5/2/22
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College baseball team has one more game before it gets to the Region XIX Division II playoffs on the week's end, when the Falcons travel to take on the nationally ranked Division III opponent Northampton in a Region XIX crossover match-up on Monday, May 2^nd. The single, nine-inning game is set for a 3:30pm ET start, and will be streamed live via the Northampton CC Athletics website.
 
 
About The Falcons
The Falcons (22-16) come into the week after a rough weekend, going 1-4 in their five home contests. This past Friday, the Falcons hosted Mercer County, and dropped the doubleheader to the Vikings, including a game where they held a 10-3 lead into the sixth inning. Read the recap HERE. On Saturday, the Falcons hosted the Division I Harford CC Fighting Owls, and Harford overwhelmed Lackawanna with a 27-2 win in seven innings. You can read the recap HERE. On Sunday, the Falcons hosted Delaware Tech in a doubleheader delayed by two weeks because of rain. The Falcons dropped game one, which was restarted from the fifth inning on, but won game two thanks to a five-run fifth inning. Read the recap HERE.
 
Lackawanna is hitting, as a team, .347 so far this season, with a combined .996 OPS. They have 144 extra base hits, including 91 doubles and 34 homeruns already this season. They're slugging .557 as a team, and have stolen 100 bases so far this year. The Falcons have a .439 OBP on the year, and are averaging just over eight runs per contest this season.
 
On the mound, the Falcons are holding their opponents to a .263 batting average, and have a staff ERA of 6.27 this year. In 254 combined innings, the Falcons have given up 267 hits and 203 runs, 177 earned, while striking out 297 batters and walking 159. The Falcons have picked off seven base runners so far this season, and have turned eight double plays, while committing 59 errors as a team so far this year.
 
Quinn Hanafin is the team leader in batting average, hitting .500 so far this season in his 35 appearances. Hanafin has a 1.277 OPS, and leads the Falcons with 52 hits on the year. Hanafin also leads the Falcons with 14 doubles so far this season, and he has 19 total extra base hits. He's first on the Falcons with 38 RBIs, and is second on the team in total bases, with 77. His .740 slugging is second on the team, among players who have played in 25 or more games. Quinn also has a .537 OBP, first on the team. Hanafin has 14 multi-hit games so far this year, and has recorded a hit in 27 of his 34 appearances so far this year. Hanafin was a combined 7-for-13 on the weekend, driving in three runs, scoring a pair, and hitting a double. Hanafin was particularly good against Delaware Tech, going a combined 4-for-5 with three RBI, a run scored, and a double.  
 
Cody Fleischer has a .462 batting average so far this year, and has a 1.250 OPS, third among players who have played at least 25 games. Fleischer has 49 hits so far this season, second on the squad, and leads the Falcons with 48 runs scored on the year. Fleischer's 30 RBI are second on the team, and he's got a team-high 22 extra base hits on the season, including six homers, first on the team. Fleischer's .511 OBP is second among players who've played in 25 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 was a combined 5-for-17 in four games this weekend, scoring four runs, driving in two more, and hitting a double and a homerun. Fleischer, in two games against Delaware Tech, was a combined 2-for-8 with two runs scored and an RBI coming on a solo shot in the fifth inning of game two.
 
Daniel Keenan is hitting .347 so far this year in his 32 appearances, with a .928 OPS. Keenan has 55 total bases, good for third on the team, and has driven in 29 RBI, also putting him third. Keenan has 13 extra base knocks, including eight doubles, three triples, and two homers. He's scored 25 runs, tied for third on the Falcons, and is third on the team with 35 total hits this year. Keenan has twelve multi-hit games on the year, and went a combined 4-for-14 in the five games this weekend. Keenan was 0-for-5 in the doubleheader against Delaware Tech.  
 
Daniel Helfgott is hitting .350 on the year, and is fourth on the Falcons with 28 hits so far this season. Helfgott has scored 18 runs on the year, and has an OBP of .454. Helfgott has three doubles on the year, and has driven in eleven runs this season. Helfgott has also drawn twelve walks this season, tied for second on the team with Eli Riley. Helfgott has nine multi-hit games so far this season, and was combined 2-for-11 in four games from this weekend. Helfgott was 2-for-6 in two games against Delaware Tech this past weekend.  
 
Eli Riley, in 24 games of work for the Falcons, is hitting .371 on the year, and has a 1.120 OPS. Riley has 26 hits, good for fifth on the squad, and 27 runs scored, ranking him second on the team. Riley has a .614 slugging percentage, and has ten extra base hits on the year. He also has 14 stolen bases, tied for the team lead with Jacob Simpson. Riley is fifth on the Falcons with 21 RBI so far this year, and has 43 total bases. Riley has a .506 OBP on the year, and has six multi-hit games. Riley was a combined 1-for-10 in four games this weekend, the one hit coming in the second game against Delaware Tech on a three-run homerun.  
 
