UNION, N.J. - Senior Pete Violante and sophomore Teddy Hoxie combined to throw a five-hitter and the Drew University baseball team captured a 3-2 victory over Alvernia University in their season opener Sunday morning at Kean University.

Violante allowed just two runs on four hits over six innings pitched. He struck out four and walked one. Hoxie came on to fire three shutout innings, striking out three and yielding just one hit and one walk. He induced a game-ending double play to earn his first career save.

Senior Brent Lincoln went 2-for-4 with a two-run double to lead the Rangers at the plate while senior Max Felsenstein went 2-for-3.

Alvernia is the defending MAC Commonwealth Conference champion and finished 28-16-2 last season.

Drew struck first, scoring twice in the top of the second. Seniors Anthony Tagliaferro and Bryan Reagle drew consecutive walks to start the inning before Lincoln smacked a bases-clearing double to left-center.

In the meantime, Violante was cruising in the early going. He no-hit the Wolves over the opening 3 1/3 innings, but yielding his first hit, he immediately rolled up a 1-6-3 inning-ending double play.

The Rangers pushed their lead to 3-0 in the top of the sixth, when Felsenstein led off with a single and scored on a double from senior Matthew Lange into the left-center gap.

Alvernia got on the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. But Violante escaped when he rolled up an inning-ending groundout.                                                                                                                                                                                                                
Hoxie came on in the seventh and found a groove after walking his first batter, retiring seven in a row. However, the Wolves threatened in the ninth. A one-out single, a wild pitch, and an error put the potential tying run on third and the winning run on first. But Hoxie ended the game with a 6-4-3 twin killing that went from Cole Bosch to Bryan Reagle and was gloved by Lange for the final out.

The Rangers continue their season with a pair of non-conference games this week, returning to Union on Tuesday to face fifth-ranked Kean at 3 p.m. before visiting Stevens at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.