3/12/23
 
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. --  A day removed from playing some of its best baseball of the year, Lackawanna College struggled with runners on-base and couldn't take advantage of its opportunities on offense, dropping a 10-4 decision to the Bryant & Stratton Bobcats to close out the Spring Break 2023 trip on Sunday afternoon in Virginia Beach, VA.
 
The Falcons (7-7) held an early 3-1 lead in the top of the third after Ian Murphy (West Deptford, NJ) hit a three-run homer, his team-high fourth of the year, and later had an RBI single to pull the Falcons closer at 5-4, but numerous half innings ended with the Falcons stranding runners in scoring position. Meanwhile, Bryant & Stratton (13-11) managed to cobble together an answer every time it seemed like Lackawanna had something cooking. The Bobcats took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth at 5-3, then added three runs in the bottom of the seventh due to a pair of defensive errors, and scored another pair in the bottom of the eighth to make it 10-4.
 
Murphy led the Falcons at the dish, going 3-for-5 with four RBI and a run scored thanks to his three-run homer and his RBI single. Otherwise, the Falcons only had two hits, one from Michael Miller (Lafayette Hill, PA) and the other from Brayden D'Amico (Bethlehem, PA). The Falcons drew 14 walks and had two batters hit by pitches, but stranded 29 runners for the day. Keon Burkholder (Williamsport, PA) went four innings, giving up five runs, four earned, on six hits and striking out three, and was tagged with the loss.
 
Lackawanna stranded two base runners in the top of the first, a harbinger for things to come on the day. In the bottom frame, A leadoff single and a catcher's interference put two on with nobody out, and the Bobcats got an RBI sac fly to right field to make it 1-0. Burkholder hit a batter, struck another out, and walked one to load the bases with two away, but got out of it with a ground out to second.
 
The Falcons got three baserunners in the top of the second, but stranded the bases loaded on a strikeout to end the inning. Burkholder stranded the bases loaded with a strikeout in the bottom half of the inning, after back-to-back two-out singles and a walk had loaded them up.
 
Lackawanna finally took advantage of getting runners on in the top of the third inning, when a walk and a hit by pitch put two on with nobody out, and Murphy launched a three-run homer to right field and gave Lackawanna the 3-1 lead. Spencer Butz (York, PA) drew a walk and stole second to get into scoring position with nobody out, but the Falcons couldn't add on and made three straight outs to end the threat.
 
Bryant & Stratton got its first baserunner in the bottom of the third with a leadoff hit by pitch, then got the runner to third on a steal and a wild pitch. A strikeout put one away, but a sacrifice to Burkholder scored the runner to make it 3-2. The Bobcats generated another when a walk, followed by a wild pitch and a steal put another runner on third, this time with two away. An RBI single brought that run home and tied things up at 3-3.
 
The Bobcats struck again in the bottom of the fourth, this time using a leadoff single and a two-run homer to center to make it 5-3, B&S. Burkholder managed to get out of the inning, after surrendering a one-out walk, with a 6-3 double play.
 
The Falcons stranded two more in the top of the fifth, and were in danger of doing the same in the top of the sixth, when they had runners on the corners with two away, but Murphy singled to center to score Zachary Walsh (Spring Brook Twp, PA) and cut the deficit to 5-4. The Falcons stranded a pair on the next batter and couldn't get anything else out of the inning.
 
Nathan Russell (Drexel Hill, PA) danced out of trouble in the bottom of the sixth after loading the bases with nobody out. Russell got a pop out, a strikeout, and then a caught stealing with a play at the plate to deny the Bobcats a run. The Falcons, however, were wasteful once again in the top of the seventh, advancing two runners to second and third with two outs, but not being able to deliver.
 
The Bobcats made Lackawanna pay in the bottom of the seventh, taking advantage of an error on Russell to score one run, then an RBI double, followed by an RBI single, score two more to make it 8-4.
 
Lackawanna was quiet in the eighth, and Bryant & Stratton added two more in the bottom of the eighth, with a solo leadoff homerun and an RBI single to make it 10-4. The Falcons got out of the inning before more damage could occur with a 2-3-1-2 double play.
 
Three straight two-out walks loaded the bases for the Falcons in the top of the ninth, but, as had been the theme of the day, Lackawanna couldn't cash in, and the Falcons dropped the afternoon contest.
 
Lackawanna College went 4-6 on its Spring Break trip, and now sits at 7-7 overall on the year. The Falcons have some time off, but get back to regular season action on Saturday, March 18^th when they travel to New Rochelle, NY to take on the Monroe College Mustangs in doubleheader action. First pitch of game one against the Mustangs is set for 1:00pm ET.