4/6/24

THROOP, Pa. – Lackawanna College baseball overcame a sluggish start in game one and hung on, then blew past Raritan Valley CC in game two to earn a doubleheader on a windy, cold Saturday afternoon at Mid Valley HS. The Falcons won game one, 10-8, and then took game two, 13-2.
 
The Falcons (12-15, 4-1) initially trailed to the visiting Lions (11-8, 4-4) after a four-run second, thanks to four-straight hits that scored two runs, and then a two-out single that scored two more. They then overcame two errors in the top of the third, ending the inning when, after an error on a throw to first, the Lions had a base-runner picked off trying to score.
 
The bottom of the third was where the Falcons went to work. A leadoff walk was rewarded when Louis Kegerreis (Redshirt First Year; Murrysville, PA) doubled home the first run for the home side. A single from Michael Rickert (Sophomore; Moosic, PA), and a subsequent error at first, allowed Kegerreis to score and cut the deficit to 4-2. A one-out single, followed by an error on the pitcher, allowed Rickert to score, and single by Jacob Simpson (Sophomore; Scranton, PA) tied the game at 4-4. Still with one-out, a double from Brooks Henderson IV (First Year; Feasterville, PA) put runners at second and third, and a ground out to second scored the go-ahead run and put Lackawanna up 5-4 after three innings.
 
The Falcons added another run in the bottom of the fourth when Kegerreis doubled home a run with one out. Three more runs scored in the fifth, highlighted by a solo homerun for David Baltrusaitis (Sophomore; Tunkhannock, PA) that cleared the large fence at Mid Valley. After five, the Falcons held a 9-4 lead.
 
The lead was 10-4 after Baltrusaitis singled home a run in the sixth, but Raritan roared back in the top of the seventh. A leadoff single, followed by a one-out walk, put runners on first and second, when a single scored one. A double-steal put runners on second and third, and a walk loaded the bases. An error let a run score and kept the bases loaded, and a single scored two more, cutting the Lackawanna lead to 10-8, still with one out. A fielder's choice eliminated the lead runner at third for the second out, and a pop out on the infield secured the win for the Falcons.
 
Baltrusaitis was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI, while Kegerreis was 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI. Simpson went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a run driven in, while Brayden D'Amico (Sophomore; Bethlehem, PA) drove in a pair of runs. Nicholas Finarelli (Sophomore; Hunlock Creek, PA) picked up the win, his third of the season, giving up four runs on eight hits in five innings, and striking out four.
 
Game two was close early, but the Falcons broke things open with four runs in the third, then added five more in the fourth inning on their way to a double-digit win.
 
A 2-1 Falcons lead was extended on a one-out, bases loaded hit batter, as Raritan plunked Henderson to force a run in. The Lions made a pitching change, and the Falcons scored a run on a wild pitch to make it 4-1. Logan Mote (First Year; Branchburg, NJ) drove two runs in with a single that ballooned the lead out to 6-1, before two hard line outs ended the scoring threat.
 
A scoreless top of the fourth gave way to the bottom frame, where Lackawanna pounced again. Back-to-back walks started the inning, and then back-to-back doubles from Aydan McNelly (Sophomore; Limerick, PA) and Simpson extended Lackawanna's lead out to 9-1. A two-out hit batter, followed by a single, loaded the bases, and Nick Matson (Redshirt First Year; Nanticoke, PA) hit the third double of the inning to score two more runs and put the Falcons ahead 11-1 after four.
 
Raritan had the bases loaded with nobody out in the top of the fifth, and got a bases-loaded walk to score a run, but a strikeout, followed by a 5-4-3 double play ended the scoring threat. Two more runs scored in the bottom of the sixth, and Lackawanna pitched around a leadoff walk and a single with another double play, followed by a fly out to end things.
 
The Falcons get right back to action on Sunday, April 7^th, when Lackawanna travels to Blue Bell, PA to take on the Montgomery County CC Mustangs. First pitch of the single nine-inning contest is at 12:00pm ET at Montco. Lackawanna will then conclude its series with Raritan Valley on Monday, April 8^th, when the Falcons will take on the Lions in a single nine-inning contest in Flemington, NJ. First pitch is at 6:00pm ET.