The Albertus Magnus baseball team dropped a 9-3 decision to Westfield State in non-conference action on Thursday afternoon. Zak Sokolis (Meriden, Conn.) and Fanol Prevalla (Berlin, Conn.) both went 2-for-4 with a run scored for the Falcons.
Albertus (1-7) opened the contest with the first run of the game as Prevalla scored on a Westfield State error. Prevalla led off the game with a single before moving to second on a groundout. After stealing third he was able to cross the plate on the Owls' first error of the game.
Westfield put four runs on the scoreboard in the third inning to take a 4-1 lead. Five-straight hits and an Albertus error allowed for Westfield State to take their first lead of the day.
In the sixth inning, Sokolis led off the frame with a single before advancing to third on a fielder's choice and throwing error. Despite a Falcon strikeout, Kyle Calechman (North Haven, Conn.) was able to steal second, while Sokolis scored on another error by the Knights' catcher.
Robert Gambardella (North Haven, Conn.) singled to left field to score Calechman from second for the Falcons' third run of the ballgame.
Westfield State added five runs in the bottom of the sixth to extend their lead to 9-3 then shutout the Falcons in the final three innings of play.
Daniel Kmiechick (Barnegat, N.J.) threw 5.1 innings for the Falcons in his second start of the year as he fell to 0-2 on the hill. Kmiechick allowed eight hits, six earned runs and two walks, while striking out two batters.
Brian Levchuk (Branford, Conn.) came into the game from the bullpen but allowed three runs on two hits before being replaced by Matt Caputo (East Haven, Conn.). Caputo threw 2.1 innings of shutout baseball, while he gave up five hits to the Owls. Jared Sabanski (Stamford, Conn.) finished out the game for the Falcons as he faced one batter in the eighth and forced an inning-ending groundout.
Bret Siflinger earned the win for the Owls as he threw eight solid innings of work. He allowed six hits and three runs and struck out 10 batters.
The Falcons will play in their 2012 home opener on Monday, March 26 as they will host Coast Guard in non-conference action. The double-header contest will begin at 4:00 p.m.
