Box Score Norristown, Pa. - (5/2/2015) – Four sixth-inning runs, three earned, against senior pitcher Dominic Raia III (Philadelphia, Pa.) was not enough for #6 Felician College to derail the #3 Griffins as Chestnut Hill College provided their ace with plenty of support in an 6-4 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Opening Round triumph. Raia struck out a dozen Golden Falcons while junior designated hitter Brendan Looby (Sewell, N.J.), senior right fielder Michael McLaughlin (Philadelphia, Pa.), freshman first baseman Matthew Owens (Cherry Hill, N.J.), and senior shortstop Preston Koehler (Bath, Pa.) plated the necessary five runs in the Griffins' first five at-bats against the Golden Falcons.

After Raia sat down the first three Golden Falcons he faced, Chestnut Hill College (27-11) wasted no time grabbing the upper hand as a lead-off beaning of freshman second baseman Alec Craig (Hammonton, N.J.) was followed by a wild pitch, and a misfielded a sacrifice to third base from senior third baseman Taylor Steen (New Egypt, N.J.) that facilitated the first Griffins tally of the afternoon. The second was not far behind with a McLaughlin sacrifice moving Steen to third before a Looby fly to right field brought him home for the early 2-0 advantage.

As Raia cruised through the Golden Falcon lineup the Griffins put runs on the scoreboard in the third, fourth, and fifth innings thanks to respective contributions from McLaughlin, Owens, and Koehler. Following a third-inning lead-off single from sophomore center fielder Brandon DiBona (Southampton, Pa.), a Craig sacrifice, a single from Steen, and a McLaughlin single advanced the Griffin advantage to 3-0. It turned 4-0 with a Owens sacrifice fly the brought home Koehler who led off the fourth-inning at-bat with a single up the middle and moved to third on a double down the left field line from junior catcher Robert Slagle III (Lafayette Hill, Pa.). Koehler ended up platting the Griffins' game-winning run on his fifth-inning, two-out single back through the box, 5-0.

Raia's only hiccup cam in the sixth inning, when the Golden Falcons threated with four runs on four hits, a walk, a wild pitch, and a Griffin error in right field, 5-4. But the Felician College rally was soon squashed as the Griffin ace closed the frame with a grounder to third base before retiring the next seven Golden Falcons in order. In the ninth, a one-out beaning of junior designated hitter Gerard De Filippo (East Hanover, N.J.) made things interesting in the visitor's final at-bat. He moved to second on a pinch-hit single from sophomore Sean Rogers (Kendall Park, N.J.), but no further as Raia went the distance, inducing the final two outs with a fly to left and a grounder back to the mound.

Slagle and Koehler totaled two hits apiece while Owens knocked in two in just his sixth collegiate start. Raia (8-1) allowed three earned runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out 12 Golden Falcons in his, program-record, eighth win of the season. 

The victory earns #3 Chestnut Hill College a 12:00 p.m. contest with #2 Post University in the double-elimination, round-robin session of the CACC Championship Tournament which is scheduled for Thursday, May 7, at Wilmington University's Jim Sherman Sr. Stadium (Wilson Field). Prior to the completion of the CACC Championship Tournament, the Griffins will travel to Annapolis, Maryland, tomorrow, Sunday, May 3, to face the United States Naval Academy in a 1:00 p.m. contest.