Felician Athletics - 2/22/08 BASEBALL - Baseball Team Splits On Opening Day

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Felician College baseball team split a pair of games during the Ripken Experience Northeast Challenge on Friday to open its 2008 season. Felician defeated Queens (N.Y.) College, 9-4, in its first game, before falling to Mercy College, 5-3, later in the afternoon.

In the season opener, freshman Anthony Balmos (Egg Harbor Township, NJ/EHT) snapped a 4-4 tie with a fifth-inning sacrifice fly and sophomore Jeff Calabrese (Freehold, NJ/CBA) (1-0) struck out eight batters over five innings to pace the Golden Falcons over Queens. Calabrese was making his first career start after 23 relief appearances.

Calabrese yielded four runs (two earned) in the first two innings before allowing only two baserunners in his final three innings of work. He finished with six hits and four walks. Scott VanEs (Secaucs, NJ/Secacus) struck out seven more Knights in four scoreless, one-hit innings to earn a save. Mike Buckelew (Whitehouse Station, NJ/Hunterdon Central) went 3 for 5 with two doubles, and Balmos, Mike Libretta (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) (2 for 3) and Chris Flynn (Keyport, NJ/Keyport) drove in two runs apiece. Jamie Quinn (Plainedge, NY/Plainedge) went 2 for 5 with a double for Queens (0-1).

Later on Friday, six Mercy pitchers combined to hold Felician to three base hits as the Mavericks prevailed, 5-3. The Golden Falcons, however, drew 12 walks and left eight runners on base. Trailing 2-1 after six innings, Felician allowed an unearned run in the seventh, scored only once after loading the bases with no one out in the bottom of the frame, then allowed another unearned run in the eighth. Libretta stroked an RBI double in the last of the eighth, but the Mavericks tacked on another run in the ninth, and Matt Moreno (Harrison, NY/Harrison) pitched a perfect bottom for his first save

Felician’s Marcos Torres (Miami, FL/South Miami) was 2 for 2, while starting pitcher Nick Riker (Highlands, NJ/Red Bank Catholic) (0-1) gave up two earned runs on three hits in 6 1/3 innings. Mercy’s Stephen Marsar (Seaford, NY/Holy Trinity) hurled two innings of hitless relief for the victory.

SCHEDULING NOTE: Felician's game versus West Chester University scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday at Myrtle Beach High School has been rescheduled for 9 p.m. at the Ripken Experience due to rain in the Myrtle Beach area.

Box vs. Queens
Box vs. Mercy