Madison, NJ, (April 29, 2006) – Sophomore Scott Matejicka (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) hit a grand slam in the third inning of game one leading the DeSales University baseball team past FDU-Florham, 8-4, but the Bulldogs dropped the second game to the Devils, 7-3, in a Freedom Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.

 

        The split means DeSales (19-16, 9-7 Freedom) needs one win on Sunday at The University of Scranton to qualify them for the Freedom Conference playoffs which will be held at Quakertown Memorial Park next weekend.

 

        FDU-Florham (19-16, 12-6 Freedom) clinches the #1 seed with the win today and King’s College is locked into the #2 spot with its 11-7 Freedom Conference record.  Drew University is also locked into a playoff spot but will have to wait until the result of the doubleheader between DeSales and Scranton on Sunday to find out its seeding.  A DeSales win locks the Bulldogs into the #3 spot, but if Scranton wins both games on Sunday, Scranton will earn the #4 seed and Drew moves to the #3 seed.

 

        In game one, DSU took an early 6-0 lead on Matejicka’s grand slam in the third inning.  The Bulldogs added two more runs in the fifth before the Devils scored three times in the sixth to provide the final margin.

 

        Sophomore JT Brotosky (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) earned the win going five innings allowing seven hits and four runs (two earned).  Freshman Andrew Kulhamer (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) pitched the final two innings allowing just one hit and striking out two.

 

        Senior Derek Miller (Green Lane, PA/Upper Perkiomen) had three hits and freshman Mike Bianca (Ellicott City, MD/Mt. St. Joseph) and John Pisker (Oley, PA/Oley Valley) each had two hits in the game one win.  Matjicka scored twice to go along with his four RBI’s.

 

        DSU led 3-2 thru four innings in game two before the Devils scored twice in the fifth and three times in the sixth to clinch that #1 spot in the playoffs and record the 7-3 game two win.

 

        Senior Joe Chapman (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) took the loss in game two as he scattered seven hits and allowed six runs (just two earned) in the loss.  The DSU offense managed just four hits in game two after pounding out 12 in the game one win.  The Bulldogs also committed a season-high eight errors in the game two loss.  Bianca and Matejicka knocked in two of DSU’s three runs.