3/2/24
 
FLORENCE, SC -- Lackawanna College baseball finally got its first win of the year, as the Falcons earned a doubleheader split on the road in South Carolina on Saturday afternoon. Lackawanna dropped its first game, 11-1 in six innings, to Florence Darlington Tech, before picking up the win in a 6-2 victory over USC Sumter at CarolinaBank Field.
 
The Falcons (1-5) dropped game one to the Division I Stingers from Florence Darlington in six innings, but actually held an early lead after the top of the second after a Nick Matson (Red Shirt First-Year; Nanticoke, PA) RBI single with two outs. The Falcons had two on with two away, but a fly out ended the threat. Flo-Dar responded with two runs in the bottom frame to take the lead, and never slowed. The Stingers put five on the board in the fourth, two more in the fifth, and ended the game early via run-rule with two runs in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Hayden Kylver (First Year; Wilton, CT) got the start for the Falcons, but was shouldered with the loss. Klyver gave up two runs on three hits in two innings. Devin Fletcher (Sophomore; Bethlehem, PA) came in and threw a scoreless third, but got touched up in the fourth, as he was responsible for all five runs that scored. The Falcons gave up eight walks and hit four batters, while also throwing four wild pitches. Matson was 2-for-3 with the lone RBI, while Chase Fischer (Sophomore; Ringoes, NJ) went 2-for-3.
 
In game two, Lackawanna finally got itself going, scoring six runs in the first two innings and holding the Fire Ants of USC Sumter down for the majority of the game to pick up the first win of the season.
 
Matson led off the game with a double, and a one-out double put runners on second and third. A strikeout threatened to end the Falcon scoring threat early, but Aydan McNelly (Sophomore; Limerick, PA) ripped a triple to left field to score the pair of runners and put the Falcons up 2-0.
 
After a scoreless bottom frame from Nicholas Biasi (Sophomore; Hazle Township, PA), the Falcons struck again in the second. Back-to-back walks got the Falcons started to open the top of the inning, and they were rewarded with a Jake Kelleher (First Year; Exeter, PA) RBI single to score D'Amico. A wild pitch put runners in scoring position, still with nobody out, and Matson delivered with an RBI single that made it 4-0, Falcons. An error at third base let another runner score, still with nobody out, and a sac fly from Michael Rickert (Sophomore; Moosic, PA) made it 6-0, Lackawanna.
 
That would be all the Falcons needed, as Biasi spun a gem on the mound, giving up one hit over five innings and striking out nine for his first win of the year. Sumter put a pair of runs on the board in the bottom of the seventh with two outs, but Lackawanna got a fielder's choice to end the game and guarantee the victory.
 
Matson was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while McNelly was 1-for-4 with that two-run triple. Kelleher was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. The Falcons struck out nine times, but were efficient for what they got, leaving only four on base.
 
Lackawanna gets back to work in Florence on Sunday, March 3^rd, with another doubleheader against Florence Darlington and USC Sumter. The first game is set for a 12:00pm ET first pitch at CarolinaBank Field.