3/22/22
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College saw their eight-game winning streak come to an end as the Monroe College Mustangs came into town and took both games of their doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon, winning 11-9 in eight innings in game one, and 11-3 in game two at Scranton High School.  
 
The Falcons (8-6) had a great back-and-forth battle with the Mustangs in game one, with both teams trading runs late. Lackawanna held an 8-5 advantage heading into the top of the seventh, but Monroe College (8-12) rallied to take a 9-8 lead, only to see Lackawanna tie things up in the bottom half. Monroe went on to score a pair of runs in the extra frame, and the Falcons had a possible answer with runners on second and third and just one out, but Monroe shut the door to take the win.
 
In game two, Monroe put ten runs on the board in the first three innings, and, other than a three-run bottom of the fourth, the Falcons didn't have an answer, having an uncharacteristically quiet night at the plate with just four hits, as team.
 
Game One Recap: Monroe College 11 – 9 Lackawanna College (8 Innings)
The first game between Monroe and Lackawanna College was a marathon, lasting well over three hours and seeing a combined 20 runs, 29 hits, and nine different pitchers between the two squads. Eventually, it was Monroe that outlasted Lackawanna thanks to a pair of sacrifice flies in the top of the eighth to give them an 11-9 victory.
 
Lackawanna College (8-5) was led by Quinn Hanafin, who went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, and by Cody Fleischer, who was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs, two RBIs, and a walk. Julian Thompson was 1-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs. Aiden Starn got the start, going three innings and giving up three runs on five hits while striking out three batters. Eventually, it was Ty Morris who got tagged with the loss, pitching one inning in relief, and giving up two runs, one earned, on a pair of hits in the top of the eighth inning.
 
Monroe College (7-12) wasted little time getting started in the first inning, as a lead-off double, followed by a single, placed runners on the corners with no one out. A wild pitch from Starn brought the first run of the game home, but Starn settled in, inducing a groundout to third for the first out, and then a double play off a lineout to George Castro, who relayed back into the infield to Thompson to pick off the runner.
 
In the bottom of the second, the Falcons led the inning off with an Eli Riley double, and Jacob Simpson followed that up with a single to put runners on the corners with nobody out. A double-steal was put on by Lackawanna, advancing Simpson to second, but Riley was put out at home for the first out. A strikeout put two outs on the board, but Thompson delivered for the Falcons, doubling home Simpson to tie things up. As the lineup turned over, Daniel Helfgott followed with his own double, scoring Thompson and giving Lackawanna a 2-1 lead.
 
The lead wouldn't last long, as the Mustangs came back in the top of the third with their own offense. A one-out walk led to a single to put two on with one out. A called balk put runners in scoring position, still with one out, but Starn got a big strikeout on the next batter to put two away. Monroe wouldn't waste their opportunity, hitting a big two-out two-RBI single to retake the lead at 3-2.
 
Lackawanna College got a pair of two-out hits to put runners on the corners with two away, but a groundout ended their half innings in the bottom of the third. Monroe had a chance to add in the top of the fourth after back-to-back walks to lead off the inning, but a fielder's choice, followed by Cole Casamento unleashing a rocket to Hanafin to pick off a stolen base attempt at third, put two away. Matthew Stam, on the mound in the fourth, managed to get a swinging strikeout to end the top fourth, the Falcons still trailing 3-2. They wouldn't be able to turn that momentum into points in the bottom frame, though, as Lackawanna was retired in order.
 
Here's where things started to heat up for both teams, as neither team would go without a run for a long while. In the top of the fifth, Monroe, after a big double 4-6-3 double play for the Falcons, got a two-out double, followed by an RBI single, to add to their lead at 4-2. The Falcons answered in the bottom half, after back-to-back singles led the inning off, and Hanafin cashed them in with a one-out, two-RBI single to make it 4-4. Monroe got the lead back in the top of the sixth, when the Mustangs scored on a wild pitch from Falcon hurler Derrick Newman, making it 5-4, Monroe. Newman was able to get out of trouble with a pickoff and a fly out.
 
That set up a big bottom of the sixth for Lackawanna College. Eli Riley climbed aboard with a leadoff walk, and then stole second to put a runner in scoring position. After a Simpson walk, Spencer Butz pinch hit for Casamento, and delivered a single to load the bases with nobody out. Thompson hit a sac fly to center field to score Riley, tying the game at 5-all. A line out put two away and threatened to end the inning, but Fleischer stepped into the batter's box and ripped a two-out triple, bringing two runners home to give the Falcons a 7-5 lead. Keenan would follow with an RBI single to make it 8-5, Falcons.
 
