4/26/22
 
BSB: Lackawanna Set To Host Northampton, Montgomery In Region XIX Crossovers
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College baseball team will test themselves with a pair of tough Region XIX Division III teams coming to town this week. On Tuesday, April 26^th, the Falcons will play host to the nationally ranked Northampton CC Spartans for a single, nine-inning contest. Then, on Wednesday, April 27^th, the Montgomery County CC Mustangs come to town for another single, nine-inning game. Both match-ups will take place at the Scranton HS baseball field, each at 3:30pm ET. There will be a video livestream available for both games, courtesy of the Lackawanna College Athletics YouTube Channel, at www.lackawannafalcons.com/YouTube.
 
 
About The Falcons
The Falcons (20-12) come into the week after going 4-2 in last weekend's action. On Friday afternoon, they split their doubleheader at home with UConn Avery Point, beating the Pointers 8-7 in game one, before falling 9-2 in game two. You can read the recap HERE. On Saturday, the Falcons threw a combined no-hitter in game one to knock off the Mustangs from Monroe, 4-2, but fell 10-6 in game two to split the doubleheader at Scranton. You can read the recap HERE. Finally, on Sunday, the Falcons traveled to New Jersey to take on Sussex County CC in a Region XIX doubleheader. The Falcons used a four-run sixth inning to pull away with the game one win, 8-3, and then used a six-run fourth inning to break open a 2-2 tie and eventually win, 14-3, to stay unbeaten in Region XIX play. Read the recap HERE.
 
Lackawanna is hitting, as a team, .356 so far this season, with a combined 1.019 OPS. They have 121 extra base hits, including 74 doubles and 31 homeruns already this season. They're slugging .571 as a team, and have stolen 84 bases so far this year. The Falcons have a .448 OBP on the year, and are averaging around 8.5 runs per contest this season.
 
On the mound, the Falcons are holding their opponents to a .252 batting average, and have a staff ERA of 5.53 this year. In 210 combined innings, the Falcons have given up 208 hits and 152 runs, 129 earned, while striking out 240 batters and walking 126. The Falcons have picked off seven base runners so far this season, and have turned seven double plays, while committing 50 errors as a team so far this year.
 
Quinn Hanafin is the team leader in batting average, hitting .477 so far this season in his 29 appearances. Hanafin has a 1.254 OPS, and is tied for first on the Falcons with 42 hits on the year. Hanafin leads the Falcons with twelve doubles so far this season, and he has 16 total extra base hits. He's first on the Falcons with 33 RBIs, and is second on the team in total bases, with 65. His .739 slugging is second on the team, among players who have played in 21 or more games. Quinn also has a .515 OBP, good for second the Falcons for the year. Hanafin has twelve multi-hit games so far this year, and has recorded a hit in 23 of his 29 appearances so far this year. Hanafin has struggled in his last four games, going just 1-for-10 with two runs and an RBI. Hanafin went a combined 1-for-4 in two games against Sussex, scoring a pair of runs.
 
Cody Fleischer has a .442 batting average so far this year, and is the team leader with a 1.297 OPS, among players who have played at least 21 games. Fleischer is tied with Hanafin for the team lead in hits, with 42 so far this season, and leads the Falcons with 42 runs scored on the year. Fleischer's 28 RBI are second on the team, and he's got 16 extra base hits on the season, including five homers, first on the team. Fleischer's .539 OBP is first among players who've played in 21 or more games for the Falcons, and he leads the team with 17 walks this year, while also pilfering nine bases on the year. Fleischer has gone a combined 6-for-18 in his last six games, scoring five runs, driving in two, and hitting three doubles. Fleischer went 1-for-7 with two runs scored and a double in two games against Sussex.
 
Daniel Helfgott is hitting .382 on the year, and is fourth on the Falcons with 26 hits so far this season. Helfgott has scored 17 runs on the year, and has an OBP of .456. Helfgott has three doubles on the year, and has scored 17 runs this season. Helfgott has nine multi-hit games so far this season, and was combined 6-for-16 in five games this past weekend. Helfgott went 4-for-7 with two runs scored, two RBI, and a double in two games against Sussex on Sunday.  
 
Daniel Keenan is hitting .357 so far this year in his 26 appearances, with a .927 OPS. Keenan has 46 total bases, good for third on the team, and has driven in 25 RBIs, also putting him third on the team. Keenan has ten extra base knocks, including six doubles, two triples, and two homers. He's scored 22 runs, tied for third on the Falcons, and is third on the team with 30 total hits this year. Keenan has eleven multi-hit games on the year, and went a combined 7-for-17 in five games this past weekend. Keenan went 4-for-8 with four runs scored, four RBI, and a double in two games against Sussex.
 
