AMBLER - Three runs in the first, three in the third, and four in the fourth helped the Arcadia University baseball team to an 11-6 victory over visiting King's College in the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom opener for both teams at Skip Wilson Field on Friday afternoon.
 
The Knights improved to 1-0 in conference and 12-3 overall.
 
Arcadia wasted no time getting on the board in the bottom of the first when Alex Madera led off with a single, stole second, and came in to score on Hunter Curley's double to right-center. Curley then stole third and after two strikeouts came in when Ryan Smolen doubled to right center. Connor Cheeseman followed with another run-scoring double bringing home Smolen as the Knights led 3-0 after the one inning.
 
King's got on the board with a run in the top of the third.
 
Arcadia doubled its output in the bottom of the third as Matthew Sot led off with a walk and moved to second on Justin Massielo's single to left. Smolen followed with a sacrifice bunt moving each batter up a base before Cheeseman hit a sacrifice fly to center scoring Sot. Zachary Sekelick reached on an infield single and moved to second on an errant throw by the Monarchs third baseman that brought home Massielo. Nick Opalkowski then brought home Sekelick when he singled to right to make the score 6-1 after three.
 
King's cut the lead to 6-2 in the top of the fourth, but the Knights responded in the bottom of the frame after Curley was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Sot, stole third, and scored on Massielo's sacrifice fly to right.
 
The Monarchs tacked on four runs in the top of the fifth to trim Arcadia's lead to 7-6.
 
That's where the count stood until Arcadia struck for four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Madera laced a one-out triple to left-center followed by Curley getting hit by a pitch. Sot followed with a run-scoring bunt single that died on the first-base line scoring Madera and moving Curley to second. After an infield fly and a double-steal putting runners at second and third with two outs, Smolen tripled to left-center bring home Sot and Curley. Smolen's three-bagger was followed by another triple off the bat of Cheeseman to center bringing in Smolen to finish the scoring.
 
Carson Denham earned his first win of the season with a lights-out appearance out of the bullpen, covering 3.1 shutout innings allowing two hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Hunter Sibley started on the mound for the Knights, allowing six runs (four earned) on six hits across 4.2 innings with two walks and seven strikeouts. Drew Pecorilli struck out the side in the ninth to secure the win.
 
Cheeseman was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with three RBI's. Madera finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a walk while Smolen went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBI's.
 
The Knights return to action on Sunday when they travel to King's for a MAC Freedom doubleheader.