Box Score LYNDHURST, N.J. – Pitchers
Jack Fowler (Shrewsbury, N.J./Red Bank Regional) and
John Holland (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Liberty) combined on a one-hitter and sophomore catcher
Matt Kleinstein (Marlboro, N.J./Colts Neck) drove in the tie-breaking run as Felician College defeated visiting Dominican (N.Y.) College, 3-2, in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference baseball action on Monday afternoon at the Lyndhurst Recreation Complex.
Freshman left fielder Matt Diesel (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) was 2 for 3 and senior shortstop Branden Shaw (Cooper City, Fla./Plantation) hit an inside-the-park home run for Felician (10-14, 4-0 CACC), which won its fourth consecutive game.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh inning and the score tied, 2-2, Diesel blasted a triple over the head of the left fielder. Kleinstein then hit the first pitch he saw for a sacrifice fly to deep center field to put the Golden Falcons ahead for good. Holland worked around a two-out walk in the eighth inning and retired the side in order in the ninth, snaring a line drive off the bat of Rafael Balado (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Continental Academy) for the final out.
Holland (3-3) tossed four frames of hitless relief to earn the victory. He struck out six batters and walked two. He ran into the trouble in the seventh, as Balado reached on a wild pitch after striking out and Jayson Gray (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) followed by working a walk. But Holland then induced an inning-ending double play to keep the game tied.
Shaw gave Felician an early lead with his blast to left-center field in the first. But the Chargers (2-8, 0-2) rallied for a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, loading the bases off of Golden Falcons starter Fowler with two hit batsmen and a walk. Robert Alonso (Hurley, N.Y./Kingston) then pushed a two-run single inside the first base bag. Felician tied the score in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out RBI double by J.R. Meneses (Lake Worth, Fla./Zion Lutheran).
Fowler struck out seven and walked three in a five-inning no-decision. Dominican senior right-hander Anthony Pastrana (College Point, N.Y./Xaverian) (0-1) worked seven stanzas, giving up six hits with nine strikeouts and no walks.
Felician is slated to play a non-conference contest against St. Thomas Aquinas College on Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Lyndhurst Recreation.