Eli Riley, in 19 games of work for the Falcons, is hitting .421 on the year, and has a 1.191 OPS. Riley has 24 hits, good for fifth on the squad, and 24 runs scored, ranking him second on the team. Riley has a .649 slugging percentage, and has eight extra base hits on the year. He also has eleven stolen bases, tied for the team lead. Riley is fifth on the Falcons with 16 RBI so far this year, and has 37 total bases. Riley has six multi-hit games this year, and was a combined 5-for-10 in four games this past weekend. Riley went 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI in the two wins against Sussex.
 
George Castro is hitting around .258 on the year, has a .909 OPS, and is slugging at .548 on the year. Castro has 16 RBI this season, and is tied with Fleischer for the team lead with five homeruns this season. Castro has five steals on the year, and has scored 14 runs for the Falcons. George has three multi-hit games this year, and was 1-for-4 in one game against Sussex, with an RBI and a double, this past Sunday.  
 
Zachary Walsh is hitting .432 so far this season in his 19 appearances, with an OPS of 1.419. Walsh has 16 hits in 37 at-bats, with ten extra base hits, including three homers, and has driven in 17 runs so far this season. Walsh is slugging at .919 on the year, and has also stolen six bases this season. Walsh has five multi-hit games this year, and went a combined 4-for-8 in three games over the weekend, including a 2-for-4 performance against Sussex, where he scored a run, drove in another, and had both a double and a triple in two games against Sussex.  
 
Aiden Starn leads the team in innings pitched at 28.2 so far this year. Starn is 2-2 in six starts, giving up 29 hits and 24 runs, 17 earned, while striking out 26 batters. He has a 5.34 ERA on the year, and opponents are hitting .242 against him. Starn was the first of two pitchers who combined for a no-hitter against the Monroe Mustangs, pitching 4.2 innings, and giving up two runs on four walks and four strikeouts.  
 
Marc DeNunzio has pitched in 20.1 innings this season, holding an 9.74 ERA and a 2-2 record. DeNunzio has eight appearances, the most on the team, with four starts, and has given up 22 runs and 32 hits, while striking out a team-high 31 batters. DeNunzio has also walked a team-high 16 batters. DeNunzio took the loss in his last outing, going three innings against UConn Avery Point, giving up five runs on eight hits, while striking out just one batter.  
 
Jason Carpenter has pitched 18.2 innings so far this season, making five starts in six appearances. Carpenter is 0-3 with a 6.27 ERA. Carpenter has given up 21 hits and 16 runs, 13 earned, while striking out 13 batters on the year. Carpenter pitched two scoreless innings in his last appearance, allowing just one hit and striking out a batter against UConn Avery Point.
 
Kyle Scott has pitched 16 innings so far this year, holding a 2.25 ERA and a 2-0 record in five appearances, four starts. Scott has struck out 30 batters, and has allowed eleven hits and four runs in his action. Scotthad his best start against Morris, where he went a complete seven innings, giving up just one hit, a homerun, while striking out a season best 14 batters in a 12-1 win for the Falcons. Scott's last appearance was a start against UConn Avery Point, where he went just one inning, giving up three hits and a run, while striking out a pair. He did get the start against Delaware Tech, where he gave up one run through four innings, while striking out ten batters, before that game was halted due to weather, so the stats are not official or reflected in his season totals.
 
Samuel Daniels has been great for the Falcons this year, appearing seven times, twice as a starter, and allowing ten hits and seven runs in 14.2 innings of work, all while striking out 19 batters. Daniels has a 4.30 ERA so far this season, and is 2-0. Opponents are hitting just .182 on the year against Daniels, who got the start, but no decision, against Sussex County CC, pitching two innings, and giving up two runs on three hits, with four walks.  
 
Dan Petrouskie has pitched 13.2 combined innings on the season, appearing in seven games, two starts, and going 2-0 with a 10.54 ERA. Petrouskie has allowed 19 runs, 16 earned, and 23 hits, while striking out 16 batters. Opponents are hitting .359 against Petrouskie on the year. Petrouskie pitched an inning of relief against UCAP in his last appearance, allowing three runs on three hits, while striking out a batter.  
 
