NORRISTOWN, Pa. – The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference will crown a new champion in baseball this season, as 2014 league titlist Felician College was defeated, 6-4, by host Chestnut Hill College in an elimination playdown round contest on Saturday afternoon at Latshaw-McCarthy Field.

No. 3 seed Chestnut Hill (27-11) is ranked No. 7 in the latest NCAA Division II East Region writers' poll. The Griffins advance to the double-elimination main draw of the CACC Tournament, where they will first take on No. 2 seed Post University next Thursday at Wilson Field in New Castle, Del. No. 6 seed Felician sees its season come to an end with a won-lost record of 20-27.

CHC created runs in four of their first five offensive innings, including two without a hit in the first off of Felician senior left-hander Jack Fowler (Shrewsbury, N.J.) (2-7). Alec Craig (Hammonton, N.J.) was hit by a pitch, moved to second base on a wild pitch, and scored on a Felician throwing error. Two batters later, Brendan Looby (Sewell, N.J.) lifted a sacrifice fly to right field.

The Griffins posted three singles in the third, including a run-scoring hit by Michael McLaughlin (Philadelphia, Pa.). Matthew Owens (Cherry Hill, N.J.) had a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and an error and a walk helped chase Fowler in the fifth. Preston Koehler (Bath, Pa.) greeted Golden Falcon reliever John Holland (Jackson, N.J.) with an RBI single for a 5-0 lead.

Meanwhile, CHC senior right-hander Dominic Raia (Philadelphia, Pa.) had been close to unhittable. In the first five innings, Raia allowed just two hits while striking out eight batters. But Felician saw its first three batters single to start the top of the sixth, including an RBI looper by Rob Fisher (Matawan, N.J.).

With runners on first and third, Bruce Strickland's (Hazlet, N.J.) groundout produced a run. Three batters later, Jason Polgano (Bronx, N.Y.) delivered an RBI single to right, and Andrew LaMura (Brick, N.J.), who had walked and advanced on a wild pitch, also came around to score when the throw home hopped over the catcher. Gerard De Filippo (East Hanover, N.J.) gave a bid for a game-tying single, but Griffin third-baseman Taylor Steen (New Egypt, N.J.) made a diving stop of his grounder to retire the side.

Raia (8-1) worked around a hit batsman in the seventh and set the Golden Falcons down in order in the eighth. The Griffins tacked on a run in the bottom of the eighth on a two-out RBI triple by Owens. Felician put two runners on base with one out in the ninth, but Raia induced a flyout to left and a grounder to first to allow CHC to move on.

Raia threw 113 pitches in a complete-game win, striking out 12 batters while giving up seven hits and one walk. Junior catcher Robert Slagle (Lafayette Hill, Pa.) had two doubles for the Griffins. Felician's Polgano and J.R. Meneses (Lake Worth, Fla.) were each 2 for 4.

Fowler, Felician's all-time wins leader, was charged with three earned runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings. He completes his career with 243 strikeouts, second only to Stephen Paladino in Golden Falcon history.