4/23/22
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College baseball team split their second straight doubleheader this weekend, when the Monroe Mustangs overcame a no-hitter in game one to score ten runs in game two at the Scranton High baseball field in Scranton on Saturday afternoon.
 
Lackawanna College (18-12) got a combined no-hitter from Aiden Starn and Matthew Stam in game one, scoring a run in each of the fifth and sixth innings to pull away and win 4-2. Starn and Stam combined for seven strikeouts and five walks, with Starn allowing two runs in the first on an error and a ground out. In game two, Monroe overcame a tight 2-1 deficit in the top of the fourth with a five-run inning, then scored four more in the seventh to put things out of a reach for an eventual 10-6 victory over the Falcons.
 
Monroe (19-23), with the series split, is now 3-1 against the Falcons this year. The Mustangs are an NJCAA Division I opponent, out of Region XV.
 
Game One Recap: Lackawanna College 4 – 2 Monroe College
Aiden Starn and Matthew Stam combined for a no-hitter, but Monroe still made Lackawanna sweat, until the Falcons broke through to win 4-2 in the first game of the doubleheader on Saturday afternoon in Scranton.
 
The Falcons (18-11), despite holding the Mustangs without a hit, were tied at 2-apiece, when Cody Fleischer doubled home Julian Thompson as the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Lackawanna added another run, this time in the bottom of the sixth, when George Castro doubled home Eli Riley to make it 4-2. The Falcons were led at the dish by Castro, who was 2-for-3 with that RBI, and Riley, who went 2-for-2 with the run. Julian Thompson was 1-for-2 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Fleischer was 1-for-2 with his RBI and a walk. Aiden Starn got the win, his second of the year, giving up two runs, one earned, on no hits, striking out four, but also walking four and hitting a batter. Matthew Stam came on in relief, pitching 2.1 innings without giving up a run or hit, and striking out three. It's the first no-hitter for Lackawanna College since May 2021, when Kyle Scott pitched a five-inning no-hitter against Harford CC in an 11-1 win for the Falcons last year.
 
Monroe (18-23) managed to scratch a pair of runs across in the top of the first inning, when a one-out walk, followed by a hit by pitch, put two on with just the one out. A throwing error on a double steal allowed one run to come home, and a ground out to second for the second out scored the other run, making it 2-0, Mustangs, without a hit. Starn got a strikeout to end the top half before more damage could be done.
 
Things were quiet for both teams into the bottom of the second, when Riley had a one-out single, then stole second to put himself in scoring position. Castro singled, and Riley was out trying to score at the plate, thwarting the Falcons' chance to put a run across. A strikeout ended the inning, keeping Monroe up 2-0 after two.  
 
Finally, in the bottom of the third, Phil Dull led the inning off with a double to immediately put a runner in scoring position. Thompson came up and delivered with a double of his own, scoring Dull to half the deficit at 2-1. Fleischer walked to put two on, still with nobody out, and Thompson got to third on a wild pitch, putting runners on the corners. After a strikeout put the first out on the board, Quinn Hanafin brought the tying run home, hitting a sac fly to right to score Thompson and make it 2-all.
 
Starn came out and struck out the side in order in the top of the fourth, and Riley led the bottom half of the inning off with a double to put a runner on for the Falcons. A one-out single from Jacob Simpson put runners on the corners, but a nifty 6-4-3 double play stranded Riley and ended the fourth, still knotted at 2-2.
 
Starn got the first two outs of the fifth inning, but back-to-back walks activated the pen for the Falcons. Matthew Stam came in, and induced a ground out to short to get the Falcons out of trouble. Lackawanna would immediately take advantage in the bottom of the fifth, when Thompson reached after getting hit by a pitch, and Fleischer launched a double deep into the outfield. Thompson came around to score, but Fleischer was thrown out on the base paths, trying to stretch it to three on the throw home. The Falcons had another runner out on the paths, when a Daniel Helfgott single ended with him out at second base. The fifth ended with the Falcons up 3-2.  
 
Stam pitched around a walk in the top of the sixth, and the Falcons added another run in the bottom frame, coincidentally, started once again by a hit by pitch. Riley reached after getting pegged with one out, and Castro brought him home to make it 4-2 on an RBI double. A sac bunt put the runner on third, and the Falcons had runners on second and third with two away, but a strikeout stranded the pair of runners and kept the damage to a minimum for the Mustangs.  
 