Matthew Stam has pitched 13.1 innings in his six appearances so far this year, giving up eight hits and five runs, all earned, while striking out 15 batters. Stam has a 3.38 ERA, and opponents are hitting just .182 against him so far this year. Stam got a win earlier this year, going four innings in relief against PSU New Kensington, allowing just three hits and striking out five batters. Stam was the second half of the no-hitter against Monroe, relieving Aiden Starn by pitching 2.1 innings of no-hit ball, striking out three and walking just one batter.  
 
Coach Mike McCarry enters his fourth season at the helm for Lackawanna College. McCarry has helped elevate the Falcon program in his short time, guiding Lackawanna to a pair of NJCAA World Series appearances in his first three seasons, one of which was shortened and ultimately cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Before his time at Lackawanna, McCarry was the pitching coach at Stephen F. Austin and LaSalle Universities. As a pitching coach with both schools, he had multiple pitchers sign professional contracts, and, especially in his time at LaSalle, McCarry brought four NJCAA All-Americans to be a part of the Explorer program. Before that, McCarry spent his time in baseball in the Philadelphia Suburbs in Bucks County with Central Bucks West and the Colts Collegiate Summer Team. McCarry is a Keystone College graduate, where he played baseball for Jamie Shevchik and the vaunted Giants program. McCarry is 98-46 in his career at Lackawanna College.   
 
About Northampton CC
The Spartans (27-6) come in with a #7 ranking in the latest NJCAA DIII polls. Northampton had won its last six games before dropping the second game of a doubleheader with Camden CC in their last contest this past Sunday. Northampton managed to win game one by overcoming a 4-0 hole after the top of the first, scoring five runs over the next two innings, before pulling away to win 7-4.   In game two, the Spartans raced to a 12-6 lead after four innings, and held a 12-7 advantage heading into the top of the seventh, but the Cougars scored seven to take the lead, then held on in the bottom frame to win 14-13. On the year, Northampton is a perfect 7-0 against Region XIX DII opponents, with wins over Lehigh Carbon (2x), Sussex (2x), Morris (2x), and Mercer County. They also have future contests against Mercer, Raritan, and Lackawanna left on the schedule.
 
Northampton is hitting .337 as a team so far this season, averaging around 9.6 runs per game. The Spartans have a collective OPS of .946, and have hit 100 extra base hits this year, including 64 doubles and 18 homeruns. Northampton has drawn 167 walks, and struck out 172 times, and they also have 54 successful steals on the season. The Spartans are slugging at .491, as a team.
 
Northampton CC has a team ERA of 4.25 so far this season, giving up 194 runs, 108 earned, on 225 hits in 228.2 innings of work this year. They've struck their opponents out 195 times this year, averaging just over seven strikeouts per nine innings pitched. The Spartans have held their opponents to three or fewer runs in 17 games this year, including three shut-outs, and have turned two double plays this year, while committing 61 errors in 33 games.
 
Jeffrey Sabater is the team-leader with 48 total hits this season, to go with his team-high .462 batting average. Sabater leads the Spartans with 50 runs scored this season, and has 28 RBI, tied for third on the team. Sabater is also second on the team in OBP (.545) and slugging (.596). Sabater has a 1.141 OPS, also good for second on the Spartans. Sabater is the team leader in stolen bases for Northampton, with 19 swipes on the year. Sabater has 13 multi-hit games so far this year, and was a combined 3-for-7 with four runs, three RBI, and two triples in the doubleheader against Camden CC.  
 
Isaiah Lockette has a .400 batting average, and is second on the team with 38 total hits. Lockette has ten extra base hits on the year, tied with Sabater for third on the team. Lockette is also tied with Sabater for third on the Spartans with 28 RBI this year. Lockette is second on the team in slugging at .589. His .467 OBP is third on the team. Lockette has nine steals on the year, also second on the Spartans. Lockette has nine multi-hit games so far this season, and was a combined 4-for-8 with two runs scored and a stolen base in the two games against Camden CC.  
 
Ryan Santangelo is second on the team with a .407 batting average, and third on the team with 37 total hits this year. Santangelo is the power threat for the Spartans, hitting a team-high 18 extra base hits, including nine homeruns, and driving in a team-best 45 RBI. Santangelo has scored 45 runs of his own, second on the team, and has a team-best OPS of 1.403, including his team-highs in OBP (.568) and slugging (.835). Santangelo has eleven multi-hit games this season, including his last five games. In that stretch, Santangelo is 11-for-16 (.688), scoring nine runs, while driving in 12 RBI. Santangelo had a double and a pair of homers. In the two games against Camden, Santangelo was a combined 4-for-4, with five RBI, two runs scored, a double, and a homerun.  
 
