PHILADELPHIA – Sophomore Rob Naughton (Levittown, N.Y.) and four relievers combined on a five-hitter as Felician College defeated host University of the Sciences, 7-2, in Game 1 of the teams' Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference baseball doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Richie Ashburn Field. Felician settled for a split when the Devils rebounded to win Game 2, 2-1.

The victory in the opener clinched a CACC playoff berth for the Golden Falcons (18-26, 11-9 CACC). Felician has qualified for the conference tournament for the fourth consecutive year. However, the Game 2 loss prevented the Golden Falcons from hosting a contest in the tournament's playdown round. Felician will be on the road, with opponent and time to be determined, for the May 2 single-elimination portion of the playoffs.

Game 1 was tied, 1-1 after five innings, before Felician broke through for two runs in the top of the sixth. Brennan Price (Middlesex, N.J.) led off with a single, and Andrew LaMura (Brick, N.J.) reached on an error. The runners were sacrificed to second and third ahead of a two-run single by sophomore second-baseman J.R. Meneses (Lake Worth, Fla.).

Naughton (5-2) yielded just an unearned run on three hits in 5 1/3 innings. He recorded five strikeouts and issued three walks. Naughton then benefited from some nifty Golden Falcon bullpen work to earn the victory. Senior right-hander Lawrence Schoer (Manalapan, N.J.) worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the sixth, before escaping a first-and-second, one-out situation in the seventh with a double-play grounder.

The Devils (4-27, 4-16) pulled to within 3-2 on an RBI triple by Matt Miniconzi (Blackwood, N.J.) with one out in the eighth. But freshman Danny Naif (Jackson, N.J.) entered the game and induced a short fly ball and another flyout to preserve the Felician lead.

The Golden Falcons put the game away with four runs in the ninth. Jason Polgano (Bronx, N.Y.) had a sacrifice fly and Bruce Strickland (Hazlet, N.J.) an RBI single in the frame. Price then capped the rally with a two-run home run, his fourth of the season.  USciences junior starter C.J. Hertz (Magnolia, N.J.) (1-6) was solid in defeat, giving up two earned runs on three hits in six innings.

Felician had trouble figuring out Devil junior right-hander Pablo Matos (Cape Coral, Fla.) for most of Game 2. USciences got on the scoreboard in the first inning when Dylan McHaffie (Georgetown, Pa.) scored on a wild pitch, and Matos nearly made that run stand up for the duration of the game.

Matos (3-4) carried a seven-hit shutout into the top of the ninth. With one man on and two outs, he surrendered back-to-back singles to Matt Kleinstein (Marlboro, N.J.) and Brandon Torres (Highland Mills, N.Y.), the latter of which plated Rob Fisher (Matawan, N.J.) to even the game. Matos gave up a walk, but then came up with a strikeout to escape further damage.

Pinch-hitter Mark Gervasi (Philadelphia, Pa.) led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk. One out later, McHaffie legged out an infield single, and both runners moved up on a throwing error. Pat Heister (Sewell, N.J.) was intentionally walked to set up force plays at every base, but Miniconzi also drew a walk to end the game.

Golden Falcon sophomore righty Dean Loucka (Wood-Ridge, N.J.) (2-4) gave up three hits and struck out six in 4 1/3 innings of relief work, but was tagged with the loss after allowing the leadoff walk to Gervasi. Strickland, Fisher, and Branden Shaw (Cooper City, Fla.) had two hits each for Felician.

Matos scattered 10 hits, struck out four and walked four in a complete-game effort.

Felician concludes its regular season with non-conference contests versus Dowling College on Tuesday and at St. Thomas Aquinas College on Wednesday.