5/28/23
 
ENID, Okla. – For 6.5 innings, the Lackawanna College baseball team went toe-to-toe with the #1 team at the NJCAA DII World Series, taking a two-run lead into the bottom of the seventh, but it was not meant to be, as the top-ranked Hawks from Heartland CC finally got on track at the plate, scoring five runs in the seventh and eighth innings to get past the Falcons, 6-3, in the nightcap on Sunday evening at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, Oklahoma.
 
The Falcons (39-16) pushed the #1 Hawks (54-5) right to the brink, thanks to an excellent starting effort from Aiden Starn (Pennsville, NJ) and a three-run third inning, courtesy of another Dennis Pierce (Quakertown, PA) homerun, and a pair of RBI hits from Ian Murphy (West Deptford, NJ) and Eric Ludwick (Bethlehem, PA). Heartland got a run in the bottom of the third on a bases loaded hit-by-pitch, but Starn got out of trouble, something he did with aplomb through six innings, giving up five hits while striking out seven and walking just one.
 
The problem for Starn was that the Falcons, beyond their explosive third, couldn't get the offense rolling. That came back to bite Lackawanna in the seventh, when Heartland finally got its top-ranked offense on track. Nathan Russell (Drexel Hill, PA) came on to relieve Starn, and a bunt single let the leadoff hitter on when the Falcons slipped trying to make the play. Heartland got it to first and third with one out when Sam Antonacci, the all-star shortstop with 100 RBI on the year, smoked a laser to center field off the high wall, doubling home a pair of runs to tie the game. The next batter singled to right field to make it 4-3, Hawks, giving the top-ranked squad its first lead of the game. In the eighth, the Hawks touched up Ty Federici (Lehman, PA) with an RBI single and an RBI double to push the lead to 6-3. The Falcons couldn't mount a comeback, striking out a combined 14 times on the game and mustering only four hits, none after the sixth inning.
 
Christian Rush (Perkasie, PA) got the Falcons the first baserunner of the game with a two-out single in the top of the first, but a fly out to right kept Lackawanna from taking advantage in the top half. Starn pitched around a hit batter with a pair of strikeouts and a fly out to keep things quiet in the bottom frame.
 
The Falcons got a runner to second in the second, but couldn't bring him in, and Heartland led the bottom of the second off with a double, but Starn stranded the runner with three straight outs to keep it scoreless after two.
 
After two quick strikeouts to start the top of the third, Pierce turned on another fastball for his third homerun of the tournament, this one a deep shot to left-center field, giving Lackawanna a 1-0 advantage out of seemingly nothing. Rush reached on an error with two outs to keep the inning alive, then Murphy doubled him home to make it 2-0, Falcons. Ludwick kept it going with an RBI single to score Murphy and make it 3-0, but Ludwick was thrown out at second, trying to stretch his single.
 
In the bottom of the third, A pair of one out singles, followed by a walk, loaded the bases for the Hawks. Starn got a second out with a strikeout, but let a run come home when he plunked the next batter, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Starn stranded the bases loaded with a liner to left field to keep the damage to a minimum.
 
Both teams were quiet in the fourth, but Lackawanna got a leadoff runner in the fifth on a walk. A two-out walk put two on, but a strikeout stranded the Falcons on the bags. A one-out single, followed by an error, gave Heartland a pair of baserunners, but another Starn strikeout, followed by an incredible play at second from Michael Rickert (Moosic, PA) kept the Hawks off the board. Rickert scampered to his left and dove to stop a ball getting through the gap, then made a throw from his knees to Murphy at first to just beat the runner for the out.
 
Lackawanna had maybe its best opportunity in the top of the sixth, still leading 3-1, when Ludwick and Michael Miller (Lafayette Hill, PA) drew walks to start the inning. A fly out to right let Ludwick get to third, but back-to-back strikeouts fired up the #1 Hawks and stranded potential runs on the bases for Lackawanna.
 
Starn kept it rolling in the bottom frame, getting three straight fly outs/pop outs to get out of the inning and keep Lackawanna in front of the Hawks after six.
 
A new pitcher in the seventh for Heartland resulted in three straight strikeouts for the Falcons. In the bottom frame, Russell took over for Starn. A bunt attempt went down the third base side, but Pierce slipped as he was about to field it, letting the runner reach. A stolen base put that runner in scoring position, and, after a big strikeout, a walk made it first and third with one away. That's when Antonacci, maybe the player of the year in DII, stepped in and delivered with crushing double off the giant batters' eye in center field, driving in both runs to tie the game at three. A ground out put two away, but let Antonacci get to third, and Heartland quickly cashed him in with an RBI single to make it 4-3, Hawks.
 
In the eighth, the Falcons went quietly in the top half, and Heartland added two more in the bottom frame. Federici got a strikeout to start the inning, but a one-out single gave the Hawks a baserunner. A ground out let that runner get to second with two outs, and Heartland cashed in with back-to-back RBI hits, a single and a double, that made it 6-3. Federici got Antonacci to fly out to center to end the inning and get the Falcons to the top of the ninth, but Lackawanna was retired in order in the top frame to end the game and give the Hawks the come-from-behind win.
 
#8 Lackawanna College now has one loss in the tournament, and will face #9 Glendale CC in an elimination game on Monday, May 29^th at 2:00pm ET at David Allen Memorial Ballpark. The Gauchos, who the Falcons defeated 9-1 in eight innings on Saturday, knocked off #4 Madison College earlier on Sunday in an elimination game. A win, and the Falcons will be in another elimination game on Tuesday, May 30^th at 8:00pm ET. A loss, and the season is over.