Box Score VINELAND, NJ - The 6th ranked Northampton Baseball team dropped their season opener on Wednesday, falling to 8th ranked RCSJ-Cumberland, 14-12, at Dukes Park. 

Northamton opened the season with a bang, as Marcus Nales (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) smashed a first-inning grand slam and Drew Kluska (Bangor, PA/Bangor) added a RBI double to give the Spartans a 5-0 lead after the top of the first.  Cumberland responded with 2 runs in the bottom half of the 1st to cut the deficit to 5-2. 

The Dukes added a run in the bottom of the 2nd and 3 in the third to take a 6-5 lead going into the 4th. 

Kyle Morin (Northampton, PA/Northampton) keyed a 4-run 4th for the Spartans with  a 2-RBI single to put the Spartans back up 9-6.  The Dukes responded with 3 runs in the bottom half of the 4th to tie the contest at 9-9.

The Spartans got 2 runs in the top of the 5th, but Cumberland plated 5 runs in the bottom half the inning to take a 14-11 lead into the 6th. 

Both teams were scoreless in the 6th, with the Spartans adding a run in the 7th to cut the deficit to 14-12. 

Neither team could generate a run in the 8th and the Dukes held the Spartans scoreless in the top of the 9th to secure the 14-12 victory. 

Northampton finished with 8 hits and 4 errors, while the Dukes had 16 hits and committed 4 errors. 

Drew Kluska (Bangor, PA/Bangor) finished 2 for 4 with a RBI and Kyle Morin (Northampton, PA/Northampton) was 1 for 5 with 2 RBI and 3 runs scored to pace the Spartans. 

Hunter Johns (Ephrata, PA/Ephrata), who came on in relief of Tyler Diefenbach (Stewartsville, NJ/Phillipsburg (NJ)), took the loss on the mound, giving up 8 runs (4 earned) on 9 hits in 1.2 innings of work.

Brandon Walters (York, PA/Central York) pitched the final 4 innings, allowing only 1 hit and no runs while striking out 2. 

Northampton, now 0-1 overall, is off until March 8th when they face Chesapeake College at the Ripken Complex in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.