5/6/22

GEORGETOWN, De. – Two times the Lackawanna College baseball team took a lead late into their respective playoff games on Friday, and twice their opponents mounted rallies. Luckily, the Falcons did one more things twice: Pull out with a win. The two-time defending champion Falcons played like one, beating Mercer County 6-3 in the opening round, and then surviving a rally from top-seeded Delaware Tech to win 10-5 in ten innings in the semi-finals on Friday afternoon.
 
Lackawanna College (24-17) got seven stellar innings from Kyle Scott in game one, riding his strong pitching to a 6-3 win over the Vikings from Mercer County CC in game one at Sussex Central HS. Lackawanna College then hopped in their vans and drove 15 minutes across town to play Delaware Tech CC in the semi-finals that afternoon. The Falcons had a 5-0 lead after the top of the seventh, but the Terry Hawks rallied with four runs in the bottom frame, and then scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to tie things up, only for Lackawanna to score five runs in extra innings to put things out of reach, clinching a spot in the title game, set for Saturday afternoon in Georgetown.  
 
Game One Recap: Lackawanna College 6 – 3 Mercer County CC


Lackawanna College used a strong pitching performance from Kyle Scott, along with a pair of three-run innings in the first four innings to come away with a 6-3 win over Mercer County on Friday morning at Sussex Central HS in Delaware.
 
The Falcons (23-17) took advantage of some early mistakes from the Vikings, scoring three unearned runs in the first inning to take a lead. They'd score another three runs more conventionally in the fourth, using RBI singles from Julian Thompson, Cody Fleischer, and George Castro to stretch their lead. Meanwhile, Kyle Scott allowed three hits and struck out eleven batters through seven innings, giving up just one run. Samuel Daniels gave up a two-run homer in the eighth inning, but kept things clean, otherwise, going two innings in relief to get the Falcons over the finish line. Fleischer led the Falcons, going 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI, while Castro, Thompson, and Eli Riley all had two hits for Lackawanna College.
 
The Falcons got on the board quickly in the top of the first, when a Zachary Walsh leadoff walk was followed by a Fleischer single to put runners on the corners. A passed ball brought Walsh home and put Fleischer on second, making it 1-0, Falcons. A walk to Quinn Hanafin put two on, and then another passed ball put runners on second and third, still with nobody out. After a strikeout, a Daniel Keenan ground out to short scored Fleischer, and an error on the infield in the next at-bat allowed Hanafin to score, making it 3-0, Falcons, heading into the bottom frame. Scott took the mound in the bottom half of the first, and, after a leadoff walk, Scott struck out the side swinging to get out of the first inning with momentum.
 
Things remained quiet until the bottom of the third, when the Vikings got on the board. Mercer (26-17) got a one-out triple to immediately get a runner in scoring position. Scott managed to keep the damage to a minimal, inducing a ground out that scored the run, and then, after a walk, getting a fly out to end the inning with the Falcons in front, 3-1.
 
Lackawanna College got three more runs in the top of the fourth inning. It all started when Eli Riley singled to lead off the inning, then stole consecutive bases to get himself to third. After a strikeout put one away, Thompson stepped in and delivered on an RBI single, making it 4-1, Falcons. A fielder's choice from Walsh forced Thompson out at second, but Walsh stole second to put himself in scoring position, and Fleischer singled him home. A Hanafin walk put two on, and Castro stepped up with an RBI single of his own, stretching the Falcon lead to 6-1.
 
Things remained quiet for both teams for the next few innings, with hardly any baserunners for either team. With the Falcons up 6-1 in the top of the seventh, three straight walks loaded the bases for Lackawanna College, but a pitching change proved to be just what Mercer needed, as a ground out ended the inning and stranded the runners, keeping the game at 6-1, Falcons.
 
Finally, in the bottom of the eighth, it was Mercer who broke the silence. With Samuel Daniels on the bump, the Falcons did get a pair of fly outs to immediately put two away, but a single, followed by a big fly that cleared the fence, cut the lead to 6-3, Falcons. Daniels got a short fly out to second to end the inning.
 
In the top of the ninth, the Falcons got a one-out double from Castro. Spencer Butz came in to pinch run, and, after a strikeout, advanced to third on a passed ball. With two away, a hit by pitch put runners on the corners, but a ground out to short ended the inning before the Falcons could score anything. Meanwhile, in the bottom frame, a single led things off brightly for the Vikings, but Daniels shut things down from there, retiring the side in order with three straight strikeouts to preserve the win and get the Falcons into the Region XIX Tournament semi-finals.
 
Game Two Recap: Lackawanna College 10 – 5 Delaware Tech CC (10 Innings)


After their game one win, the Falcons gathered their gear, hopped in their vans, and traveled 15 minutes down the highway to play Delaware Tech CC in the semi-final round on Friday afternoon. The Falcons blew a 5-0 lead after 6.5 innings, but had their own rally in the top of the tenth when they put five runs on the board, winning 10-5 in ten innings against Delaware Tech in Georgetown. With the win, the Falcons advance to the Region XIX championship series, needing just one win to secure a third straight Region XIX title.
 
