4/7/23
 
ROCHESTER, NY – Lackawanna College baseball certainly didn't lack for runs on Friday, scoring a combined 32 runs in two games to sweep past Monroe CC in Rochester, NY by scores of 12-0 and 20-17 Friday afternoon.
 
The Falcons (17-11) weren't bothered by the chilly temps upstate, combining for 32 runs and 30 hits across both games. Lackawanna had 13 combined extra base hits across the two games, but it was game one where the Falcons were really at their best on both sides of the diamond. Kyle Scott (Westminster, MD) had one of his best days on the bump, holding the Tribunes (9-12) to just two hits and striking out a season-high 14 batters. Lackawanna College made that stand up, scoring six runs in the fourth inning to break open a tight ballgame, then added four more in the fifth, punctuated by a three-run homerun from Zachary Walsh (Spring Brook Twp, PA) that pushed the Falcon lead past ten for the eventual run-rule victory. Walsh finished 3-for-4 with five RBI and three runs scored, while Ian Murphy (West Deptford, NJ) was 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, and Cole Casamento (Limerick, PA) went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Scott picked up his fifth win of the year.
 
The Falcons were quiet in the top half, and Monroe actually managed to push a man to third after a leadoff walk, a stolen base, and a passed ball, but Scott got three straight swinging strikeouts to strand the runner.
 
In the top of the second, Spencer Butz (York, PA) hit a two-out double to give the Falcons a baserunner, and an error at first let George Castro (Philadelphia, PA) reach and Butz score to hand Lackawanna a 1-0 advantage after 1.5.
 
In the bottom of the second, Scott pitched around two walks and a single to strikeout the side and leave the bases loaded. The Falcons added a run in the top of the third, thanks to back-to-back one-out doubles from Walsh and Murphy, giving the Falcons a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom half.
 
After another clean inning from Scott, the Falcons hit their stride in the fourth. An error let Brayden D'Amico (Bethlehem, PA) reach to lead off the inning, and he immediately got into scoring position thanks to an Eric Ludwick (Bethlehem, PA) double. A fielder's choice let Castro on and brought D'Amico home, but a strikeout threatened to cut the inning short. Casamento singled to load the bases with two down, and Walsh cashed in with a two-run single that made it 5-0, Falcons. Murphy followed up with an RBI single to push the lead to 6-0, and Christian Rush (Perkasie, PA) doubled to score two more, giving the Falcons an 8-0 advantage heading into the bottom of the fourth.
 
Scott struck out the side in the bottom of the fourth, and the Falcons looked to add more in the top of the fifth. A two-out walk from Castro gave the Falcons a baserunner, and another walk put two on. Casamento delivered with a one-run double to make it 9-0, and Walsh added the exclamation point, crushing a three-run homerun to left that gave the Falcons the 12-0 lead. Lackawanna had the bases loaded, still with two outs, later in the inning, but a fly out stranded the runners and kept the inning from getting out of hand.
 
There was little drama in the bottom of the fifth, as Scott struck out the side for the fourth time on the day, pitching around a one-out single to give the Falcons the run-rule victory in the fifth.
 
Game two was short on defense and pitching, and long on runs, as both teams combined for 37 runs and 36 hits. The Falcons scored at least a run in every inning, and managed to mount a comeback from down 12-5 to take a 20-14 lead into the bottom of the seventh, where they held on for the 20-17 win. The Falcons had 19 hits in the contest, and really hit the gas in the fourth inning, scoring seven runs to close the gap, then adding five more in the seventh to pad what had been a one-run lead. Mitchell Jolikko (Middletown, NY) was 4-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBI, posting a pair of RBI singles and an RBI triple, while Michael Rickert (Moosic, PA) was 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, and Murphy put up three hits for two RBI. Jace Cunnane (Clarkstown, NY) got the win, his second of the year, giving up five runs on six hits and striking out four in 3.2 innings of relief.
 
