LYNDHURST, N.J. - The Caldwell College baseball team split a doubleheader with Felician College, losing the first game 7-4 before winning Game 2, 9-0 Saturday afternoon at Breslin Field. The Cougars, who beat Felician in a single game on Thursday, are now 2-2 in the conference and 8-9 overall, while the Golden Falcons are 8-11, 1-2 CACC. Senior catcher Chris Chiarappa (Elmont, NY/Holy Trinity) went 5-for-7 with four runs batted in to pace the Cougar bats.

After Felician took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning of Game 1, Caldwell put four runs on the board in the top of the third. Chiarappa singled home senior Tommy Murphy (Monroe, NY/Washingtonville) from third, then later scored along with sophomore Ray Keelan (Barnegat, NJ/Southern Regional) on a two-run double by sophomore Omar Velazquez (Astoria, NY/Long Island City). After Velazquez stole second, junior Jorge Torres (Coral Springs, FL/Taravella) singled him home for a 4-1 Caldwell lead. But the Golden Falcons came back in the bottom of the sixth, scoring six runs on six hits and one error. The big blow was a bases-loaded double off the bat of Marcos Torres that scored three runs and put Felician on top 6-4.

Velazquez started the game on the mound for Caldwell and allowed four hits and three runs while walking five and striking out three in five innings. Sophomore Buddy Riggs (Coral Springs, FL/Taravella) took the loss and fell to 1-3 on the year. Felician's Scott VanEs (1-2) pitched 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the victory.

Two big innings proved to be the difference in the second game, as the Cougars scored all nine of their runs in the second and third innings. Freshman Gabriel Molina (Bronx, NY/Monroe) led off the second with a home run to left field, his second of the season. After loading the bases on a pair of walks and an error, Caldwell scored runs on a wild pitch and an error for a 3-0 lead. Chiarappa made it 4-0 with a single that scored Keelan. In the third inning, Chiarappa and freshman Edgar Santos (Woodside, NY/Bryant) each hit two-run singles, and Murphy singled home a run to make the score 9-0.

Murphy only needed one run, however, as the senior right-hander blanked Felician while striking out a career-high 13 batters in the complete-game victory. He gave up five hits while walking two in seven innings of work. Danny Conti (0-3) started the game for Felician and lasted two innings after allowing six runs on five hits. At the plate, Chiarappa was 2-for-3 with three RBIs, and Murphy also collected a pair of hits and an RBI to help his own cause.

The Cougars play a CACC doubleheader at Nyack College on Tuesday, Apr. 1, beginning at 4:00 p.m.