PHILADELPHIA – Chris Brown allowed just two earned runs over a career-high seven innings as the USciences baseball team held off regionally-ranked Pace, 10-8, in its first game of the seaon at FDR Park on Friday afternoon. 

Brown produced a second consecutive quality, scattering just five hits across his seven frames. He did not allow a run until the fifth inning, striking out five against just one walk as he earned his first win of the year. 

University of the Sciences plated two unearned runs in the bottom of the first and led throughout. After Pace pulled within 6-4 in the eighth the Devils broke out for four runs in the bottom-half, which proved important following a Setters grand slam in the ninth.  

Joe Duffy and Nick Cerelli led off the eighth with back-to-back singles and after a Cereli stolen base, both came home on Eddie Parry's two-run single.

Evan Sinclair then walked before an Adam Estrada walk loaded the bases. Edward May's fielder's choice plated what turned out to be the game-winning run, and Sinclair added what turned out to be unneeded insurance as he made a heads-up decision to score from second on the play. 

Justin Derk retired the final batter following the two-out grand slam to preserve the victory. 

USciences' one and two hitters, Duffy and Cerelli, both reached base three times while scoring two runs to set the tone.  

Cerelli finished 3-for-5 in his season debut, while Duffy went 2-for-4 with a base on balls. 

Duffy also stole a base to move into a tie for seventh in program history with 27, while his two runs moved him into a tie for seventh all-time with 80.

His two-out single in third the inning alive for a Cerelli single that made the score 3-0. 

Cerelli was also involved in a two-run fifth as he led off with a double. The next two outs were recorded but an Estrada walk kept the inning alive for May, who doubled home two as part of a career-high three-RBI performance.  

Estrada and Parry joined Duffy and Cerelli in scoring twice, with Estrada coming home to make the score 6-2 on Chris Anderson's two-out hit-by-pitch in the seventh. 

University of the Sciences returns to FDR Park on Sunday to host Lincoln for a doubleheader at 12 p.m.