Box Score

CARY, N.C. - Preseason All-America center fielder Chris Knott reached base four times and scored three runs, and redshirt sophomore Matt Festa had an outstanding 3.0-inning relief effort in his East Stroudsburg University debut as the defending PSAC champions opened 2014 with a 6-2 win at Saint Augustine's in non-conference baseball on Sunday.

Senior Ryan Lubreski, who set ESU's record with eight wins on the mound last year, won his first decision this spring, going 5.0 innings with six strikeouts, two walks, six hits and two runs allowed.

Festa, a transfer from Dominican (N.Y.), didn't allow a hit and struck out six in 3.0 innings in relief of Lubreski. Senior Keenan Stare, who finished all four games and had two saves in last spring's PSAC championship run, pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The three-game series concludes with a doubleheader on Monday.

The Warriors had 10 hits with the second through fourth hitters - redshirt sophomore 3B Drew Hercik, Knott and senior 1B Mike Tenaglia - going 7-for-13 with two walks, two RBI and four runs scored.

Hercik was 2-for-5 with a run, Knott went 2-for-3 with two walks, an RBI double and three runs, and Tenaglia was 3-for-5 with an RBI.

Knott, an NCBWA preseason All-America second team selection, collected his 150th career hit for the Warriors. He entered the season ranked in ESU's career top 10 in seven offensive categories.

Saint Augustine's struck first with an RBI triple by Jason Baytop in the first inning, and ESU didn't get its first hit off starter Bryan Rivera (5.1 IP, 7 hits, 3 ER) until senior SS Eric Linares doubled with two outs in the third inning.

The Warriors went ahead with three runs in the fourth off Rivera, who was last week's NCBWA Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Week.

Hercik hit a leadoff single, Knott followed with an RBI double and Tenaglia belted an RBI single for a 2-1 lead. ESU used three Saint Augustine errors to add another run later in the frame.

The Falcons cut it to 3-2 with a run in the bottom of the fifth, but ESU got it back in the top of the sixth. Redshirt senior DH Nico Delerme and sophomore OF John Armbrust hit back-to-back singles with one out, redshirt freshman 2B Jay Young drew a walk and Delerme scored on an RBI groundout by Linares.

Festa came on in the bottom of the sixth and struck out the side around a two-out hit batsman. He erased a leadoff error with a double play in the seventh and ended the frame with a strikeout, then got out of a second-and-third, two-out situation in the eighth with a strikeout after a hit batter and an error gave the Falcons two baserunners.

Knott helped ESU add insurance runs in the seventh and ninth innings. He had a one-out single, stole second, moved to third on a single by Tenaglia and scored on a sacrifice fly by senior C Eric Forth in the seventh. In the ninth, he drew a two-out walk, moved to third on an error by the pitcher and scored on a wild pitch.

The Warriors will finish the three-game series with a doubleheader on Monday beginning at 1 p.m.


GAME NOTES
* ESU entered the season ranked No. 5 in the NCBWA Atlantic Region preseason poll. The Warriors have advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament in two of the last three years (2011, 2013).

* Knott and Lubreski were both first team NCBWA preseason All-Region selections, with Knott gaining a place on the preseason All-America second team.
* Knott was a consensus first team All-Region selection in 2013 by the NCBWA, ABCA and Daktronics. Lubreski was a consensus second team selection.