PALISADES PARK, N.J.  – The Felician University baseball team pushed its winning percentage above .500 for the first time this season by earning two victories over the visiting University of the Sciences on Friday afternoon at Overpeck County Park. Felician won Game 1 of the teams' Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader, 6-4, before taking Game 2, 12-7. Both contests were scheduled seven-inning affairs.

Redshirt junior outfielder Chris Fernandez (Boca Raton, Fla./Boca Raton Community) was 5 for 7 on the day for the Golden Falcons, including a triple in each game. Felician also took advantage of a combined 11 USciences errors, which led to a total of 12 unearned runs.

In Game 1, Felician (18-17, 11-6 CACC) overcame early deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 by scoring in each of its first five offensive frames. The hosts took the lead for good, 4-3, in the bottom of the third when Alex Torres (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Liberty) followed Shawn Vazquez's (Millville, N.J./Vineland) sacrifice fly with an RBI single.

Felician scored on a throwing error in the fourth and a Torres groundout in the fifth to extend to a 6-3 edge. That was enough for junior left-hander Wilfrido Valenzuela (Paterson, N.J./Paterson Eastside) to earn his first win as a Golden Falcon. Valenzuela (1-2) allowed four runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six Devils and walked three before giving way to freshman lefty Mekhi Sanchez (Vineland, N.J./Vineland) with the based loaded and one out in the fifth.

Sanchez allowed a sacrifice fly to Joe Duffy (Freehold, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) but otherwise worked out of trouble. He then pitched a perfect seventh for his first career save. Fernandez was 3 for 3 and scored twice and Andrew Florides (Glen Cove, N.Y./Holy Cross) had a pair of doubles for Felician. Evan Sinclair (Brooklyn, N.Y./Millenium) was 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored for USciences.

Felician overcame a pair of deficits by scoring five times in both the third and fourth innings of the nightcap. Levis Aguila (Miramar, Fla./Hialeah Gardens) and Fernandez had RBI singles in the third, which was extended by two Devil errors. USciences moved ahead 7-5 in the fifth, scoring twice on wild pitches and another run on a passed ball.

But Felician answered in the home half of the fourth, loaded the bases without a hit with one out. Edwin Tavarez (Garfield N.J./Garfield) lined a two-run single up the middle, with the go-ahead run scoring on a throwing error. Colby Johnson (Frederick, Md./Oakdale) added a run-scoring single, and Fernandez capped the rally with an RBI triple.

Sophomore right-hander Ryan Kurczeski (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Township) (1-0) worked 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to claim his first collegiate victory. Sanchez again came on in the seventh to finish the game, retiring three of four batters. Tavarez was 2 for 4 and scored three runs, and Johnson and Fernandez also collected two hits each. Duffy and Frank Pollock (Souderton, Pa./Souderton) were each 2 for 3 for the Devils.