FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – A three-run top of the eighth was the difference as the Arcadia University baseball team finished its season-opening trip to North Carolina with a 10-9 non-conference victory over Washington College (Md.) on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Knights return to Glenside with a 2-1 record.
 
Washington College opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first before Arcadia tied the score in the top of the second when Connor Cheeseman scored on a passed ball after leading off with a walk, moving to second when Ryan Smolen followed with a walk, with both runners moving up when Joseph Kumar laid down a sacrifice bunt.
 
Not letting the tie stand for long, the Shoremen pushed across a run in the bottom of the second to take a 2-1 lead. The Knights tied the score at two in the top of the third after Alex Madera hit a one-out triple to left and scored when Emilio Pallante singled to left.
 
The score remained tied at two until the bottom of the fourth when Washington scored an unearned run to take a 3-2 advantage.
 
Arcadia took its first lead of the contest in the top of the fifth with the aid of three Shoremen errors allowing two runs to score and providing a 4-3 lead for the Knights.
 
Washington pulled back in front in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run homer to take a 5-4 lead, but Justin Massielo tied the score with an RBI groundout scoring Madera, who reached on a one-out walk.
 
The Shoremen crossed the plate three time in the bottom of the frame on three hits and an error to take an 8-5 lead.
 
An rbi single from Trey Obarowski and a run-scoring fielder's choice from Madera put Arcadia behind by only one run in the top of the seventh by an 8-7 score.
 
In the top of the eighth, Massielo led off getting hit by a pitch and moved to second on a Cheeseman single up the middle. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch allowing Kumar to hit a sacrifice fly scoring Massielo and moving Cheeseman to third, who scored on a wild pitch. Hunter Curley walked, stole second and third, scoring on a throwing error by the catcher to give the Knights a 10-8 lead.
 
Washington pushed a run across in the bottom of the eighth, but Arcadia was able to close out the game with a scoreless bottom of the ninth.
 
Owen Margolis earned the win, tossing 3.2 innings in relief allowing one run on four hits with one walk and one strikeout. Curley started on the mound for the Knights, surrendering three runs (two earned) on four hits across 3.2 innings. Nick Fossile allowed two runs over 1.1 innings on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts, Koby Staivecki allowed a run in one-third of an inning with one walk and one strikeout and Drew Pecorilli allowed two runs (one earned).
 
Madera (2-4, two runs, one RBI), Pallante (2-5, one run, one RBI), Massielo (2-4, two runs, two RBI's), and Cheeseman (2-5, two runs) led the way at the plate with multi-hit efforts.
 
Arcadia returns to the diamond on Friday when it will face off again with Washington College at Mary Washington with first pitch slated for 2:15 p.m.