Zachary Walsh is hitting .415 so far this season in his 25 appearances, with an OPS of 1.398. Walsh has 22 hits in 53 at-bats, with 15 extra base hits, including four homers, and has driven in 22 runs so far this season, good for fourth on the team. Walsh is slugging at .906 on the year, first on the Falcons, and has also stolen eleven bases this season. Walsh has seven multi-hit games this year, and went a combined 5-for-13 in five games this past weekend, including a 3-for-6 performance in his two games against Delaware Tech, where he scored four runs, hit two doubles and a solo homerun.  
 
George Castro is hitting around .257 on the year, has an .887 OPS, and is slugging at .527 on the year. Castro has 16 RBI this season, and has five homeruns this season. Castro has six steals on the year, and has scored 16 runs for the Falcons. George has three multi-hit games this year, and was a combined 2-for-9 in four games this weekend. Castro scored a run, but was 0-for-5 in the two games against Delaware Tech.  
 
Aiden Starn leads the team in innings pitched at 34.1 so far this year. Starn is 2-2 in seven starts, giving up 40 hits and 30 runs, 23 earned, while striking out 31 batters. He has a 6.03 ERA on the year, and opponents are hitting .268 against him. Starn got the start, but ended up without a decision, against Mercer County on Friday. Starn pitched well for five innings, but the wheels came off in the sixth, and he exited with a 10-6 lead that the Falcons couldn't hold. Starn went 5.2 innings, giving up six runs on eleven hits, while striking out five.
 
Kyle Scott has pitched 27 innings so far this year, holding a 2.67 ERA and a 2-1 record in seven appearances, six starts. Scott has struck out a team-high 48 batters, and has allowed 21 hits and eight runs in his action. Scott had 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 his seven innings against Mercer County on Friday, where he gave up three runs on seven hits, while striking out nine, but still got the loss in a 3-1 defeat. He technically pitched four innings against Delaware Tech in game one from Sunday, but that happened back on April 16^th.
 
Jason Carpenter has pitched 24 innings so far this season, making six starts in eight appearances. Carpenter is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA. Carpenter has given up 28 hits and 21 runs, 18 earned, while striking out 19 batters on the year. Carpenter pitched well in his last start, going four innings against Montgomery County CC last Wednesday, allowing just two hits and striking out three, but not getting a decision. In his last appearance, Carpenter had to come on in relief late in the loss to Harford CC on Saturday. He pitched 1.1 innings, giving up five runs on five hits, while striking out three and walking four.  
 
Marc DeNunzio has pitched in 24 innings this season, holding a 10.88 ERA and a 2-2 record. DeNunzio has nine appearances, the most on the team, with four starts, and has given up 29 runs and 37 hits, while striking out a 36 batters, second on the staff. DeNunzio has also walked a team-high 21 batters. DeNunzio pitched 3.2 innings of relief in his last appearance, against Harford CC on Saturday. He gave up seven runs on five hits, striking out and walking five batters, apiece.  
 
Samuel Daniels has appeared nine times, twice as a starter, and has allowed ten hits and seven runs in 16 innings of work, all while striking out 21 batters. Daniels has a 3.94 ERA so far this season, and is 2-0. Opponents are hitting just .167 on the year against Daniels, who pitched a scoreless inning of relief against Delaware Tech on Sunday, striking out a pair of batters.  
 
Matthew Stam has pitched 13.2 innings in his seven appearances so far this year, giving up ten hits and seven runs, all earned, while striking out 15 batters. Stam has a 4.61 ERA, and opponents are hitting .213 against him so far this year. Stam is 1-1 on the year, and got saddled with the loss against Mercer on Friday in the second game, giving up two runs on two hits in just 1/3 of an inning of work.  
 
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 92-54 in his career at Lackawanna College.   
 
About Northampton CC
The Spartans (31-8) come in with a #7 ranking in the latest NJCAA DIII polls. Northampton went 3-1 over the weekend, splitting with Raritan Valley on Saturday, and sweeping Anne Arundel CC on Sunday on the road. In both games against Anne Arundel, Northampton scored four runs in the first to jump in front, and kept scoring to trigger the sportsmanship rule, twice, to win each game in five innings. On the year, Northampton is 9-1 against Region XIX DII opponents, with wins over Lehigh Carbon (2x), Sussex (2x), Morris (2x), Mercer (2x), and Raritan Valley.
 
Northampton is hitting .345 as a team so far this season, averaging just over ten runs per game. The Spartans have a collective OPS of .961, and have hit 124 extra base hits this year, including 82 doubles and 22 homeruns. Northampton has drawn 199 walks, struck out 203 times, and they also have 68 successful steals on the season. The Spartans are slugging at .501, as a team.
 
Northampton CC has a team ERA of 4.47 so far this season, giving up 233 runs, 134 earned, on 275 hits in 270 innings of work this year. They've struck their opponents out 222 times this year, averaging just over seven strikeouts per nine innings pitched. The Spartans have held their opponents to three or fewer runs in 19 games this year, including three shut-outs, and have turned five double plays this year, while committing 74 errors in 39 games.
 
