MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Felician University baseball team made a last-ditch effort to claw its way back from a 6-0 deficit but suffered a 7-5 non-conference loss to St. Thomas Aquinas College on Sunday afternoon at the Ripken Experience complex to conclude its season-opening weekend at the Northeast Challenge event.

Felician (1-3), ranked No. 6 in the preseason NCAA Division II East Region writers' poll, sent the tying run to the plate in both the eighth and ninth innings.

Senior center fielder Mike Martinez (Union City, N.J.) was 3 for 5 and classmate Jasson Corniel (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) added two hits for the Golden Falcons. St. Thomas Aquinas leadoff man Anthony Maisano (Staten Island, N.Y.) was 3 for 4 with a double.

The Spartans, the designated home team, jumped on top with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. They loaded the bases with no one out on two singles and a hit batsman off Golden Falcon junior right-hander Kyle O'Neill (West Islip, N.Y.) (0-1). A passed ball scored a run, and a walk refilled the bags. Everyone moved up a base on a fielding error, and one out later, a hit batsman plated a third run and ended O'Neill's day. Freshman Ryan Kurczeski (Freehold, N.J.) recorded a pair of strikeouts to escape further damage.

The Golden Falcons, meanwhile, struggled to make meaningful contact off STAC starting pitcher Thomas Gregory (Chester, N.Y.). The sophomore right-hander carried a four-hit shutout into the eighth. He entered that frame with a 6-0 advantage after his offense added three unearned runs in the fifth.

With one out in the top of the eighth, singles by Martinez and Ryan DeLeon (Sunrise, Fla.) chased Gregory (1-0). When play resumed, Martinez beat the play to third base on Nick Vincelli's (Spotswood, N.J.) ground ball, and Felician took advantage. Anthony Condito's (Nutley, N.J.) single to right field snapped the shutout, and Johnny Medina Jr. (Hawthorne, N.J.) followed with a two-run pinch-hit single to pull the Golden Falcons within 6-3.

Sean Downey (Elizabeth, N.J.) then hit a ground ball that appeared to be mishandled for an error. The ball, however, deflected from third base to shortstop, was fielded, and was flipped to second base for a forceout. Condito scored on the play to make the score 6-4, but Spartan reliever John Greeley (Stony Point, N.Y.) retired the next hitter.

STAC brought home a key insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on a Michael D'Andrea (Stony Point, N.Y.) pinch-hit sacrifice fly. In the ninth, Martinez drove in a run with a two-out single and moved all the way around to third base on a throwing error. Spartan junior righty James Reilly (Garnerville, N.Y.) recovered to induce a groundout and earn the save.

Gregory was charged with three earned runs on six hits over 7 1/3 innings.

Felician owned a 9-8 hits advantage but committed five errors, leading to four Spartan unearned runs. Golden Falcon pitchers walked five batters and hit three others.

Weather permitting, Felician will play a road doubleheader against nationally-ranked Millersville University on Wednesday in Millersville, Pa.