MADISON, N.J. – The FDU-Florham baseball team let a 2-0 lead slip away as King's College came from behind to beat the Devils 3-2 on Friday afternoon.

The loss hampers the Devils' (9-21, 7-10 Freedom) postseason hopes as they continue to trail Wilkes University for the final Freedom Conference playoff spot with just four conference contests remaining. The Colonels suffered a 16-14 loss to DeSales on Friday but hold a 10-9 record in conference action.

Senior right-hander Greg Bartle did a little of everything for the Monarchs (7-19, 2-13 Freedom) on Friday. Bartle grinded through the Devils' lineup and went the distance, tossing all nine innings, allowing six hits, two runs, while walking five and striking out six. Additionally, Bartle entered the lineup as a pinch hitter and delivered the game-tying knock on a base hit to left field.

AJ Pichalski (Iselin, N.J.) got the start for the Devils and pitched effectively but took a hard-luck loss. The senior right-hander struck out 11 Monarchs across his eight innings of work and allowed eight hits and three runs, while walking two.

Junior catcher Kevin Sinclair (Fairfield, Conn.) drew a base on balls to open the game and later advanced to second on a groundout. With two outs, Reynaldo Diaz (Monroe, N.Y.) knocked in Sinclair with a sharp single to left field for the game's first run.

In the bottom of the second, a pair of walks by Nick DeAngelis (Freehold, N.J.) and Sinclair sandwiched a single by Joseph Bonaccorso (Scotch Plains, N.J.), which loaded the bases with one out. Bartle struck out the next batter before FDU-Florham center fielder Frankie Tassielli (Florham Park, N.J.)smoked a shot to center that was tracked down by Joe Zito for the final out of the inning.

Both pitchers settled in and coasted through the next few frames until the Devils added another tally in the bottom of the fifth. Diaz came through again, this time by driving a single up the middle, which scored Tassielli and gave the home team a 2-0 edge.

Pichalski responded by striking out the side swinging in the top of the sixth but the Monarchs broke through in the seventh. King's loaded the bases with a pair of singles and a hit batsman with one away. In an 0-2 hole, Kyle Lupas knocked a single into left for the Monarchs' first run. Then, Bartle was inserted as a pinch hitter and helped his own cause by lining a single into left that tied the game at 2-2. Pichalski ended the rally there by getting a comebacker, which he promptly turned into a 1-2-3, inning-ending double play.

After the Devils went down in order in the home seventh, the Monarchs scratched across the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth. Pichalski promptly retired the first two batters before Bruce Breithaupt grinded out a 10-pitch walk. The next batter Sean Padden added a well-placed, infield single and Zito chopped a base hit through the right side, which plated Breithaupt and put King's in front 3-2.

FDU-Florham threatened in the bottom of the ninth when an error and a walk put the tying and winning runs on base but Bartle summoned the energy to work out of it and spun a 1-6-3, game-ending double play to seal the victory.

Diaz and Joseph Bonaccorso each tallied multi-hit games in the loss, while Vinny Bonaccorso and DeAngelis were responsible for the Devils' other two hits.

Lupas led the Monarchs' attack by going 3-for-4 with an RBI in the win.

These two teams meet again tomorrow when the Devils travel to Wilkes-Barre, Pa. for a doubleheader, which begins at 1 p.m.