MADISON, N.J. – The Drew University baseball team earned its first victory of the season, topping FDU-Florham 4-2 on the second and final day of the Madison Avenue Challenge, hosted by FDU.
 
Three pitchers combined on an eight-hitter for the Rangers. Drew, FDU, and Saint Elizabeth all split their weekend series in a two-day event between the cross-town rivals.
 
Junior transfer Matt Colucci started on the mound for Drew and worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on six hits while striking out three en route to his first victory as a Ranger. Freshman Alex Feeney tossed two innings of relief and yielded just one run before classmate Justin Bonito worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth and earned a four-out save.
 
The Ranger never trailed after pushing across a run in the top of the third, when freshman Jack Mocik worked a leadoff walk and eventually scored on a two-out triple from senior Anthony Hernandez, who legged out a three-bagger for the second day in a row.
 
Drew pushed its lead to 2-0 when senior Anthony Diaz Jr. worked a bases-loaded walk.
 
Meanwhile, Colucci blanked the Devils (1-3) on four hits through the first five innings. FDU pushed across its first run in the sixth and had runners on second and third with two outs when Feeney came into the game and escaped with a groundout.
 
Freshman Tre Francis scored on a double steal in the eighth to make it 3-1, but the Devils threatened in the bottom of the frame. After a leadoff single and a pair of flyouts, three straight batters walked to make it a one-run game. That when's Bonito was summoned out of the pen, and in perhaps the key moment of the game, induced a flyout to put out the threat.
 
Drew tacked on an insurance run in the ninth on senior Nate Miller's third sacrifice fly of the weekend. Then it was smooth sailing for Bonito, who worked a three-up, three-down inning to close it out.
 
Next up, the Rangers make their annual spring break trip when they compete in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational March 4-8.