4/3/22
 
CARNEYS POINT, NJ – The Lackawanna College baseball team struggled to get their offense on track in game one, but found their groove in game two, helping the Falcons split a pair in doubleheader action on Sunday afternoon against Salem Community College in New Jersey. The Mighty Oaks took game one with a 3-0 shutout win, and the Falcons managed to split the twin-bill with an impressive 13-2 victory in game two.
 
Lackawanna College (13-8) was wasteful in game one, getting runners aboard but struggling to bring them home, while Salem (12-16) did what they had to do to push runs across, overcoming a solid start from Jason Carpenter, and a good relief appearance from Keon Burkholder. Game two didn't start much different, as the Falcons were down 2-0 after two innings, and had come up empty in a bases loaded situation, but Giovanni Lopez sparked a five-run third with a three-run homer, Cody Fleischer added a two-run homer in the top of the fourth, and Zachary Walsh added a three-run bomb of his own to help the Falcons cruise to victory.
 
Game One Recap: Salem CC 3 – 0 Lackawanna College
The normally explosive bats from Lackawanna College were held in check by good pitching and defense from Salem CC, as the Mighty Oaks did just enough, at the plate, to come away with the 3-0 win in game one on Sunday afternoon.
 
Lackawanna College (12-8) managed just four hits over the course of the game, and drew just two walks, severely limiting their opportunities to score. In fact, neither team had an extra base hit throughout the game. Jason Carpenter got the loss, going three innings, giving up five hits and three runs, but walking five batters and striking out just two in his start. Giovanni Lopez was one of three Falcon batters with a hit, and was the only one with more than one hit. Lopez went 2-for-2 with a walk, while Quinn Hanafin and Daniel Keenan each went 1-for-3 for the Falcons.
 
The Mighty Oaks (12-15) got a boost from starter Sean Cocuzza right away, who retired the Falcons in order to start the top of the first. Salem got a one-out walk in the bottom half, then played some small ball with a stolen base and an RBI single to make it 1-0, Mighty Oaks.
 
Salem would strike again in the bottom of the second, thanks to another one-out walk and a stolen base. With a man on second, the Mighty Oaks got a single to put runners on the corners, and a sac fly would follow to bring home the run and make it 2-0, Salem. Carpenter gave up another single, but pitched around trouble to get out of the inning.
 
In the top of the third, Lopez got the Falcons their first hit with a lead-off single, but he was put out on a fielder's choice by Phil Dull. Dull got to second on a steal, but a fly out to center would be how the top half ended. Salem got a lead-off single to start the bottom of the third, but the runner was picked off by Cody Fleischer. Back-to-back walks put two on with one-out, and a single loaded the bases. Salem drew another walk, this time with the bases loaded, bringing in another run to make it 3-0. Carpenter got a strikeout and a ground out to get out of the inning, but the Falcons needed production.
 
A one-out walk by Eli Riley, followed by a Hanafin single, put runners on the corners with just one away, but the Falcons couldn't convert, as the inning ended on back-to-back fly outs into the outfield.
 
Keon Burkholder came on for the Falcons in the bottom of the fourth, and he pitched around a single with a pair of strikeouts and a ground out, but the Falcons couldn't get anything going in the top of the fifth, after a lead-off walk was wasted with a one-out double play ball to the pitcher. Burkholder induced his own double play, and followed that with a strikeout in the bottom of the fifth, but the Falcons went down in order in the sixth.
 
Into the bottom of the sixth, the Falcons still trailed 3-0, with Burkholder still on the bump. A hit batsman, followed by a single, put two on with nobody out. A fly-out advanced it to runners on the corners, and a passed ball made it second and third with one out, but a strikeout, followed by a groundout, stranded the runners and gave the Falcons one last push in the top of the seventh.
 
Keenan got aboard with a two-out single, and Lopez followed with a single of his own, putting runners on the corners with two away. Christian Rush pinch hit, and Zachary Walsh was called upon to pinch run. Rush couldn't deliver for the Falcons, however, as he flew out to center field to end a frustrating game one for the Falcons.
 
Game Two Recap: Lackawanna College 13 – 2 Salem CC



Lackawanna College, after a shaky start to game two, looked much more like themselves, scoring five runs in the third to take a lead they'd never surrender, and pounding out 12 hits throughout the contest to take a 13-2 victory over Salem CC, giving the Falcons a split in the doubleheader on Sunday afternoon in New Jersey.
 
After not getting any extra base hits in game one, the Falcons (13-8) got seven in game two, including three homeruns, and had four players with two or more hits in the contest. Cody Fleischer was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, three RBIs, and two runs scored on the day, while Giovanni Lopez went 2-for-3 with a three-run blast, three RBIs, and a run scored. Quinn Hanafin was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, and Zachary Walsh was 2-for-4 with three RBIs, all coming on a three-run homer of his own, and a run scored. Samuel Daniels, despite allowing his first hits and runs of the year, picked up the win, his second on the year, going three innings and giving up two runs on four hits, with three strikeouts.
 
The Falcons might have had déjà vu in the two innings, after they went relatively quietly in the top half, and Salem (12-16) used back-to-back singles to, eventually drive in a pair of runs on an RBI knock, making it 2-0, Mighty Oaks, after one. Then, in the top of the second, the Falcons had runners on second and third with nobody out, and then the bases loaded with just one out, but a hard line drive from Cole Casamento went right to the first baseman's glove, who tagged out Walsh for a quick double play to end the inning and the scoring threat.
 
Lackawanna would finally get things rolling in the top of the third. Trailing 2-0, the Falcons had a pair of base runners with one out, when Fleischer finally got the Falcons their breakthrough, singling home Spencer Butz from second to make it 2-1. Hanafin followed with an RBI single of his own, tying things up. In stepped Lopez, who launched a go-ahead three-run bomb, pushing the Falcon lead to 5-2.
 
Lackawanna wanted more in the top of the fourth, still ahead 5-2. A one-out double from Butz paid off, as Christian Rush brought him home with an RBI double. Then, Fleischer got in on the homerun fun, popping his own out beyond the fence, extending the Falcon lead to 8-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth.
 
Ty Morris took over for Daniels in the bottom frame, and, despite a lead-off double and a pair of walks, Morris was able to strand the bases loaded with a pop out to keep the game at 8-2. He'd be rewarded when the Falcons came back up in the top of the fifth. A two-out walk by Casamento, followed by a wild pitch, put a runner on second for Lackawanna College. Julian Thompson would deliver, as the shortstop singled to bring home Casamento, extending the Falcon lead out to 9-2.
 
A single, followed by a hit batter, put two on with nobody out for the Mighty Oaks in the bottom of the fifth, but Morris struck out the side with three straight swinging strikeouts, firing up the Falcons to try to get a few more in the sixth.
 
Lackawanna would get some two-out magic going, when Hanafin doubled, and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. After a walk made it first and third, Matthew Stam singled home Hanafin to get the Falcons to ten runs. Then, Walsh stepped in and delivered the third homer of the game for the Falcons, a three-run dinger, putting Lackawanna ahead at 13-2.
 
Derrick Newman came on in the bottom of the sixth for the Falcons, and pitched around a single to keep Salem off the board. After a quiet top frame of the seventh, Newman gave way to Mason Drummond, who pitched around a one-out single and walk to get the Falcons out of there with the doubleheader split.
 
The Falcons are back in action when they travel to Bethlehem on Thursday, March 7^th, for a single nine-inning game against Northampton Community College. The Spartans are an impressive 17-4 so far this season, and are currently just outside the NJCAA DIII Top Ten rankings, receiving votes, nationally. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30pm ET at Spartan Field.