PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia University baseball team pounded out a season-high 14 hits and received six strong innings from Stephen Dickerson (Columbus, Ohio/Danbury) as the Rams defeated Bloomfield 6-2 in their Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) opener Thursday morning at Father Judge High School.

Catcher John Brocious (Bellmawr, N.J./Triton) had three hits, all doubles, in four at-bats, and two RBIs, while left fielder Ken McCormick (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) was 3-for-5 and knocked in a pair of runs.

Dickerson (1-0) struck out a career-high six batters, while allowing just one run—on a solo home run by Juan Reina in the sixth—and five hits. He faced an early jam with Bears (1-6, 0-1 CACC) at first and second and no outs. Dickerson recovered to get Reina and Juan Hilario to pop up in the infield and Harry Montero to fly out to center to keep Bloomfield scoreless. Over the final five innings, Dickerson faced four batters over the minimum.

As a team, Philadelphia (4-3, 1-0 CACC) pitching fanned a season-best nine hitters.

The Rams built up a 4-0 lead with single runs in the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings.

Philadelphia took advantage of a Bloomfield miscue in the opening inning to get out to the early lead. Second baseman Hector Gonzalez (Laredo, Texas/United) started off the game, reaching on a Montero error. After moving up 90 feet on a ground out, McCormick stroked a single to right field to plate Gonzalez.

Brocious doubled the lead in the fourth with a one-out double in the left field corner to plate first baseman Steven Wells (Yardley, Pa./The Hun School). One inning later, shortstop Fernando Garza (Laredo, Texas/Alexander) laced a single through the left field of the infield that knocked in Gonzalez for the Rams' third run. A ground-rule double off the bat of right fielder Robbie Pelaez (Miami, Fla./Miami-Sunset) brought Brocious—who doubled one at-bat earlier—home in the sixth to put the Rams up 4-0.

After Bloomfield got on the board in the sixth, Philadelphia scored twice in the seventh on a McCormick single and a Brocious double.

Isaac Pichardo had two of the Bears' seven hits. Francesco Scudiero was the losing pitcher after giving up four runs—three earned—on 11 hits in six innings. Scudeiro posted four strikeouts.

Philadelphia returns to action with a home CACC doubleheader against Wilmington (Del.) on Saturday, March 21 starting at noon. The first game of the twinbill serves as the opening round of the Bill Giles Invitational Tournament.