3/18/23
 
NEW ROCHELLE, NY -- Lackawanna College baseball's normally loud bats were kept under wraps by Monroe College on Saturday afternoon, as the Mustangs held the Falcons to just four hits across two games in a doubleheader sweep in New Rochelle, NY, winning game one by a 5-2 margin and taking game two at 8-1.
 
The Falcons (7-9) were held to just four hits, striking out 22 times across both games. The Falcons held a brief lead at 2-0 in game one after the top of the second, but Monroe scored three runs off of Kyle Scott (Westminster, MD) to take the lead, then added another pair in the fifth inning to get the game one victory. In game two, it was much more one-sided, as the Mustangs (11-9) scored runs in all but one inning on their way to eight runs and ten hits in an 8-1 win, while holding the Falcons to just one hit across seven innings.
 
In game one, Christian Rush (Perkasie, PA) had an RBI single in the top of the second, and Michael Rickert (Moosic, PA) hit a fielder's choice to score the other run for the Falcons. Otherwise, it wasn't a strong performance from the Falcons' offense. Zachary Walsh (Spring Brook Twp, PA) was 1-for-2 with two walks and a strikeout, while Ian Murphy (West Deptford, NJ) was 1-for-3 with a run scored.  On the hill, Scott was tagged with the loss, giving up three runs on five hits in four innings, striking out five.
 
The Falcons got the scoring started in the top of the second, when a runner reached on a Mustang error, and Murphy doubled to right to make it second and third with nobody out. Rush's RBI single made it 1-0, and, after a D'Amico ground out, Rickert reached on a fielder's choice that scored Murphy to make it 2-0. The Falcons had the bases loaded with two outs, but a strikeout ended the Falcon threat.
 
The Mustangs struck back for three in the bottom frame, getting a leadoff walk, followed by a hit by pitch that put two on. An RBI single to center got one run back, and a one-out single to center loaded the bases. Scott got a strikeout to put two away, but he hit the next batter to bring a run home and keep the bases loaded. The following batter drew a bases loaded walk to make it 3-2, Monroe, before Scott got the groundout to end the inning.
 
The next baserunner for either squad didn't come until the top of the fourth, when the Falcons got a one-out walk from D'Amico, but the Mustangs promptly threw him out trying to steal second, and the Falcons struck out to end the inning. In the bottom frame, a two-out single gave the Mustangs a runner, but Cole Casamento (Limerick, PA) hosed the runner trying to steal second to end the inning.
 
The Falcons had a golden opportunity in the top of the fifth, when Walsh hit a one-out triple to put the Falcons 90-feet from the plate. Unfortunately, a grounder into a fielder's choice picked off Walsh at home, and the Falcons went quietly with a groundout right after.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Monroe got some insurance, as a pair of leadoff walks led to an RBI single to center, followed by an RBI groundout to second that made it 5-2. Marc DeNunzio (Thornwood, NY), who came in to start the fifth, recovered to get a fly out and a strikeout to end the inning.
 
In the top of the seventh, the Falcons got a pair of walks to lead the inning off, but a killer 4-3 double-play put two away with a runner on third. Another walk put runners on the corners, and a wild pitch let the Falcons make it second and third with two away, but a strikeout ended the inning and gave the Mustangs the game one win.
 
In game two, the Falcons struck out a combined 12 times and had just one hit, courtesy of Brayden D'Amico (Bethlehem, PA), who had an RBI single in the top of the seventh inning to represent the Falcons' only run. Aiden Starn (Pennsville, NJ) was hit with the loss, giving up four runs on six hits in three innings, striking out three.
 
Monroe got the scoring started in the second game in the bottom of the first inning. A one-out walk, followed by a wild pitch, had the Mustangs with a runner in scoring position. An RBI single made it 1-0, but Starn managed to get a line out, followed by a strikeout, to end the inning.
 
The second inning saw the Falcons get a one-out walk to get a baserunner, but a fielder's choice, followed by a strikeout, ended the threat. Monroe took advantage in their half of the inning, using a leadoff single, followed by an RBI triple, to make it 2-0. They'd add another on a sac fly to center to make it 3-0.
 
Monroe got a solo homer to left to lead the bottom of the third off, then got a two-out double in the bottom of the fourth to make it 5-0, all the while, keeping the Falcons off the base paths.
 
In the top of the fifth, Lackawanna got a two-out walk, but a strikeout ended the inning. Ty Federici came in to give the Falcons a scoreless inning in the bottom of the fifth, but they couldn't take advantage of another baserunner in the top of the sixth.
 
In the bottom frame, Monroe poured it on with three more, getting a one-out RBI single to drive in one, a wild pitch that scored another, and drawing a bases loaded walk to make it 8-0. They threatened for more, but a nice 6-4-3 double play from the Falcons ended the inning.
 
Murphy reached on a one-out error on the infield, then got to second on a wild pitch. He was promptly brought home by a D'Amico single to right that got the Falcons on the board. A strikeout, followed by a ground out, ended the inning and secured the sweep for Monroe.
 
The Falcons are currently scheduled to get back to action with their home opener on Tuesday, March 21^st, when Lackawanna College is scheduled to host SUNY Sullivan at 3:00pm ET, at a site TBD. Pay attention to lackawannafalcons.com for confirmation.