4/16/23
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College baseball completed an impressive three-game sweep on Sunday, sweeping Delaware Tech CC in doubleheader action to take sole possession of first place in Region XIX DII play. The Falcons won game one 4-2, and took game two by a 6-5 score.
 
The Falcons (21-13, 9-1) got a complete game effort from ace Kyle Scott (Westminster, MD) in game one, who pitched seven innings and gave up four hits, two runs, and striking out eight batters for his sixth win of the year. Michael Miller (Lafayette Hill, PA) hit a two-run homerun to help the Falcons build a 4-1 advantage, giving Lackawanna enough of a cushion to put away Delaware Tech.
 
The first went well for the Terry Hawks (24-13, 8-4), as, after a pair of fly outs, they got one to fly out of the park for a two-out homer to put the visitors on top at 1-0. Scott gave up a walk, but then got a ground out to get out of trouble in the top frame. The Falcons answered the bell in the bottom half, when Ian Murphy (West Deptford, NJ) singled with one-out, and Christian Rush (Perkasie, PA) walked to put two on. Miller came up, and hit a ground ball to short. Rush was out at second, but there was an error on the infield that let Murphy come home, making it a 1-1 game after one.
 
Still 1-1 in the bottom of the third, Cole Casamento (Limerick, PA) led the inning off with a single. A one-out single from Murphy put runners on the corners, and a sac fly from Rush scored Casamento and made it 2-1, Falcons. That brought up Miller, who launched a two-run blast over the outfield fence to give the Falcons a 4-1 lead after three.
 
In the bottom of the fourth, still up 4-1, the Falcons got a leadoff single and a stolen base from Spencer Butz (York, PA), but the Falcons couldn't bring him in. In the top of the fifth, Del Tech got just its second hit of the game with a pinch hit single with two outs, but couldn't do anything with it.
 
It'd be the top of the sixth, trailing 4-1, where Delaware Tech would get at least one run in. A one-out single, followed by a double, put runners in scoring position with one out. An error on the next at-bat let a run come home and put runners on the corners, still with one out. A walk loaded the bases, but Scott got a swinging strikeout, followed by a pop out to short, to strand the runners and get out of trouble.
 
The Falcons were quiet in the bottom of the sixth, so it was up to Scott to make it stand up in the top of the seventh. He saved his best for last, striking out the side to punctuate an emphatic performance and a Falcons win at 4-2 in game one.
 
In game two, The Terry Hawks (24-13, 8-4) took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth, but the Falcons rallied, thanks to a Zachary Walsh (Spring Brook Twp., PA) RBI single, followed by a three-run triple from Christian Rush (Perkasie, PA). Later, with a 5-3 lead, the Falcons let up a pair of runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game, but came back to win after a leadoff single from Cole Casamento (Limerick, PA), who advanced all the way to third after an error throwing to second on a stolen base attempt. Brayden D'Amico (Bethlehem, PA) lifted a fly ball into left field, deep enough to score Casamento and walk off the Falcons with the win.
 
Aiden Starn (Pennsville, NJ) got the start for the Falcons, and got three straight ground outs to start things off. Each team got a double in the second inning, but neither side could make anything happen with it.
 
The third inning was where Delaware Tech got something going. A leadoff single, followed by back-to-back one-out singles, loaded the bases. Then, an error at third let everyone advance and plated the game's first run. Starn recovered to get the next out on a punch out, then got a ground out to short to strand the bases loaded.
 
The Falcons tried to manufacture a run in the bottom of the third, when Michael Rickert (Moosic, PA) hit a one-out single, and Walsh advanced on a walk to put two on with one out. After a strikeout put two away, an error on the catcher let both Rickert and Walsh advance bases, and a walk from Rush loaded the bags, but a fly out stranded them full and kept it at 1-0, Delaware Tech.
 
The Terry Hawks added a run in the top of the fourth, using a leadoff single, followed by a ground out to push the runner to third, to set up a sac fly to right that scored the runner and made it 2-0, Terry Hawks, after 3.5 innings.
 
Another run scored in the top of the fifth, when an error with one out let a baserunner on and advance to second. A stolen base placed the runner at third, but a strikeout from Starn put two away. A single scored the runner, pushing the Del Tech lead to 3-0. Another single put two aboard, still with two out, but Starn got another strikeout to get the Falcons out of trouble.
 
Finally, in the bottom of the fifth, Lackawanna College's offense got going. A hit batter, followed by an error, put two on with nobody out. Walsh singled home the lead runner to cut into the deficit at 3-1. A walk loaded the bases, still with nobody out, and forced a pitching change. Rush welcomed the new pitcher to the contest with a bases-clearing triple that erased the deficit and gave Lackawanna a 4-3 lead. A Miller single followed to push the advantage to 5-3. A fielder's choice represented the first out, but a walk made it first and second with one out, forcing another pitching change. An error loaded the bases, but the Terry Hawks got out of the jam with a strike out and a pop out.
 
Nathan Russell (Drexel Hill, PA) came on to pitch for Starn, and he gave up a two-out double, but got a strikeout to get out of any potential trouble. Walsh singled to start the bottom of the sixth, but the Falcons couldn't bring him home.
 
In the top of the seventh, the Falcons were trying to protect their 5-3 lead. A hit batter led the inning off, and a stolen base, followed by a walk, put two on. A single loaded the bases, and a pop up along the first base side managed to plate a run after the catch was made but a collision happened between the first baseman and the catcher. Another run came home on a sac fly to center, tying the game at 5-5. Russell got out of the inning with a fly out to set up the bottom of the seventh.
 
Casamento led off the bottom frame with a single to get the Falcons a baserunner. A strikeout put one down, but Casamento made a break for it on the taken third strike. The subsequent throw sailed into the outfield, letting Casamento scoot to third. Lackawanna wasted little time, as D'Amico came up to bat and lifted a fly ball into left-center field that was just deep enough to score Casamento, who stormed into the waiting arms of his teammates, who then mobbed D'Amico on the first base side in celebration, as the Falcons clinched a three-game series sweep over Delaware Tech and solidified themselves atop the Region 19 DII standings.
 
Lackawanna College gets back to it with a non-division match-up on Tuesday, April 18^th at 3:30pm ET for a single, nine-inning contest at Scranton, HS.