Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 LYNDHURST, N.J. – Reliever Danny Naif (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Liberty) worked out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the top of the eighth inning and junior center fielder Andrew LaMura (Brick, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) lined a go-ahead two-run single in the bottom half as Felician University rallied for a 5-3 Game 2 victory over visiting Post University and a sweep of the teams' Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference baseball doubleheader on Wednesday evening at the Lyndhurst Recreation Complex.
Felician captured Game 1, 21-0, tying the school record for largest victory margin in a shutout. Golden Falcon sophomore Matt Diesel (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) drove in five runs on the day. Felician (19-15, 8-2 CACC) has won five games in a row and 14 of its last 16.
The Game 2 victory was the 300th in the career of Golden Falcons' head coach Chris Langan of Hazlet. Langan has spent his entire 13-year collegiate coaching career at Felician.
Post (8-24, 3-9) broke a 1-1 Game 2 tie in the top of the sixth inning on a two-run single by Maxime Robillard (Blainville, Quebec/Gareses Vanier). The Eagles then put their first three runners on base in the eighth. Naif (2-0) entered the game and recorded a strikeout, lineout and strikeout to preserve the one-run deficit.
With one out in the home half of the eighth, Ralph Caccavale (Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) and Diesel drew consecutive walks. Both runners advanced on a passed ball before scoring on LaMura's hit. LaMura advanced to second base on the throw home and to third on a throwing error on the play, and Brennan Price (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex) delivered a sacrifice fly for an insurance run.
Naif worked around a leadoff single to retire the Eagles in the ninth. Both starting pitchers were effective in no decisions. Post sophomore left-hander Enzo Esposito (Hamilton, N.J.) allowed one earned run on three hits with 12 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. Felician junior lefty Drue Brooks (Spring Hill, Fla./Nature Coast Tech) gave up one earned run on one hit in five-plus frames.
Both teams were limited to four hits. Price was 2 for 3 with a double and Caccavale had a triple for Felician. The Eagles' Mike Munson (Plainville, Conn./Plainville) went 2 for 3.
Game 1 represented the most runs for the Golden Falcons since a 23-5 home victory over Domincan (N.Y.) College on Mar. 22, 2014. Felician scored three runs in the third inning, then broke the game open with an eight-run fourth. Caccavale had a two-run single and Matt Kleinstein (Marlboro, N.J./Colts Neck) a three-run triple to highlight the uprising.
Diesel had a two-run single in the Golden Falcons' four-run seventh, and the hosts plated five more runs on just two hits in the eighth.
Junior right-hander Matt Blandino (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Central) (5-2) won his fifth consecutive start for Felician. He departed after five innings, having allowed one hit with six strikeouts and no walks. Three relievers combined to complete a four-hitter.
Diesel went 3 for 4 with four RBI and Bruce Strickland (Hazlet, N.J./Raritan) was 3 for 5 as Felician accumulated 19 base hits. Freshman Omar Jimenez (Perth Amboy, N.J./Perth Amboy) came off the bench to stroke two doubles and score twice.
Felician defeated Lincoln (Pa.) University, 21-0, in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Mar. 21, 2010.
Included in Langan's 300-323 career record is a 155-112 (.581) mark in regular-season CACC play.