In search of their first hit, Monroe had a line out to second to start the top of the seventh.  Stam settled in, striking out the final two batters back-to-back to wrap up the no-hitter, giving the Falcons the win in the first game.
 
Game Two Recap: Monroe College 10 – 6 Lackawanna College


A five-run fourth inning proved to be just what Monroe needed to break open a tight game, and the Mustangs held on to earn a split in the doubleheader, winning game two, 10-6, on Saturday afternoon in Scranton.
 
Lackawanna College (18-12) had an early 2-1 lead after two innings, but Monroe woke up to score six combined runs in the third and fourth innings, then scored another four to blow things wide open in the top of the seventh. The Falcons tried to rally in the seventh, behind a pair of doubles from Daniel Keenan and Cole Casamento that scored three runs, but it wasn't enough to get Lackawanna the win. Keenan was 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored, while Cody Fleischer went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Ty Morris had a solid outing heading into the fourth, but that would be his last inning, giving up six runs on six hits, while walking six and striking out three in the losing effort.
 
Monroe (19-23), trailing 2-1 in the top of the fourth, hit a pair of RBI singles to take the lead, then added three more runs on a fielder's choice and another RBI single to take a 6-2 lead. The win gives the Mustangs a 3-1 record against Lackawanna College this season.
 
The Mustangs got a runner to third in the top of the first, with two away, but Morris got a fly out to right field to strand him. Lackawanna College struck in the bottom frame, when Fleischer led the inning off with a single. Fleischer would come around to score with two outs, when Keenan singled him to make it 1-0, Falcons.
 
Morris pitched around some trouble in the top of the second, after loading the bases on a pair of walks and a hit by pitch, with nobody out. Morris got a strikeout for the first out, then induced a 6-4-3 double play to send the Falcons into the bottom frame. A one-out walk from Phil Dull, followed by an error on the infield, put runners on second and third. Another error allowed Dull to come home to make it 2-0. The Falcons couldn't get the other runners home, though, as the inning ended on back-to-back fly outs.  
 
In the top of the third, Monroe got one run back, when the Mustangs had runners on the corners with two away. A wild pitch brought one run home, and a walk put two runners on again, but a fly out kept the damage minimal, as the Falcons still led at 2-1.  
 
The top of the fourth was where Monroe would make its run. A one-out double, followed by an RBI single, tied the game. Then, a single put two runners on, before another single scored a run to put the Mustangs ahead at 3-2. A fielder's choice brought another run home, but put two away. Later, with the bases loaded, and still two away, a single and an error allowed two runs to score, giving the Mustangs a 6-2 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth.
 
After a quiet bottom of the fourth, Monroe tried to add more at the plate in the top of the fifth, when back-to-back one-out singles, along with an error, almost brought another run across, but George Castro recovered in time to quickly work the relay home to Casamento at the plate to keep the run from scoring.  
 
The Falcons would get a run back in the bottom of the sixth, when they had the bases loaded with just one out. A Jacob Simpson sac fly to center scored one, but David Curreri's liner to left didn't drop, and the Falcons could only cut the deficit to 6-3.  
 
In the top of the seventh, Monroe would push four more across. A double, followed by an error, allowed one run to score. Then, with the bases loaded and nobody out, the Mustangs delivered a big blow with a three-run double to make it 10-3, with the batter out at third trying to stretch it. The Falcons buckled down to get the outs and get out of the inning.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, the Falcons tried their best to get the rally going. A Fleischer double, followed by a Daniel Helfgott walk, put two on with nobody out. After a fly out, Keenan doubled home both of them to make it 10-5. A Castro walk, followed by a Casamento RBI double, kept the Falcons moving, making it 10-6. Dull drew another walk to load the bases, bringing the tying run to the plate, but a strikeout, followed by a ground out, ended the game, giving Monroe the win and the doubleheader split.  
 
The Falcons have one more doubleheader this weekend, when they travel to Augusta, NJ to take on the Sussex County CC Skylanders on Sunday, April 24^th. The first game is scheduled for 12:00pm ET at Skylands Stadium, and the second game will follow around 2:30pm ET. Both games will be available on video livestream, courtesy of the Sussex County CC Athletics Department's YouTube Channel, which can be accessed HERE.