Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Felician University baseball team was limited to a combined nine base hits while dropping both ends of a non-conference doubleheader to Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday night during the Northeast Challenge at the Ripken Experience Complex. The opening game was decided in 11 innings.
Junior third baseman Dauri Genao (West New York, N.J.) had a hit in each game for Felician (2-5).
Felician was the designated away team in Game 1. The Golden Falcons built a 3-0 lead with single runs in the first, fourth and fifth innings on run-scoring singles by Luis De La Cruz (Jersey City, N.J.), Jake Hall (Hopatcong, N.J.) and Genao, respectively. But the Felician offense was held without a hit over the final six innings by Southern Connecticut State reliever Tommy Hughes (Newington, Conn.).
The Owls (5-0) cut into their deficit in the home half of the fifth on a two-run double by Connor Goggin (Prospect, Conn.). The Golden Falcons intentionally walked Goggin with a runner on second base and two outs in the seventh, and SCSU graduate student Mike DeMartino (New Haven, Conn.) followed with a tying RBI single.
Hughes continued to keep Felician off the scoreboard into extra innings, and the Owls broke through for the win in the 11th. Chad Fedeli (Monroe, Conn.) reached on an error, was sacrificed to second base, and scored the winning run two batters later on a single by Andrew Eng (Ridgewood, N.J.) off of Logan Waltz (Hazlet, N.J.) (0-1), the fourth Golden Falcon pitcher of the game.
Hughes tossed 6 1/3 hitless relief innings and recorded 13 strikeouts, including 10 consecutively from the seventh to 10th frames. Felician was struck out a program-record 19 times in the game. Goggin, DeMartino and Bill Sullivan (Valley Cottage, N.Y.) had two hits each for the Owls.
As the home team for the nightcap, a scheduled seven-inning affair, Felician took an early lead on a second-inning RBI single by Chris Fernandez (Boca Raton, Fla.). But the Golden Falcons never again dented the scoreboard.
SCSU reached Felician senior right-hander Michael Gutierrez (Garfield, N.J.) (0-1) for four unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning, capped by a three-run double by Dave Christoforo (North Haven, Conn.), to take control. The Owls added four runs in the sixth and two in the seventh.
Gutierrez fanned 11 batters and walked one over 5 1/3 innings, yielding one earned run on five hits. He was bested by Owl freshman lefty Steve Phillips (Watertown, Conn.) (2-0), who gave up five hits over six innings with seven strikeouts and two walks. Christoforo went 3 for 4 with two doubles and six RBI. Fernandez was 2 for 2 and Genao had a double for Felician.
The Golden Falcons complete a five-game swing to Myrtle Beach by facing Queens (N.Y.) College at noon on Sunday.
