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Box Score 2 LYNDHURST, N.J. – Felician University broke a 1-1 tie with two fifth-inning runs to earn a 3-1 Game 2 victory over visiting Bloomfield College and a sweep of the teams' Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference baseball doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at the Lyndhurst Recreation Complex. The Golden Falcons were triumphant in the day's first game, 7-0. Felician improved to 15-0 at "Lyndhurst Rec" this season.
The Golden Falcons (27-9, 16-2 CACC) are ranked No. 21 in the latest national NCAA Division II writers' poll, and second regionally. Felician solidified its hold on first place in the CACC, needing to win two of its final four league games to secure its second consecutive conference regular-season title.
Game 2 was scheduled for seven innings, and featured a solid pitchers' duel between Bloomfield senior right-hander Carlos Tejeda (New York, N.Y./Colegio Amapola) and Felician junior righty Rob Naughton (Levittown, N.Y./Chaminade). The Golden Falcons reached Tejeda for an unearned run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Brennan Price (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex), but the Bears answered in the top of the fifth with Ramger Iglesias' (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe) RBI single.
Felician junior Matt Diesel (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) singled with one out in the bottom of the fifth and advanced on a passed ball. Ronnie Grant (Burlington, N.J./Burlington Township) knocked home the go-ahead run with a single and moved up on an outfield error. He was quickly brought in on a hit by Andrew LaMura (Brick, N.J./Red Bank Catholic).
Naughton (5-0) scattered seven hits over 5 1/3 frames, before giving way to senior lefty Tommy Giunta (Jackson, N.J./Marlboro). Junior Dan Naif (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Liberty) got the final four outs for his sixth save of the season. It was Naif's 16th career save, allowing him to break his tie with Matthew Facendo and become Felician's all-time leader.
LaMura finished 2 for 2. Golden Falcon catcher Matt Kleinstein (Marlboro, N.J./Colts Neck) threw out three would-be base-stealers in the contest and four for the day. Tejeda (5-1) yielded three runs (one earned) on six hits over six innings, striking out six batters and walking one. Iglesias and Juan Reina (double) picked up two hits each for Bloomfield (15-18, 11-8).
Senior right-hander John Holland (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Liberty) became the Golden Falcons' all-time leader in pitching victories in Game 1. He earned his 20th career win, breaking his tie with Jack Fowler. Holland carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before giving up a one-out single to Reina.
Felician scored a run in the first on a Grant triple and a LaMura single, and that 1-0 score held until the fifth, when the Golden Falcons picked up three runs on only one hit, a leadoff double by Diesel. Felician took advantage of two Bear errors, two wild pitches, and a squeeze bunt by Bruce Strickland (Hazlet, N.J./Raritan). The hosts tacked on two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh for the final margin.
Holland (6-1) allowed just the one hit over 7 1/3 innings, striking out seven batters and walking four. He combined with senior relievers Joe Schultheis (Plainview, N.Y./Bethpage) and Mike Gonzalez (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Pembroke Pines Charter) on a two-hit shutout. Grant had a double and a triple and scored three runs, and Price was on base four times for Felician.
Following the doubleheader, 13 Felician seniors – JanCarlos Brito (West Hempstead, N.Y./West Hempstead), Drue Brooks (Spring Hill, Fla./Nature Coast Tech), Ralph Caccavale (Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge), Giunta, Gonzalez, Grant, Holland, Kleinstein, LaMura, Garrett Luna (Lodi, N.J./Paramus Catholic), J.R. Meneses (Lake Worth, Fla./Zion Lutheran), Price and Schultheis – were honored in an informal ceremony.
Felician will travel to Molloy College on Monday for non-conference action at 4 p.m.
