Box Score

WILSON, N.C. - Senior Andrew Furber threw 5.2 shutout innings in relief and East Stroudsburg University threw out the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning, posting a 6-5 win over Felician in the 2015 baseball season opener on Friday in North Carolina.

Sophomore OF Ben Bortz drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning with a two-out single as ESU rallied from a 5-3 deficit through four innings.

Furber entered in relief in the fourth and got nine of his 17 outs via strikeout while allowing four hits and three walks. He struck out the side around a one-out walk in the eighth, then got help from the Warriors' defense in the ninth.

Brandon Shaw drew a leadoff walk but was thrown out stealing by freshman catcher Steven Zimmerman, Jr. Then Andrew LaMura singled and cleanup hitter Brennan Price doubled, but ESU cut down LaMura at the plate on a relay from redshirt sophomore CF Casey Saverio to redshirt sophomore SS Conner Crookham to Zimmerman. Furber got Gerard DeFilippo to line out to redshirt junior 3B Drew Hercik at third to end the game.

LaMura had two hits and Price was 3-for-5 for Felician, which advanced to the NCAA Division II East Regional last spring. Felician is No. 6 in the NCBWA East Region preseason poll, with ESU slotted No. 10 in the Atlantic Region.

ESU had 12 hits with four players collecting multiple hits in redshirt junior 1B Matt Walewski, junior DH Dylan Tamecki, Bortz and junior 2B Nick Rabasco.

Felician scored two runs in both of the first two innings off redshirt junior RHP Matt Festa, but ESU stayed in the game with one run in the first and two in the second.

In the opening frame, Crookham drew a two-out walk, moved to second on a single by Walewski and scored on an RBI single by Tamecki.

In the second, Richards and Rabasco had one-out singles with an error putting runners on second and third. Both scored on a two-out double by Hercik.

It was 5-3 through four innings, but ESU tied the game with two runs in the top of the sixth. Tamecki and Bortz singled and sophomore OF Ian Allen walked to load the bases. Tamecki scored when Richards grounded into a double play, and ESU played an unearned run to tie the game when Bortz scored on a fielding error with Rabasco at bat.

In the seventh, Crookham had a leadoff walk, stole second and scored on Bortz's two-out single.

Friday's game was played with wood bats with Felician playing in the Northeast-10 Conference. Both games on Saturday (12 and 2 p.m.) will be played with aluminum bats.