Box Score UNION, N.J. – The FDU-Florham Devils baseball team was blanked in their season opener by fifth-ranked Kean University 8-0 on Saturday afternoon.

Charles Thielman earned the win for the Cougars (4-1, 0-0 NJAC) by tossing seven shutout innings, while senior Chris Roberts (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) took the loss for the Devils. The win for Thielman is his second on the young season.

The Cougars jumped on Roberts and the Devils in the first inning, with three runs on three hits including a two-run double by junior infielder Andy Lopez.  In the bottom of the third, Roberts pitched around a leadoff walk and a one-out double to keep the FDU-Florham within three runs.

In the top of the fourth inning junior Frankie Tassielli (Florham Park,N.J./Hanover Park) picked up the Devils first hit of the season on a single up the middle. With two outs, senior designated hitter Nick Meoli (East Meadow, N.Y./Kellenberg) knocked a seeing-eye single up the middle but Thielman forced Brandan Adams (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) into a pop up, which ended the rally.

Roberts got out of a jam in the bottom of the fourth by inducing a 6-4-3 double play  to end the inning and keep the game at 3-0. The Devils threatened in the top of the fifth thanks to back-to-back singles by Austin Tomaszewicz (Old Bridge, N.J./St. Joseph's Metuchen) and James Dertouzos (Waldwick, N.J./Waldwick) but again the Devils were kept off the board by Thielman, who retired the next three batters in order.

In the bottom of the fifth the Cougars tacked on two more runs and in the home half of the sixth Kean knocked in three more runs, which resulted in the game's 8-0 final.
Meoli was the only Devil to tally multiple hits and finished the game 2-for-4, as the Devils totaled seven hits in the contest. Roberts tossed five innings, allowed five runs (four earned), while striking out two.

Ryan Kelley led the Cougars with a perfect 4-for-4 day at the plate, while scoring two runs and driving in one. Thielman allowed four hits and struck out four Devils in the victory.

Next up for the Devils:
FDU-Florham takes on Lehman College next Sunday, March 9^th with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. in Madison, N.J.