brick, N.J.). LaMura singled, and Price followed with a double into the left-center field gap. Attempting to score from first, LaMura was nailed at home plate on a relay throw by Crookham, the Warrior shortstop. Golden Falcon designated hitter Gerard De Filippo (East Hanover, N.J.) then made a bid to drive in the tying run, but his hard line drive was snared by ESU third-sacker Drew Hercik (Nazareth, Pa.) to end the game.

Warrior senior right-hander Andrew Furber (Wayne, N.J.) pitched 5 2/3 innings of shutout relief, striking out nine batters, to earn the victory. Felician hitters were fanned 13 times on the day.

Shaw had a two-run single in the second inning to give the Golden Falcons a 4-3 lead, then drove in a run with a fielder's choice grounder in the fourth. East Stroudsburg loaded the bases with none out in the sixth, and eventually tied the game on a double-play grounder and a Felician error.

LaMura was 2 for 5 with a double for the Golden Falcons, and freshman second-baseman Bruce Strickland (Hazlet, N.J.) drew three walks and scored twice. Felician had 10 batters reach via walk or hit batsman, but stranded nine runners.

Coming off a record-setting 10-2 season in 2014, Felician senior lefty Jack Fowler (Shrewsbury, N.J.) started on the mound and worked 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision. Fowler gave up five runs (three earned) on nine hits, struck out five batters, and walked two.

The teams conclude their three-game weekend series with a doubleheader on Saturday in Wilson. The first pitch of Game 1 is slated for noon.