3/9/23

DANVILLE, Va. -- In a game that wasn't lacking for offensive firepower, Lackawanna College baseball just didn't have enough to keep up with Patrick & Henry, as the Patriots outslugged the Falcons 16-10 in a single nine-inning contest in Danville, Virginia on Thursday afternoon.
 
The Falcons (5-6) led the Patriots (10-6) 1-0 heading into the bottom of the third, lost it when P&H scored five in that inning, got it back immediately in the top of the fourth, were tied by the end of the fourth, and kept trying to play catch-up the rest of the way. Spencer Butz (York, PA) had another stellar day, going 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI, two coming on a two-run homer in the eighth inning. Eric Ludwick (Bethlehem, PA) was 2-for-5 with two RBI, while Giovanni Lopez (Olyphant, PA) went 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI. The Falcons out hit the Patriots (10-to-8), but struck out 13 times and committed five errors on the day.
 
Zachary Walsh (Spring Brook Twp, PA) gave the Falcons an immediate lift when he was hit by a pitch to lead off the game, then stole second to get into scoring position. He was rewarded for his hustle when Ludwick singled him home to give the Falcons a 1-0 advantage heading into the bottom of the first.
 
Marc DeNunzio (Thornwood, NY) got the start, and had a good start through two innings, keeping the Patriots off the board around a pair of walks, a hit by pitch, a passed ball, and a single in two innings. P&H eventually got to him in the bottom of the third, when the Patriots got two straight singles, plus a walk, to load the bases with one out. A bases-loaded walk brought a run in, and the Falcons made a change to bring in Ty Morris (Manchester Valley, MD) on the mound. Morris was undone by an error at second that allowed two runs to score. An RBI single followed, then an RBI ground out, giving the Patriots five runs in the third.
 
The Falcons and their offense woke back up in the top of the fourth, when a lead-off single, followed by a walk, led to a Ranciel Ventura (Allentown, PA) RBI single that got one run, followed by a Lopez two-RBI single that got the Falcons within 5-4. Another single, followed by a hit batsman, loaded the bases, still with nobody out, and Butz got one run in on an RBI single to tie things up at five. A sac fly to center gave the Falcons the lead, and a Ludwick RBI single made it 7-5. The Falcons still had the bases loaded with two away, but a pop out ended the threat.
 
P&H wasted no time to get back to even, using a lead-off single and a walk to put two runners on. The Falcons managed to get a runner in a rundown between third and home for the first out, and were in a 2^nd and 3^rd with two outs situation, when an error at short allowed two runs to score and tie the game heading into the fifth.
 
In the bottom frame, another lead-off single put a runner aboard, then a stolen base and a passed ball puta runner on third with nobody out. A strikeout got the Falcons the first out, but a wild pitch allowed the runner from third to score and Patrick & Henry to take a one-run lead. A walk, followed by an error on a pick-off attempt, put another runner on third, where a sac fly quickly brought that run in to make it 9-7.
 
The Falcons answered with an Ian Muphy (West Deptford, NJ) sac fly, but the Falcons couldn't get anything else going.
 
Leading 9-8 in the bottom of the seventh, Patrick & Henry worked a leadoff walk, followed by an error that allowed runners on second and third with nobody out. A walk loaded the bases, and another Falcon error, followed by another walk, let two runs come across to make it 11-8, Patriots. Lackawanna College buckled down with the bases loaded and nobody out as Devin Fletcher (Bethlehem, PA) got two straight strikeouts and a ground out to end the threat.
 
In the top of the eighth, Walsh drew a leadoff walk, then stole second, and Butz cleared him out with a two-run homer to bring the Falcons within a run at 11-10. A single, still with nobody out, got the Falcons a baserunner, but they were picked off at first, and back-to-back strikeouts ended the inning.
 
In the bottom frame, Ben Riddick (Manassas, VA), listed as a catcher, came in to pitch to try to steal the Falcons an inning. Riddick walked the first batter, got a pop up, then walked two more batters to load the bases. A wild pitch allowed one run in, then three straight walks allowed two more runs to come in and stretched the lead to 14-10. Keon Burkholder (Williamsport, PA) came in on short rest to try to give the Falcons some relief, and got a strikeout for the second out of the inning, but a two-run single made it 16-10 and gave the Patriots a little extra cushion.
 
Lackawanna College went quietly in the top of the ninth, going 1-2-3 to close out the game.
 
The Falcons have a day off on Friday, then go to Virginia Beach to take on Bryant & Stratton for a four-game series, with back-to-back days of doubleheader on Saturday and Sunday this weekend.