The Falcons (24-17) slowly, but surely, built a steady 5-0 lead, only to see the Terry Hawks (32-9) pump four runs past Lackawanna, and then another run in the ninth to tie things up, sending it to extras. In the tenth inning, a Cole Casamento RBI single put the Falcons on top, followed by four more runs to put things out of reach and give the Falcons a lead they wouldn't surrender. Cody Fleischer and Quinn Hanafin each had three hits, apiece, driving in two RBI, each, while George Castro went 1-for-3 with three RBI. Aiden Starn got the start and went 6.2 innings, giving up four runs on eight hits, but didn't get the decision. Keon Burkholder, despite blowing the save in the ninth, managed to get the win, pitching what became a clutch 3.1 innings, striking out six batters and allowing just that one run.
 
Neither team scored in the first inning, but the Falcons found the breakthrough in the top of the second. An Eli Riley single, got the Falcons a leadoff baserunner, and Riley advanced to third on a steal and a throwing error, still with nobody out. A Daniel Keenan sac fly to center brought Riley in, putting the Falcons up 1-0. Delaware Tech recovered, getting a ground out and a strike out to end the inning.
 
After Starn kept the Terry Hawks quiet in the bottom of the second, the Falcon offense pushed a few more across in the top of the third. A one-out walk from Zachary Walsh, followed by a steal, put Lackawanna in scoring position. Fleischer doubled to put runners on second and third, but a Hanafin fly out to center put two outs on the board, threatening to end the inning. Enter Castro, who hit a big two-run single to score both Walsh and Fleischer, making it 3-0, Falcons after the top of the third. In the bottom frame, a one-out single was negated by the Falcons turning a 5-4-3 double play, keeping the Falcons comfortably ahead at 3-0.  
 
In the bottom of the fourth, it looked like the Vikings might have something cooking, when a pair of singles put runners on first and second with one out. Starn got a swinging strikeout to put two away, and then a ground ball to short ended the inning, again keeping the Falcons in front.  
 
The Falcons pushed a run across in the fifth, when Walsh got a one-out single, and then raced around the base paths to score on a Hanafin RBI double, making it 4-0, Falcons. Castro got hit by a pitch to put two on, but a ground out ended the top half of the fifth.
 
Delaware Tech got a leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth, but another timely double play, this time 4-6-3, snuffed out a possible rally. Starn got a fly out to left to end the sixth, with the Falcons ahead 4-0.
 
A pitching change for Delaware Tech started the top of the seventh, and Walsh got things going for the Falcons again, reaching on a fielder's choice, and then stealing second base with one out. A Fleischer walk put two aboard, and a Hanafin single loaded the bases with just one out. Castro launched a fly ball to center, not deep enough to land for a hit, but deep enough to score Walsh on a sac fly, pushing the Falcons lead to 5-0. A fielder's choice ended the scoring threat, stranding a pair of runners for Lackawanna College.
 
Finally, in the bottom of the seventh, Delaware Tech's offense came alive. A hit by pitch, followed by a single, put two on with one out. An RBI single put the Terry Hawks on the board, but Starn managed to get a ground out to third to put two away. After a walk loaded the bases, a big two-run single cut the Falcon lead to 5-3. Phil Dull came in for Starn, but threw a pair of walks, the second with the bases loaded to force another run home at 5-4. Dull was pulled for Burkholder, who came in and got a fielder's choice to short to end the inning, with the Falcons clinging to a 5-4 lead.
 
Neither team scored in the eighth, but Lackawanna threatened to score in the top of the ninth. A one-out walk from Walsh, followed by a Fleischer single, put two runners on. Hanafin flew out to center, advancing both runners to second and third, but a ground out to third stranded the runners and ended the inning. Burkholder came back out in the bottom of the ninth, and got a strikeout to start the inning. A pair of singles put runners on the corners, but another strikeout put the Falcons just an out away. The Terry Hawks weren't ready for the party to end, hitting an RBI single to tie things up at 5-all. With the winning run just 90 feet away, Burkholder managed to get the third strikeout of the inning to push the game to extras.
 
The tenth inning came, and suddenly the Falcon offense woke up. After Riley was hit by a pitch, a pair of singles from Keenan and Daniel Helfgott loaded the bases with nobody out. Cole Casamento delivered the first big blow, and an RBI single to score Riley with the go-ahead run. A wild pitch with the bases still loaded pushed Keenan across, making it 7-5. With runners on second and third, the Falcons had a strikeout and a ground out to put two away. That's when Fleischer stepped up with a big two-run double, scoring both Casamento and Helfgott. Hanafin followed with an RBI single of his own, stretching the Falcon lead to 10-5 heading into the bottom frame.
 
Burkholder kept things relatively anticlimactic in the bottom of the tenth, striking out his first two batters, then inducing a ground out to second to end it for the Falcons, securing the win and clinching a berth in the Region XIX Championship series on Saturday, May 7^th, at 2:00pm ET. The Falcons will face the winner of the elimination game between Delaware Tech and Mercer County CC, which will take place at 10:00am ET on Saturday. If the Falcons win, they are the Region XIX championship. If they lost tomorrow's game, there will be one more winner-take-all game to be played on Sunday afternoon.
 
Every game will be livestreamed on the Delaware CC Athletics YouTube Channel, HERE.
 
Check lackawannafalcons.com for scheduling updates.