3/11/23
 
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Needing to get back to on track in the latter stages of what has been an up-and-down Spring Break trip, the Lackawanna College baseball team erupted for 16 extra base hits in two games, taking a 13-3 win in nine innings and then a 16-1 victory in just five innings on the road against Bryant & Stratton on Saturday afternoon in Virginia Beach.
 
The Falcons (7-6) pounded the Bobcats (12-11) for a combined 31 hits in both games, while holding Bryant & Stratton to a combined nine hits and four runs, striking the Bobcats out 15 times and only surrendering five walks. In the two games, Lackawanna College had eight doubles and seven homeruns. Zachary Walsh (Spring Brook Twp, PA) was a combined 3-for-7 with three runs scored, four RBI, and two walks, hitting a double and a three-run homerun. Michael Miller (Lafayette Hill, PA) continued his hot start, going a perfect 6-for-6 with three RBI and three runs scored in two games, hitting a pair of homers. Brayden D'Amico (Bethlehem, PA) went a combined 5-for-7 with four runs and three RBI on a homerun and a pair of doubles. Ian Murphy (West Deptford, NJ) also kept up his hot form, going 4-for-7 with five runs scored and six RBI, hitting a pair of homeruns and a double on the day.
 
Game one was a regular nine-inning affair, and the Falcons managed to score after Christian Rush (Perkasie, PA) hit a one-out double, stole third, then came home on an error on the throw to give the Falcons the early advantage.
 
After Aiden Starn (Pennsville, NJ) got the Falcons a scoreless bottom frame, the offense hit its stride in the top of the second when Murphy led things off with a homer to left. A Giovanni Lopez (Olyphant, PA) RBI single made it 3-0, and then Walsh got a hold of one to right field for a three-run homerun to blow things open at 6-0.
 
The Bobcats got one back in the bottom of the second, thanks to a two-out RBI single, but a pickoff from Starn ended the inning early.
 
Things were quiet until the top of the fifth, when back-to-back two-out singles loaded the bases, and a wild pitch brought a runner home to make it 7-1, Falcons. The Bobcats got the run back in the bottom of the fifth, when a two-out double brought a run home.
 
The Falcons got another pair of runs when an Eric Ludwick (Bethlehem, PA) leadoff single was rewarded with a two-run shot from Murphy, his second homer of the game, to right field, pushing the Falcons lead to 9-2.
 
In the top of the eighth, Lackawanna piled some more runs on, starting with a two-out hit by pitch that put a runner on, who was promptly brought home by a Ludwick double to right field. An RBI single from Murphy made it 11-2, and the Falcons were able to push Murphy to third on a balk and a wild pitch, but couldn't scratch another across.
 
Starn exited after pitching seven innings and giving up two runs on six hits, striking out four, and Matthew McElligott (Columbus, OH) came on in relief. A single led things off, and a pair of steals put that runner on third, and he came home on an RBI ground out to short to make it 11-3, Falcons.
 
The Falcons had a few more runs to add, when Miller and D'Amico went back-to-back with dingers to center and right field, respectively, pushing the Falcon lead back out to 13-3. McElligott came on and retired the side in order, ending things with a swinging strikeout to give the Falcons the much needed win.
 
Game two saw Kyle Scott take the mound for the Falcons, and the ace was in trouble in the bottom of the first when a leadoff walk, followed by a bunt single and a hit by pitch, loaded the bases with nobody out. But Scott rose to the occasion and struck out the next three batters swinging to fire up the Falcons, who came out swinging in the top of the second.
 
It started when an error allowed Murphy to reach second to start the inning. Then, a one-out RBI single from D'Amico immediately put the Falcons up 1-0. Another error put another Falcons on, and Cole Casamento (Limerick, PA) came up with runners and second and third with one out. Casamento delivered with a double to right to drive in the pair, and he came home on a Walsh single to left that made it 4-0. Later in the inning, after back-to-back steals from Walsh, a two-out RBI single to left from Miller made it 5-0, Falcons.
 
It became 6-0 Falcons in the top of the third when Lopez singled on a liner to center to drive in a run, but Bryant & Stratton answered in the bottom frame with a leadoff solo shot that made it 6-1. Scott recovered quickly, strikeout out the side to limit the damage.
 
A pitching change for the Bobcats didn't seem to make a difference, as Rush and Miller went back-to-back with one-out shots to left and right field to make it 8-1. They were the first of six straight hits for the Falcons, who led 12-1 after a wild pitch scored another one. The Falcons then generated three more runs on four straight walks and a hit by pitch with the bases loaded to put the count at 15-1, good guys.
 
Scott walked the leadoff batter, and was called for a balk, but struck out the side once more to get out of the bottom of the fourth. The Falcons rewarded that with another run in the top of the fifth, thanks to a Lopez double to left to make it 16-1.
 
Jace Cunnane (Clarkstown, NY) came in to close things out on the mound for the Falcons in the bottom frame, and pitched around a one-out error that allowed a baserunner to throw back-to-back strikeouts to end the game and give the Falcons the run-rule victory in five innings.
 
There's one more match-up between Lackawanna and Bryant & Stratton this weekend, scheduled for Sunday, March 12^th at 12:00pm ET in Virginia Beach, VA.