In the top of the first, a one-out fielder's choice let Rush on and scored Walsh, who singled to start the game, giving Lackawanna an immediate 1-0 advantage heading into the bottom of the first. Devin Fletcher (Bethlehem, PA) got the start, but was put in some hot water right away, as the leadoff man drew a walk, got a steal, and a wild pitch to go to third to start the game. Fletcher got a strikeout, but an RBI triple scored the runner, and a passed ball let another run home. Three straight walks loaded the bases, still with one out, and a wild pitch let another run home. Another walk loaded the bases, and a sac fly to center scored the fourth run of the inning. Fletcher got a pop up to short to get the Falcons out of the inning.
 
A one-out RBI single from Jolikko got the Falcons a run in the second, and a two-out, two-run single from Murphy tied the game at 4-4, forcing a pitching change from the Tribunes. A fly out ended the Falcons' inning.
 
In the bottom frame, Marc DeNunzio (Thornwood, NY) came on to pitch, but it didn't get much cleaner for the Falcons. With one out and two on, a two-run double gave Monroe the lead back at 6-4. A single kept things moving, and a fielder's choice made it 7-4, Tribunes. DeNunzio got a ground out to strand a pair of runners and move to the third.
 
A one-out single from Ludwick gave the Falcons a baserunner in the top of the third, and an RBI single form Butz scored the run to cut the Tribunes' lead to 7-5. Butz stole second to get in scoring position, but a pair of strikeouts ended the inning.
 
Monroe really piled things on in the bottom of the third, scored three runs on four straight one-out singles, and then another pair of runs on two-out singles to push the margin out to 12-5. Cunnane came on to relieve DeNunzio, and, after giving up a single, he ended the inning and stranded the bases loaded with a fly out.
 
Lackawanna immediately answered in the top of the fourth. A one-out walk for Walsh, followed by a hit batter and another walk, loaded the bases. A D'Amico ground out to first traded an out for a run, and Ludwick kept the inning alive thanks to an error at third, which got him aboard and allowed another run to score. Butz got hit by a pitch to load the bases and force a pitching change. That brought up Ty Federici (Lehman, PA), who hit a two-run single to score a pair of runs and cut the deficit to 12-9. Still with two outs, Jolikko singled to score Butz, and Rickert came up and doubled to score two more runs and tied the game at 12-12 heading into the bottom of the fourth.
 
Monroe got a pair in the bottom half, thanks to a two-out RBI single, followed by an RBI double that pushed the lead back out to 14-12. It wouldn't last long, as Lackawanna College struck back thanks to a two-out, two-run triple from Butz that tied things at 14-14.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, the first 1-2-3 inning occurred for Cunnane, striking out the last batter to fire the Falcons up heading into the top of the sixth. Jolikko led the inning off with a double, and a walk from Rickert put two on. A fly out was the first out, but a Murphy single loaded the bases. Rush cashed at least one run, sac flying to right to give the falcons their first lead since the first inning at 15-14. A pop up stranded the runners and ended the Falcons scoring rally early.
 
Another 1-2-3 inning from Cunnane in the bottom frame gave way to the top of the seventh, where the Falcons piled on some more. A hit batter, followed by an error on the infield, put two on with nobody out. Federici doubled to score both runners and make it 17-14, Falcons. A Jolikko triple scored another run, and a wild pitch brought him home to push the Falcon advantage to 19-14. A single, followed by a walk, put two on, and, thanks to some great baserunning with one out, the Falcons got another run when Walsh stole second and an error on the throw let Rickert come home to score and give the Falcons 20 runs heading into the bottom of the seventh.
 
A leadoff single gave the Tribunes a runner, and a walk put two on. A ground out put the runners in scoring position, and a two-run double made it 20-16. Cunnane was lifted and Federici was shifted into the pitching spot. A wild pitch put the runner on third, but Federici got a pop up to put two away. An RBI single made it 20-17, but Federici managed to get the third out with a fly out to center, giving the Falcons in improbable come-from-behind victory.
 
The Falcons, winners of their last five games, and ten of their last 12, are scheduled to travel out to Groton, CT on Saturday, April 8^th, for a doubleheader with UConn Avery Point. The first pitch of the first game is set for 12:00pm ET at UConn Avery Point, who the Falcons split a doubleheader with just six days ago in Scranton.