3/17/24
 
FREDERICK, Md.– An excellent pitching performance, coupled with a steady offense, was enough to give the Falcons a doubleheader split on the road at Frederick CC on Sunday afternoon, as the Falcons took game one by an 8-1 score, before dropping game two, 14-4, in Maryland.
 
The Falcons (6-11) had won three straight heading into the doubleheader, and were eager to prove themselves against a Frederick squad (17-3) that had been with Lackawanna in Enid, OK last season for the NJCAA Division II World Series. Game one was just what the Falcons were hoping to accomplish, as the visitors jumped out early, and rode a strong pitching performance from Nicholas Finarelli (Sophomore; Lake-Lehman, PA) to snag the win. Louis Kegerreis (Redshirt First Year; Murrysville, PA) singled in the opening run in the first, then smashed a grand slam in the second inning to push the Falcons ahead at 5-0. Lackawanna added more runs in the fifth, highlighted by a Nick Matson (Redshirt First Year; Nanticoke, PA) two-run single, pushing the Lackawanna advantage out to 8-0. Meanwhile, Finarelli kept the Cougars off the board until a run scored late in the fifth, and then the bullpen stepped up over the final two innings to close the proceedings out.
 
Lackawanna hit five extra-base hits, and had four players with multiple hits. Kegerreis was 2-for-2 with a run scored and five RBI, while Matson was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI. Brooks Henderson IV (First Year; Feasterville, PA) went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and Jake Kelleher (First Year; Exeter, PA) was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Finarelli picked up his first win of the season, giving up three hits and one earned run in five innings pitched, striking out three.
 
As well as game one went for the Falcons, that's how bad game two got. A sac fly in the first inning gave the Falcons their first and only lead, but Frederick proceeded to rattle off eight straight runs over the next three innings to build a lead the Falcons could never challenge. The Cougars had 12 hits and scored runs in all five innings. Lackawanna got a triple from Henderson in the fourth to cut the deficit to 8-2, but Frederick scored three more in the bottom frame to push the lead out to 11-2. Michael Rickert (Sophomore; Moosic, PA) tripled home a pair of runs in the fifth with two outs, but Lackawanna couldn't keep the rally going, and Frederick loaded the bases with two outs, then got a two-run single, followed by another run-scoring single, to lengthen their lead back out and end the game early via run rule.
 
Matson was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while Rickert was 1-for-3 with two RBI. Henderson had his triple for an RBI, and Brayden D'Amico (Sophomore; Bethlehem, PA) was 1-for-3 with a run scored. Nathan Russell (Sophomore; Lafayette Hill, PA) was saddled with the loss, giving up five runs on five hits in just two innings of work. Russell did manage to strike out five, but the Falcons walked eight batters as a group, hit another batter, and committed three errors on the day.
 
Lackawanna College will try to bounce back with an important doubleheader on the road on Tuesday, March 19^th, when the Falcons make the trip out to New Rochelle, NY for a match-up with NJCAA Division I opponent Monroe College. First pitch is set for 3:00pm ET, and will be the first two games of five games for the Falcons this week.