Michael Wambold is hitting .351 on the season, with 34 total hits, and has scored 32 runs so far this season, third on the team. Wambold has eight extra base hits this year, driving in 18 RBI this season. Wambold has eight stolen bases this year for the Spartans. Wambold has eight multi-hit games so far this season, and was as combined 2-for-8 with three runs scored in the two games against Camden.  
 
Caleb Walker is hitting .330 for the Spartans this season, scoring 27 runs on 30 hits so far this year. Walker has eleven extra base hits, good for second on the team, and leads the Spartans with eight doubles this year. Walker has 23 RBI this season, good for fifth on the team, and is slugging at .505 this year, fourth on the team. Walker has five stolen bases this year, and has drawn 17 walks on the season. Walker has seven games where he's had two or more hits this season, and was a combined 2-for-8 with two RBI, a double, a homerun, and two runs scored in the two games against Camden.
 
Luke Spencer is hitting .296 for the Spartans this season, with 29 total hits and 25 runs scored on the year. Spencer has nine extra base hits, including seven doubles, and has driven in 31 runs, second on the squad. Spencer leads the team with 24 walks so far this season, and has seven stolen bases. Spencer has seven multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 1-for-4 with a run scored, a double, two RBI, and a walk against Camden in two games.   
 
On the bump, Ashton Johnson has appeared in a team-high eleven games for the Spartans this year, eight of which have been starts. Johnson is 6-2 with a 3.55 ERA, and has pitched in a team-high 45.2 innings this year, allowing 25 runs, 18 earned, on 54 hits, while striking out 27 batters and walking just six. Johnson won his last start, the first game against Camden on Sunday, pitching a complete game, allowing four runs on nine hits, while striking out five and walking three, picking up the 7-4 win.
 
Cole McGourty has made nine appearances, six starts, going 6-1 with a 4.36 ERA so far this season. McGourty has pitched 43.1 innings on the year, giving up 25 runs, 21 earned, on 35 hits, while striking out a team-high 37 batters, but also walking a team-worst 22. McGourty had been undefeated before Sunday, where he came on in relief for the first time in a month. He'd last the inning, but gave up seven runs on four hits, allowing the Cougars to turn a 12-7 deficit into a 14-12 lead and, eventually, a 14-13 win.  
 
Patrick Flynn is one of two pitchers with 24.1 innings pitched this season. Flynn has appeared in eight games this year, seven of which have been starts, and is 4-0 with a 7.40 ERA. Flynn has allowed 22 runs on 27 hits, while striking out 31 and walking 19 batters this season. Flynn averages 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings pitched on the year. Flynn's last appearance was the loss to Camden, where he pitched 2.1 innings of relief, giving up six runs on five hits, while striking out three. Flynn won his last start, back on April 20^th, where he went 3.0 innings, giving up just one hit and striking out five in an eventual 17-4 victory over Lehigh Carbon CC.
 
Ryan Gordon has also pitched 24.1 innings on the season, appearing in seven games, four starts, and going 3-1 with a 1.48 ERA. Gordon also has a save on the year.  Gordon has allowed four earned runs on 16 hits so far this season, striking out 27 and walking eight batters this season. Gordon got the win in his last game, pitching two innings and allowing just one hit with no runs to pick up the victory.
 
The head coach for Northampton CC is Adrian Yaguez, now into his 14^th season with the Spartans. Yaguez has led the Spartans to a pair of NJCAA World Series appearances, coming in 2017 and 2018, earning eight appearances in the Region XIX Final Four, and a Region XIX championship. The Spartans have won 25+ games in seven seasons under Yaguez, including the current season. Yaguez is a graduate of both DeSales and East Stroudsburg University, and has been a fixture for years in the Lehigh Valley baseball scene, having previously coached the Lehigh Valley Catz of the ACBL for seven seasons, and also serving as an assistant coach with Northampton, Phillipsburg HS, and Lafayette College. Yaguez is 330-175 in his career at Northampton.
 
About Montgomery County CC


Montgomery County CC (5-8) will enter Wednesday's contests fresh off a single nine-inning contest with the top-ranked Roadrunners from RCSJ-Gloucester on Tuesday. The Mustangs come into the week having lost their last two games, a doubleheader against Northampton CC. MCCC fell in game one against the Spartans 17-3, then dropped the second game 12-3 to Northampton.
 
As a team, Montgomery is hitting .318, and has a combined .902 OPS, which includes a .463 OBP. They have 28 extra base hits, which includes 20 doubles and six homeruns on the year. They have 24 stolen bases on the season, and have struck out 92 times this year, while drawing 81 walks as a team. Monroe is averaging just shy of eight runs per game this season.  
 
