ST.DAVIDS, Pa. – FDU-Florham senior left-hander Joe Hofmann (Colonia, N.J.) struck out nine Eagles to lead the Devils to a 7-3 victory in game one but Eastern earned a split by taking game two 5-4 in a Freedom Conference doubleheader on Sunday afternoon.

The Devils (9-18, 7-9 Freedom) are on the outside looking in when it comes to the Freedom Conference Tournament picture, as FDU-Florham currently sits in fifth place with four conference outings remaining.

In game one the Devils totaled 10 hits, led by senior catcher Alex Geramita's (Old Tappan, N.J.) three-hit effort but in game two the Eagles (10-19, 7-11 Freedom) used a four-run fifth to snag the win.

Hofmann set the tone early by retiring the first nine Eagles who came to bat. Meanwhile, the senior left-hander received some early run support from his offense.

In the top of the second, Christopher Franco (Wayne, N.J.) clubbed a double down the left field line, Geramita singled and Sam Coutoufos (Edison, N.J.) walked, which loaded the bases for FDU-Florham shortstop Nick DeAngelis (East Hanover, N.J.). DeAngelis came through with a two-run single to left field and later in the inning Frankie Tassielli (Florham Park, N.J.) smoked a two-run triple to right center field, which gave the Devils a 4-0 lead. Hofmann responded by striking out the side in the home half of the inning.

Following a scoreless third frame, the Eagles registered their first base runner when Angelo Kelly beat out an infield single. After a sacrifice bunt, and a single, Eastern got on the board with a two-RBI double by Eric Rossi.

But the Devils immediately responded with a three-spot in the top of the fifth thanks to RBI-singles by Franco and Geramita and an error that plated another, which gave them a 7-2 cushion.

The seven tallies were more than enough support for Hofmann, who limited the Eagles to just one more run over their final three at bats to seal his first victory of the campaign. Hofmann's line finished with six hits allowed, nine strike outs, one walk and the three earned runs across seven innings of work.

In addition to Geramita's three hits, Franco and Tassielli also chipped in with multi-hit games.

Eastern struck first in the nightcap by netting a run in the bottom of the second. The Devils countered by scoring two runs in the third on a double by Vinny Bonaccorso (Toms River, N.J.) and a single by Tassielli.

The Devils stretched their lead to 3-1 in the fourth when DeAngelis plated Reynaldo Diaz (Monroe, N.Y.) with a single up the middle. However, they were unable to hold onto their advantage as the Eagles stormed back with a game-changing fifth inning.

The Eagles tallied four runs on four hits highlighted by sophomore Andrew Boykin's two-run single. FDU-Florham scratched across a run in the sixth but went quietly in the seventh against Eastern relief man Nick Centeno.

Despite only allowing one earned run his 4.2 innings of work, freshman Kenny Carrier (Freehold, N.J.) took the loss. Carrier finished with five unearned runs, one walk, two strike outs and eight hits in his third start of the year.

Tassielli and Kevin Sinclair (Fairfield, Conn.) each tallied two knocks for FDU-Florham in the loss, while Boykin led the Eagles with a 2-for-3 effort.

The Devils have back-to-back non-conference games lined up this week. Their next outing is a home tilt against The College of New Jersey this Tuesday, April 21 at 3:30 p.m.