Auburndale, Fla. – After having their first five games of the season cancelled due to weather, Neumann College finally opened up their 2015 season with a 4-1 win over Clark University in non-league baseball action on Sunday afternoon.

The Cougars, who had their season-opening twinbill with Milwaukee School of Engineering postponed on Saturday, got a strong effort on the mound from senior Luke Crocker (Stafford, Vt.) in his first appearance in more than a year following surgery that forced him to miss his entire junior campaign.

Unfortunately for Crocker and the rest of the Scarlet and White, they ran into Kristian DeLuzio, who handcuffed Clark over eight innings, allowing just two hits and no runs while striking out six.

The Knights jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first on an unearned run in the first and added another on another in the fifth when Kyle Williams led off the inning with a double and then scored on a Matt Sheneman sacrifice fly.

Neumann tacked on two runs in the seventh, chasing Crocker from the game. An error and a single put runners on first and third with two outs but Sheneman smoked a double to right center, pushing a pair of runs across.

Clark tried to put a rally together with two outs in the ninth as singles by Matt Asdornvuttikrai (Winchester, Mass.) and Dan Lima (Manchester, Conn.) each picked up singles. A double steal by Lima and pinchrunner Brett O'Keefe (Brighton, Mass.) had Cougars on second and third. O'Keefe scored on a passed ball but reliever Anthony Stricker was able to force a popout out of James Conway (Newburyport, Mass.) to end the game.

Crocker went 6.2 innings, allowing all four runs – only two of which were earned – and striking out six.

In addition to hits by Asdornvuttikrai and Lima, Clark also got base hits from Michael Eglow (Delmar, N.Y.) and Zach Richall (Tyngsboro, Mass.).

The Cougars return to action on Monday with a doubleheader against Mount Union.