POMONA, N.Y. – The Felician College baseball team earned its second win over a regionally-ranked opponent in as many days when it defeated host St. Thomas Aquinas College, 6-5, on Wednesday afternoon at Provident Bank Park. A two-out RBI single in the top of the ninth inning by Felician freshman Bruce Strickland (Hazlet, N.J.) provided the winning run.

St. Thomas Aquinas (23-14-1) is ranked No. 6 in the most recent NCAA Division II East Region writers' poll. Wednesday's victory allowed the Golden Falcons to win two out of three games in its season series with STAC. Felician defeated Dowling College, the No. 5 team in the regional writers' poll, on Tuesday.

Leading, 3-2, Felician scored two runs in the top of the eighth. Jason Polgano (Bronx, N.Y.) had an RBI single in the inning, and Andrew LaMura (Brick, N.J.) scored on a passed ball. But the Spartans came back to plate three runs in the home half of the eighth. Junior Richard Cesca (Congers, N.Y.) had the big blow, a two-out, two-run double that tied the game.

Golden Falcon sophomore J.R. Meneses (Lake Worth, Fla.) reached on an error to start the ninth. Meneses was sacrificed to second base and crossed over to third on a groundout. Following a hit batsman, Strickland lined a 3-and-1 offering to center field to bring home Meneses and put Felician back on top.

Felician closer Matthew Facendo (Hazlet, N.J.) entered to start the bottom of the ninth and was greeted with a double by Stanley Susana (Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic). A grounder to the right side advanced Susana to third base. But Facendo snared a comebacker for the second out, and induced a ground ball to Strickland at third base to earn his fourth save of the season.

Junior John Holland (Jackson, N.J.) (6-5), the sixth of seven Felician pitchers, was credited with the victory. Strickland and Polgano each had a double among two hits, and Meneses stroked a two-run double in the second inning. Susana was 3 for 5 for the Spartans.

Felician concluded its regular season with a won-lost record of 20-26. The Golden Falcons are the No. 6 seed in the upcoming Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference playoffs, and travel to Chestnut Hill College for the single-elimination playdown round on Saturday.