4/28/23
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lifeless and looking for a spark, Lackawanna College baseball overcame a 6-1 deficit with eleven straight runs in its final three innings to knock off Mercer County CC in a 12-7 victory, the 12^th straight for Lackawanna College, on a chilly and overcast Friday afternoon at Scranton HS.
 
The Falcons (30-13, 15-1) went into the bottom sixth down 6-1 after the Vikings (21-20, 10-6) hit a pair of homeruns and largely kept Lackawanna quiet. Lackawanna scored one run in the bottom of the sixth, and had runners on first and second with one out, threatening for more, but a pickoff at first sucked the air out of the inning, and a strikeout stranded the runner. The bottom seventh was where the Falcons made their run, scoring seven runs, starting with back-to-back singles to open the inning and following that with runs on a passed ball, a wild pitch, two-straight bases-loaded walks, and another passed ball, which scored Christian Rush (Perkasie, PA) as the go-ahead run. All that occurred with nobody out, and Eric Ludwick (Bethlehem, PA) smacked an RBI single to right gave the Falcons a three-run lead and cap the seven-run rally. The Falcons scored three more in the eighth, and Jace Cunnane (Clarkstown, NY) completed the two-inning save to preserve the comeback victory. Spencer Butz (York, PA) led the Falcons, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored, while Rush was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. Matthew McElligott (Columbus, OH) got the win, pitching three innings of relief and giving up no runs on two hits, striking out three.
 
Mercer got a leadoff walk to start the game, but starter Ty Morris (Manchester Valley, MD) managed to shut down the Vikings, getting three straight outs to strand the runner at third and keep Mercer off the board to start the game. The Falcons got a baserunner to start their half of the first when Zachary Walsh (Spring Brook Twp., PA) singled to climb aboard, but a fly out, followed by a pick off at first, quickly put two away, before a line out to center ended the inning and gave Mercer some momentum heading into the second.
 
The Vikings got a leadoff single, followed by a two-base error that put the runner on third to start the inning. A strikeout for Morris put one away, but a single to first let another runner on after the Falcons failed to secure the out while trying to keep the runner on third from scoring, resulting in both runners staying safe. Mercer made the Falcons pay, scoring one run on a ground out to short, and getting the other on an RBI single to make it 2-0, Vikings, after 1.5 innings.
 
Lackawanna got a run back in the second, with the table set thanks to a leadoff double from Michael Miller (Lafayette Hill, PA). Miller advanced to third on a fly out from Butz, and came home on a two-out RBI single from Brayden D'Amico (Bethlehem, PA) to right field, cutting the deficit in half to 2-1. A two-out walk put two on with two outs, but a pop out ended any potential rally from the Falcons.
 
Morris got two quick outs to start the third inning, but a two-out homer was launched over the left field wall to make it 3-1, Vikings. A walk, followed by a single, put two on with two out, but Morris got a big strikeout to strand the runners and keep it to a 3-1 deficit.
 
After forcing the Falcons to go 1-2-3 in the third, Mercer added three more in the fourth. A one-out single got a baserunner, and a fielder's choice, followed by a walk, put two on with two outs. Another two-out homerun followed, this one also to left, and this one a three-run bomb that extended the Vikings lead to 6-1 and really sucked the energy out of the Lackawanna squad. Morris gave up a single to the following batter, but got a ground out to first to get out of the inning.
 
A one-out double from Butz, followed by a two-out hit-by-pitch from D'Amico, got the Falcons two baserunners with two outs in the fourth, but a fly out to right ended the Lackawanna College inning and kept the Falcons from cutting into the deficit.
 
In the fifth, McElligott came on for Morris, and worked a 1-2-3 inning to give the Falcons a little life, but Lackawanna was retired in order in the bottom frame.
 
A leadoff single put a Viking aboard, and an error with one out on a pickoff attempt let that runner get to second. McElligott responded with a big strikeout, followed by a chopped grounder that he knocked down with his bare hand and tossed over to first for the final out, giving Lackawanna College a little life heading into the bottom of the sixth.
 
In the sixth, Rush led off with a single, stole second, and advanced to third on a ground out. Butz brought him home on an RBI single to cut the Viking lead down to 6-2. Ludwick drew a one-out walk to put two on, but, for the second time in the game, the Falcons were picked off at first to put two away. A strikeout stranded Butz at second and ended the sixth inning early, but the Falcons had a little juice heading into the seventh.
 
A leadoff double started the seventh for Mercer, but it would be a baserunning mistake that bit the Vikings this time, as a fly out to center ended in the runner getting picked off trying to tag up and advance to third, as Walsh relayed to D'Amico, who fired to Ian Murphy (West Deptford, NJ) for the tag at the hot corner to put two away. McElligott then got a strikeout to end the inning and fire up the Falcons for a big bottom half.
 
A new pitcher entered the game for Mercer to start the bottom of the seventh, and Lackawanna rudely welcomed the new reliever with back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners with nobody out. A double steal scored a run thanks to a passed ball, making it 6-3, and two straight walks loaded the bases, with nobody out. A wild pitch scored a run, and another walk loaded the bases again and forced another pitching change for Mercer. A fourth straight walk scored a run, and a fifth straight walk scored the game-tying run. A passed ball allowed Rush to score from third, giving the Falcons an improbable 7-6 lead, and Ludwick delivered with an RBI single to plate a pair and extend the Falcons lead out to 9-6, still with nobody out. The Falcons would be held in check from there, however, when a fly out from D'Amico to center caught Ludwick past second base, and he cut across the grass and missed stepping back on second before going back to first, meaning the Vikings needed to just tag second to get the second out and eliminate Ludwick. A strikeout abruptly ended the inning.
 
Cunnane came on to pitch, and worked around a pair of two-out walks to keep the Vikings off the board, closing the inning out with a fly out to center. In the bottom of the eighth, the Falcons added to their lead. A one-out walk from Walsh was rewarded with an RBI double from Murphy that pushed the Falcons over ten runs. A pinch runner followed, and Rush scored Joseph Wileczek (West Chester, PA) from second on an RBI single to make it 11-6, Falcons. Rush got to second on the throw in, and he managed to get to third on a fly out from Miller that put two away. Butz cashed him in with an RBI single that made it 12-6, Falcons, heading into the top of the ninth.
 
Cunnane was back out and got a quick line out to put one away, but an error on the infield allowed the next batter to reach. A second put two on, but a strikeout put two away A single loaded the bases, and a hit batter forced a run home to cut the Falcons lead to 12-7. Cunnane got the final out after a mound visit, getting the fielder's choice that got the force out at second and ended the game, handing the Falcons the big comeback win.
 
Lackawanna College is 23-4 in its last 27 games, and has won 12 straight games, the second time in two seasons the Falcons have rattled off 12 straight, and second-most behind 2012, when the Falcons won 13 straight at one point on their way to a 48-12 overall record and an NJCAA DII World Series appearance. This year's Falcons have already clinched the top-seed and hosting duties in the Region XIX tournament, happening in two weeks. Lackawanna is next in action on Saturday, April 29^th, as it continues its series with Mercer County CC with a doubleheader on the road in West Windsor Twp., NJ. First pitch of the doubleheader is at 12:00pm ET.