Jeffrey Sabater is the team-leader with 60 total hits this season, to go with his team-high .484 batting average. Sabater leads the Spartans with 61 runs scored this season, and has 38 RBI, second on the Spartans. Sabater leads Northampton in OBP (.576) and is second in slugging (.629). Sabater has a 1.205 OPS, good for second on the Spartans. Sabater is the team leader in stolen bases for Northampton, with 25 swipes on the year. Sabater has 16 multi-hit games so far this year, and was a combined 5-for-9 with three doubles, four RBI, and two runs scored in a pair of games against Anne Arundel.  
 
Ryan Santangelo is second on the team with a .413 batting average, and 45 total hits this year. Santangelo is the power threat for the Spartans, hitting a team-high 23 extra base hits, including a team-best eleven homeruns, and driving in a team-high 60 RBI. Santangelo has scored 51 runs of his own, second on the team, and has a team-best OPS of 1.406, including his team-high slugging (.853). Santangelo has 13 multi-hit games this season, including seven of his last nine games. In that stretch, Santangelo is 19-for-34 (.559), scoring 15 runs, while driving in 27 RBI. Santangelo did not play against Anne Arundel, but was a combined 5-for-9 with three doubles, a homerun, eleven RBI, and four runs scored in two games against Raritan Valley.
 
Isaiah Lockette has a .379 batting average, third on the team, and has 39 total hits. Lockette has ten extra base hits on the year, and has 29 RBI on the season. Lockette is slugging at .553, and has a .443 OBP. Lockette has nine steals on the year, third on the Spartans. Lockette has nine multi-hit games so far this season, but missed both the Raritan Valley and Anne Arundel doubleheaders over the weekend.    
 
Michael Wambold is hitting .373 on the season, with 44 total hits, third on the team. Wambold has scored 41 runs so far this season, also third on the team. Wambold has ten extra base hits this year, driving in 24 RBI this season. Wambold has eleven stolen bases this year for the Spartans, second on the Spartans. Wambold has twelve multi-hit games so far this season, and went 2-for-4 with a homerun and four RBI, as well as two runs scored in the first game against Anne Arundel.  
 
Caleb Walker is hitting .330 for the Spartans this season, scoring 37 runs on 35 hits so far this year. Walker has eleven extra base hits, including eight doubles this year. Walker has 26 RBI this season, and is slugging at .481 this year. Walker has six stolen bases this year, and has drawn 24 walks on the season, second on the team. Walker has eight games where he's had two or more hits this season, and was a combined 3-for-4 with four runs and an RBI in two games against Anne Arundel.
 
Luke Spencer is hitting .295 for the Spartans this season, with 36 total hits and 30 runs scored on the year. Spencer has eleven extra base hits, including eight doubles, and has driven in 36 runs, third on the squad. Spencer leads the team with 25 walks so far this season, and has eight stolen bases. Spencer has nine multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 3-for-7 with a run scored and an RBI in two games against Anne Arundel.   
 
On the bump, Ashton Johnson has appeared in a team-high 13 games for the Spartans this year, nine of which have been starts. Johnson is 7-2 with a 3.17 ERA, and has pitched in a team-high 54 innings this year, allowing 29 runs, 19 earned, on 62 hits, while striking out 31 batters and walking just six. Johnson won his last start, the first game against Anne Arundel, where he gave up one run on seven hits in five innings of work, striking out three batters.  
 
Cole McGourty has made ten appearances, seven starts, going 6-1 with a 4.88 ERA so far this season. McGourty has pitched 48 innings on the year, giving up 31 runs, 26 earned, on 41 hits, while striking out a team-high 39 batters, but also walking a team-worst 25. McGourty had been undefeated before last 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. McGourty's last start and appearance came back on April 27^th, in a start against Brookdale CC. He pitched 4.2 innings, giving up six runs on six hits, but didn't get the decision in the 11-10 loss.   
 
Patrick Flynn has made nine appearances, eight of which are starts, and has gone 5-0 with a 6.67 ERA. In 28.1 innings of work this season, Flynn has allowed 23 runs on 29 hits, while striking out 32 and walking 23 batters this season. Flynn averages just over ten strikeouts per nine innings pitched on the year. Flynn's last appearance was his last start, the second game against Anne Arundel on Sunday, where he pitched four innings, giving up one run on two hits to pick up the win.  
 
Ryan Gordon has appeared in eight games, five of which are starts, going 4-1 with a 1.65 ERA and one save. In 32.2 innings of work, Gordon has allowed six earned runs on 24 hits so far this season, striking out 32 and walking twelve batters this season. Gordon got the win in his last game back on April 28^th, nearly going all the way in the 7-6 win over Mercer. He lasted 8.1 innings, giving up six runs on eight hits, while striking out five batters.  
 
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 334-177 in his career at Northampton.
 
Game Information
The single, nine-inning game against Northampton is schedule for a 3:30pm ET start on Monday, May 2^nd in Bethlehem, PA. There will be a video livestream available via the Northampton CC Sports Network on the athletics website, which you can access via the link HERE.
 
Next up for Lackawanna College will be the Region XIX Division II baseball tournament at the end of the week at Delaware Tech CC. Details for the tournament, including match-ups and times, will be announced later this week.
 
Check lackawannafalcons.com for scheduling updates.