May 21, 2021

Scranton, PA - Friday the Lackawanna College Baseball took one step closer to returning to the NJCAA Division II World Series with a 10-3 victory over Monroe Community College in the opening game of the District East best of three tournament.

The Falcons took an early 1-0 lead when Brandon Ernst doubled in Jacob Kelchner.  From that point forward both teams remained scoreless into the bottom of the fifth inning when Lackawanna's bats went as hot as the day's weather. Leading off the inning, Quinn Hanafin excited the Lackawanna faithful with a lead-off home run. Afterward, the Falcons loaded the bases on singles by Jesnel Soto and Jake DiCeasre and a hit by pitch.  Raymond Vorhees took advantage of the situation with a two-run single. The next batter, Brandon Ernst, doubled to drive in Kelchner with another run. German Vasquez added a score when he advanced Vorhees to the plate on a sacrifice fly. George Castro ended the scoring when he singled in Ernst for the sixth run of the inning.

Trailing 7-0 in the top of the sixth Monroe scored when Lackawanna traded a run for a Parick May ground-out. It would be their only run of the inning. Ben Beauchamp walked and stole second in the seventh to set up the Tribunes' second run of the contest, a Trey Brown RBI single. Again it would be Monroe's only tally for the frame.

With Monroe narrowing the margin Lackawanna bounced back with three runs in the bottom of the inning. After loading the bases, the Falcons scored on a Monroe error on a Jacob DiCesare grounder. They added their second run when Kelchner received a bases-loaded walk and their final run on a fielder's choice of a Vorhees ground out.  The Tribunes scored the game's final run when Hanafin made a diving catch of an Evan Magill grounder, allowing the Tribunes a run as a trade-off for a putout at first.

The Lackawanna hitters had four extra-base hits, Hanafin's home run, Vorhees' double, and two doubles by Ernst. They also had four players with multi-hit performances, Vorhees (4-1-2-3), Ernst (4-1-2-2), Castro (4-1-2-1), and Hanafin (5-2-2-1).

Lackawanna's winning pitcher was Zach Klapak. Klapak hurled seven innings, relinquishing two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out 10.  Justin Gohsler pitched one inning of relief striking out three on 12 pitches. Matt Stam contributed two-thirds of an inning gave up one run on two walks before Nick Termini got the final out of the game on one pitch, a pop-out to the infield.