Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Lake Myrtle, Fla. … The College of New Jersey dropped a pair of games to Western New England University on Friday afternoon in Lake Myrtle, Fla.
 
Coming off an emotional win late Thursday night, the Lions (6-3) could not seem to get things going as they managed only seven combined hits and three runs in the double header. The Golden Bears (7-2) have now won seven of their last eight games as sophomore Bob Hamel threw a complete-game two hitter in the opener, followed by five strong innings from Matt Thomas in the nightcap.
 
Both contests were seven-inning affairs.
 
Junior Brandon Zachary (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) struck out eight in five-plus innings, but a four-run sixth inning provided too much cushion for Hamel and Western New England.
 
After the Golden Bears took a 1-0 lead in the first, the Lions tied it up in the second. CJ Gearhart (Robbinsville, NJ/Robbinsville) reached on an error and Mike Follet (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) doubled to right center. Tommy McCarthy (Allentown, NJ/Allentown) lifted a sacrifice fly to plate Gearhart and even the score.
 
But that would be all offense TCNJ could produce. Hamel moved to 2-0 on the season, striking out seven and limiting the Lions to two hits and two walks.
 
Follet and Patrick Anderson (Long Hills, NJ/West Morris Catholic) had the hits for TCNJ.
 
Game 2: Western New England 7  TCNJ 2
 
Another big inning haunted the Lions in the back-end game. After pulling ahead 1-0 in the first, the Golden Bears rung up six runs in the third.
 
In the first, Thomas Persichetti (Hamilton, NJ/Notre Dame) walked and stole second. With two out, Alex Christian (Milltown, NJ/Spotswood) delivered an RBI-double to right field to score Perischetti.
 
Western New England erupted for five hits, including a two-run home run off the bat of sophomore Ben LeCroix in the third to take command of the contest. They tacked on an additional run in the fifth to stretch their lead to 7-1.
 
TCNJ added a run in the seventh. Steven Bucci (Washington Twp. NJ/Washington Twp.) doubled down the left-field line to open the inning. He advanced to third when Erik Rano (Branchburg, NJ/Somerville) grounded back to the pitcher and scored on a grounder to short off the bat of David Cardona III (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth.
Zac deRocco (Red Bank, NJ/Middletown South) went four and one-third innings for the Lions, giving up three earned runs and striking out two. Nickolas Kleftogiannis (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) pitched two-thirds of an inning in relief, and Michael Walley (Yardley, Pa/Notre Dame) tossed a scoreless seventh and struck out two.
TCNJ plays its final game of its southern trip tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. when they take on Suffolk University.