Box Score - Game 1, Box Score - Game 2

West Palm Beach, Fla. – The American International College baseball team opened the 2011 campaign with a pair of losses to Felician College (6-5) Saturday in its first action of 2011, dropping game-one 7-1 and game-two 2-1. Both were seven-inning affairs.

The Golden Falcons jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first in game-one on a RBI-triple from sophomore third baseman Mike Farrell (Lincroft, N.J.) and an RBI- ground rule double off the bat of junior designated hitter Victor Monteagudo (West Palm Beach, Fla.).

AIC got on the board in the bottom of the fourth as senior catcher Anthony Arrichiello (Yonkers, N.Y.) singled to lead-off the inning and then scored on senior designated hitter Nicholas Devine's (Springfield, Mass.) triple to center field to make it a 2-1 game.

Felician then broke the game open with a five-run fifth and allowed just three Yellow Jackets to reach base over the final three innings for the 7-1 final.

Freshman Matt Marsh (Oceanport, N.J.) earned the decision on the mound after allowing one run on five hits with four strikeouts in four innings, while junior John Hanna (Dudley, Mass.) took the loss after giving up all seven runs, only four of which were earned, in 4.2 innings. Freshman third baseman Dave Clark (West Springfield, Mass.) went 2-for-3 in his collegiate debut for the Yellow Jackets.

The Golden Falcons grabbed the lead for good in the fourth inning of game-two when junior left fielder George Hajjar (Utica, N.Y.) scored on a passes ball with two outs in the frame and Martindale scored what proved to be the game-winning run on sophomore right fielder Joe Petosa's (Spotswood, N.J.) single after reaching base on an error.

The Yellow Jackets managed to get one run back in the bottom of the seventh when Devine singled up the middle to drive in senior Kyle McNiff (Westford, Mass.), but that was all the offense they would get as Clark struck out with the bases loaded to end the game.

Freshman Steve Paladino (Brooklyn, N.Y.) fanned six in six innings of work while allowing just two hits to earn the decision for Felician, while junior Geoff McCowatt (Sterling, Va.) was tagged with the loss after allowing two unearned runs with four Ks in 4.2 innings.

The Yellow Jackets will next take on NCAA Division I St. Bonaventure University Sunday 2 p.m. in Palm Beach, Fla.