HAMDEN, Conn. - An eighth-inning rally lifted the fourth-seeded Albertus Magnus College baseball team to a 5-2 win over the fifth-seeded Cadets of Norwich University on Wednesday evening at Hamden High School. With tonight's victory, the Falcons advance to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament Semifinals for the first time since 2009. 

Fifth-year seniors Matt Warren (Wolcott, Conn.) and Shawn McFeggan (Anaheim, Calif.) led the way for the Falcons, with Warren delivering a pair of crucial hits in the victory and McFeggan twirling seven spectacular innings of one-run ball on the hill. 

The Falcons take on the AMCATS of Anna Maria College in the conference semifinals on Thursday, May 6, at 3 PM at the New England Baseball Complex.      

THE BASICS 
FINAL: Albertus Magnus 5 | Norwich 2 
MEETING: This is the 41st all-time meeting between the Falcons and Cadets.
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (5-13) | Norwich (6-3)
LOCATION: Hamden High School
BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Cadets got on the board early in the first inning, putting two on with no outs to start the game. A fielder's choice and a Falcon throwing error scored the runner from third, before McFeggan slammed the door on the rally, striking out the Cadets' center fielder Koby Foster to end the inning.  

The Falcons had runners all over the bases in the bottom half of the frame but were unable to push the tying run across. Junior Joe Matthews (Anaheim, Calif.) got the Falcon offensive machine rolling, reaching first on an error by the Cadets' shortstop. Senior Brandon Clark (Cheshire, Conn.) followed up with a walk to put two on with no outs for Warren. Warren managed to advance the runners to second and third with a hard groundout to first base, but Cadets hurler Tanner Raymond shut Albertus down from there, recording the final two outs of the inning to preserve the 1-0 Norwich lead. 

After the first inning, McFeggan settled down, holding the Cadets scoreless through the seventh inning. The senior hurler worked around a walk in the second and a pair of hits in the third, baffling the Cadets' lineup with a lethal arsenal of pitches. From the fourth inning onwards, McFeggan was untouchable, retiring 12 consecutive hitters, before being relieved by senior Dan DeBartolomeo (Fairfield, Conn.) in the eighth.     

The Falcon offense was likewise befuddled by Raymond. Albertus managed just a walk and a hit through the next four frames, failing to tally a run.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Falcons struck like lightning. After a quick popout, Warren stepped to the plate and promptly found a pitch he liked, blasting a home run over the right-center fence to tie the game at 1-all and knock Raymond from the game. The Cadets' reliever, Matt Ingraffia, slammed the door on the Falcons, retiring the next two hitters to end the sixth and keep the game tied at 1.      

Neither team was able to get the offense rolling from there, as the seventh inning featured a pair of three-up, three-down half-innings to send the game into the eighth, still tied at 1. 

DeBartolomeo struck out the first hitter of the inning before the Cadets put a runner on board via error. A wild pitch and a popout put the go-ahead run ninety feet away for the Cadets with two outs, before PJ Morales tripled to center field giving the Cadets the 2-1 advantage. Shortly after, DeBartolomeo induced a flyout to centerfield to end the threat. 

The Falcons opened the bottom of the eighth with three straight walks to Nhasean Murphy (Manchester, Conn.), Matthews, and Clark, loading the bases for Warren. The Wolcott, Conn. native didn't disappoint, ripping an RBI-single to right field to drive in Murphy and tie the game at 2-all. Justen Rodriguez (Waterbury, Conn.) then followed with a two-run RBI double down the left-field line to score a pair and give the Falcons the 4-2 lead. An Eduardo Pena (Hamden, Conn.) single put runners on the corners, with Zack Fenn (Oakville, Conn.) coming into pinch run. Alex Kozloski (Shelton, Conn.) ripped an infield single to score Rodriguez from third before Caden Cloutier (Wallingford, Conn.) struck out to end the inning, leaving two runners on base.  

With a 5-2 lead in the top of the ninth, the Falcons called on showstopping closer Jay Palais (Farmington, Conn.) to save the game and send the Falcons to the semifinals.  Palais didn't disappoint, striking out the first two batters he faced, before getting the Cadet's Owen Silk to pop out to first for the final out.        

TOP PERFORMERS

• WP: Dan DeBartolomeo (W, 1-2) | LP: Matt Ingraffia (L, 1-2) | SV: Jay Palais (2)  
• Norwich was held to only four hits, all from different players.
• The Falcons were led offensively by Warren and Kozlowski, who finished the game with a team-high two hits each.
• Warren also led the team, along with Rodriguez, with two RBI's, while Kozlowski chimed in with one.
• The Cadets' lone RBI came from PJ Morales. 

NOTEWORTHY

• The Falcons are 30-11 all-time versus the Norwich Cadets.  
• Warren's home run is the 16th of his career, the second-most in Albertus history. 
• Kozloski's stolen base was the first of his career. 
• Albertus' bullpen posted a season-high 12 strikeouts.