But, as they had done all game, Monroe would respond. With Mason Drummond in to close it out, the Mustangs drew a leadoff walk to put a runner on. After a big strikeout for the first out, a single put two runners on first and second. With the tying run at the plate, the Mustangs got a big RBI-double, scoring one run and putting runners at second and third, still with just one out. A walk loaded the bases, but Drummond got another strikeout to put two away. Down to their last strike, the Mustangs got a hold of a ball into centerfield, but the Falcons had trouble fielding it, allowing the ball to drop, clearing the bases, and giving Monroe a 9-8 advantage.  
 
Needing some magic again, the Falcons got a one-out walk from Simpson in the bottom of the seventh. Simpson got to second on a wild pitch, and was brought home by Eric Ludwick singling him in, tying things up again at 9-9. The Falcons stranded Ludwick, forcing the game to go to extras.
 
With Ty Morris on for the Falcons, Monroe College immediately got back to work in the top of the eighth. A leadoff single, followed by an error that allowed another baserunner, put runners on the corners with nobody out. The Mustangs would manufacture some runs, getting a sacrifice fly to right field to score the go-ahead run and make it 10-9. They'd double their lead when, with runners on the corners and just one out, they sac flied again, this time to center, to make it 11-9. In the bottom of the eighth, Lackawanna had their chances when Keenan hit a one-out single, followed by a double from David Curreri to put runners on second and third with nobody out. Unfortunately, the Falcons couldn't convert, as a fly out, followed by a swinging strikeout, finally ended the inning, and the game itself.
 
Game Two Recap: Monroe College 11 – 3 Lackawanna College



Monroe College struck early and often, scoring ten runs in the first three innings and coasting the rest of the way to an 11-3 victory in game two of the doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon in Scranton.
 
The Falcons (8-6) struggled mightily to get their bats going, striking out 13 times and recording just four hits in the contest. Meanwhile, the Mustangs (8-12) chased Falcon starter Marc DeNunzio after just two innings of work, putting up eight runs on eight hits and drawing four walks. Cody Fleischer was the only Falcon with more than one hit, going 2-for-2 with a run scored. George Castro scored the lone runs for the Falcons, launching a towering three-run homer to right field in the bottom of the fourth inning.
 
Things went awry right from the start for the Falcons, as Monroe batted around, with ten total plate appearances in the top of the first inning. Two straight singles led the game off, putting two on with nobody out. DeNunzio got a strike out, but an RBI single scored one run, followed by another RBI single to make it 2-0, Mustangs. Another run came home on a ground out, and a throwing error brought a fourth run in for Monroe, still at-bat in the top of the third. A two-out RBI single made it 5-0, and the Mustangs had the top of the order back up before DeNunzio got a strikeout to end the inning. The Falcons quickly went down with a pair of strikeouts and a ground out sandwiched around a Fleischer single.
 
The top of the second didn't go much better for Lackawanna, as Monroe had the bases loaded with just one out, already up 5-0. A two-RBI single, followed by an eventual fielder's choice, pushed the lead to 8-0, Mustangs. The Falcons couldn't help themselves in the bottom frame, going down with another pair of strikeouts. Monroe added two more, starting with back-to-back hits, the second being an RBI double that made it 9-0. With one out, the Mustangs scored another run on an error on the infield by the Falcons, pushing the Monroe advantage to 10-0.
 
Lackawanna College would finally get something going in the bottom of the fourth, still trailing 10-0. A one-out single by Fleischer to left field put a man on, and he advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Quinn Hanafin drew a walk to put two men on, George Castro took a first pitch crack, belting one to left field, over the fence with ease, cutting the deficit to 10-3. There would be no more, though, as Lackawanna struck out twice more to end the innings. Monroe tacked on another run in the top of the fifth, after loading the bases and getting struck by a pitch to make it 11-3.
 
Lackawanna would go quietly the rest of the way, never truly threatening to put any more on the board in a game that had long been decided. Daniel Keenan was a lone bright spot for the pitching staff in the nightcap, as he went two scoreless innings of relief, not allowing a hit and walking a pair, while striking out a batter in the process.
 
The Falcons have another home game on the docket this week, when they take on SUNY Sullivan on Thursday, March 24^th. That game is scheduled for a 4:00pm ET start at the Scranton High School baseball field.