Box Score MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Eight Felician University pitchers gave up 12 base hits and issued nine walks in the Golden Falcons' 11-5 non-conference baseball loss to host St. Thomas (Fla.) University on Wednesday evening at Paul Demie Mainieri Field. St. Thomas (17-7) is ranked 22nd nationally in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
The Felician coaching staff designated the game as a "staff day" on the mound, and no Golden Falcon hurler worked more than 1 1/3 innings. Nevertheless, the game was even, 4-4, after four stanzas.
The visitors took the lead for the third time in the game in the top of the fifth. Bruce Strickland (Hazlet, N.J.) led off with a double, and moved up a base on an errant pickoff attempt. A sacrifice fly by Andrew LaMura (Brick, N.J.) brought Strickland home.
Three Bobcat relievers, however, combined to toss four innings of two-hit ball with four strikeouts in shutting down the Golden Falcon offense for the rest of the night. St. Thomas moved ahead for good with three runs in the bottom of the fifth, scoring the tying run on a fielding error and taking the lead on Nick Canino's (Miami, Fla.) two-run single. Senior left-hander Joe Schultheis (Plainview, N.Y.) (0-1) surrendered the three-spot and was tagged with the loss.
STU plated a run in the sixth before taking full control after Jack Diaz's (Miami, Fla.) three-run home run in the seventh.
Senior David Palenzuela (Hialeah, Fla.) was 3 for 5 with a double and Randy Oliva (Tampa, Fla.) homered for the Bobcats. Strickland went 3 for 5 and scored twice and Brennan Price (Middlesex, N.J.) was 2 for 5 for Felician (6-5).
The Bobcats took 2 of 3 games against the Golden Falcons over the last five days.
