LYNDHURST, N.J. – The Felician University baseball team took the field for competition on Saturday for the first time since March 13, 2020. It became the sixth Golden Falcon intercollegiate squad to successfully return to play since the onset of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In the season openers for both schools, Felician split a non-conference doubleheader with visiting Molloy College at the Lyndhurst Recreation Complex. Molloy used a 13-run fourth inning to win Game 1, 15-5, while the Golden Falcons bounced back to capture Game 2, 11-8.

Felician was playing a season opener at home for the first time in its 22-year history. The Golden Falcons are ranked No. 10 and the Lions No. 5 in the preseason NCAA Division II East Region writers' poll.

Felician sophomore first baseman Edwin Tavarez (Garfield, N.J./Garfield) went 4 for 7 on the day with a home run and three runs batted in. Junior catcher Shawn Vazquez (Millville, N.J./Vineland) was 3 for 8 with a triple.

The nightcap was a scheduled seven-inning affair. Tavarez snapped a 7-7 tie with a one-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth, and Felician tacked a run later in the inning on a Michael Florides (Glen Cove, N.Y./St. Dominic's) RBI single. In the sixth, Molloy loaded the bases after two were out against Golden Falcon reliever Michael Gutierrez (Garfield, N.J./Garfield) and scored a run on a wild pitch, but Tavarez helped prevent further damage with a swipe tag on a potential errant throw to end the frame.

Vazquez tripled and scored on a Mike Martinez (Union City, N.J./Bergen Catholic) grounder in the home half of the sixth for the final margin. The Lions brought the tying run to the plate with two outs in the seventh before Gutierrez induced a popup to end the contest. Gutierrez earned the victory with 3 1/3 innings of two-hit relief, striking out five and walking three.

Felician had erased early deficits of 3-0 and 7-3. A two-out, two-run single by Levis Aguila (Miramar, Fla./Hialeah Gardens) in the fourth had evened the game at 7-7. Aguila had a double and three RBI and was one of five Golden Falcons with a pair of hits. Molloy designated hitter Sean Hogan (East Meadow, N.Y./Holy Trinity) lined two triples and drove in five runs and Lion leadoff man James Messina (New Hyde Park, N.Y./New Hyde Park) was 3 for 4.

The Golden Falcons had jumped ahead in Game 1 when Andrew Florides (Glen Cove, N.Y./Holy Cross) tripled to start the bottom of the third and came home on Chris Fernandez's (Boca Raton, Fla./Boca Raton Community) groundout. But Molloy posted a baker's dozen in the fourth. A three-run Jake McCarthy (Northport, N.Y./Northport) home run put the Lions ahead for good, and three Felician pitchers combined to issue seven walks in the inning, including five consecutively.

Molloy graduate right-hander Timothy Panetta (Broad Channel, N.Y./Christ the King) struck out seven and walked none over six innings on the mound. He gave up one run on three hits. McCarthy was 3 for 5 plus a walk with four RBI. Andrew Florides smashed a pair of triples in his Felician debut, and Tavarez was 2 for 3 with two stolen bases.

Molloy hosts Felician in a single game on Tuesday at 3:30 in Uniondale, N.Y.