On the mound, the Mustangs hold a combined 5.69 ERA. In 80.2 combined innings, the Mustangs have given up 89 hits and 86 runs, 51 earned, while striking out 76 batters so far this season. The Mustangs have held their opponents to three or less runs in four of their five wins this year. They have 24 errors and have turned one double play in 13 games this year.  
 
Connor English is tied for the team lead with Marquise Wood in total hits, with each player recording 17 this year. English is hitting .447 this season, and has an OPS of 1.184 on the year. His .684 slugging percentage is second on the team, and his six doubles lead the squad. English has 13 RBI this year, good for third on the team. English has six multi-hit games for the Mustangs this season.  
 
The aforementioned Marquise Wood also has a .447 batting average, but leads the team with a 1.413 OPS, thanks to his team-high .842 slugging percentage. Wood has seven extra base hits, including a team-best three homeruns, and has driven in 14 RBI on the year. Wood's 19 runs scored ties him for the team lead this year for the Mustangs, and he has stolen five bases.  Wood has six multi-hit games on the year.
 
Morgan D'Amico leads Montgomery with a .500 batting average on the year. D'Amico is tied with Wood for the team lead in runs scored with 19 on the year, and he's got a 1.286 OPS, good for second on the team, behind Wood. D'Amico has five doubles and ten RBI this year, and has drawn nine walks on the season. D'Amico has five multi-hit games on the season for Montgomery.    
 
Jacob Phillips is averaging .429 on the year for the Mustangs, having collected 15 hits and drawn ten walks, getting a .571 OBP on the season, tied for second on the team. Phillips has four doubles and nine RBI on the season. Phillips has six multi-hit games on the season for the Mustangs.  
 
Hunter Hamlin is hitting .394 for the Mustangs this season, with a team-high 18 RBI this year. Hamlin has 13 total hits, including a pair of homeruns, and has drawn six walks, while scoring seven runs and collecting 13 hits for the Mustangs this year. Hamlin has three multi-hit games on the year.   
 
Tony Xanthopoulos has appeared in six games, starting three, for the Mustangs this year. Xanthopoulos is 4-2 with a 3.34 ERA this year, having pitched a team-high 29.2 innings this season. Xanthopoulos has given up 17 runs, eleven earned, on 23 hits, while striking out a team-best 26 batters on the year. Xanthopoulos was victorious in his last game, getting the win in two innings of work, allowing one run on two hits against Chestnut Hill JV.  
 
Connor English has made the most appearances for the Mustangs at seven, making three starts, and going 1-1 with a 3.68 ERA for Montgomery. In 22 innings of work, English has given up 16 runs, nine earned, on 21 hits, while striking out 18 batters and walking just three. English pitched two innings of scoreless ball against Chestnut Hill JV, giving up just two hits.
 
Alexander Schnider has made four appearances for the Mustangs this year, going 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA on the year. Schnider, in 12 innings of work, has given up 21 runs, twelve earned, on 23 hits, while striking out seven and walking a team-worst 15 batters. Schnider last pitched an inning of relief against Middlesex, where he gave up seven runs, four earned, on four hits, while walking a season-worst five batters.  
 
Morgan D'Amico has made six appearances for the Mustangs this year, going 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA. D'Amico has pitched in eleven innings, giving up ten runs, six earned, on nine hits, while striking out 20 batters and walking eight. D'Amico's 16.4 strikeouts per nine innings is the best ratio on the staff. D'Amico saw time against Chestnut Hill JV, pitching two innings, while giving up three runs and four hits, while striking out four.  
 
The head coach for Montgomery County CC is Mike Fitzgerald, now in his fifth year with the Mustangs, after taking over in 2018. Fitzgerald became the head coach after spending time as an assistant with the Mustangs program. Fitzgerald is a graduate of Boyertown, where he played and coached for 15 years. He coached the high school team for six seasons, and also coach the American Legion team for six seasons. Fitzgerald is 31-24 in his time at Montgomery County.  
 
Game(s) Information
Both the Tuesday game with Northampton, and the Wednesday game with Montgomery will be video livestreamed via the Lackawanna College Athletics YouTube Channel at www.lackawannafalcons.com/YouTube.
 
The Falcons get back to Region XIX Division II play this Friday, April 29^th, when they host the Mercer County CC Vikings at Scranton High's baseball field. The first game of the scheduled doubleheader is at 1:00pm ET, and the second will follow at 3:30pm ET.  
 
Check lackawannafalcons.com for scheduling updates.