2/23/25
 
MARTINSVILLE, VA – Lackawanna baseball was hoping for at least a win before coming back north, but Patrick & Henry CC had other plans, as the Patriots plastered 15 runs on 13 hits against the Falcons in a 15-7, eight-inning victory on Sunday afternoon in Virginia.
 
The Falcons (2-4) initially jumped out to a two-run lead on a two-run Tyler Lepage (Macungie, PA) home run, but the Patriots (10-3) scored eight runs through the first three innings to chase Lackawanna starter Trey Sajeski (Holland, PA) from the ballgame.
 
After the Lepage homer in the first, Patrick & Henry got going in the bottom frame, taking advantage of an error by the Falcons to scratch one run, then putting up a pair of RBI hits to take the 3-2 lead.
 
Lackawanna answered in the third, using a Brooks Henderson IV (Feasterville, PA) RBI double to score a run with nobody out and tie the game at 3-3. With runners on second and third and nobody out, the Falcons were hoping to really make some noise, but the Patriots limited the Falcons to just a sac fly with one out from Jack Friend (East Setauket, NY). Still, Lackawanna led 4-3 after 2.5 innings.
 
P&H didn't let that last long. A leadoff walk was followed by a double, then an RBI single, which made it 4-4 and put runners on the corners. A hit batter loaded the bases, and designated hitter Andrew Harris took flight with a grand slam to push the Patriots to the 8-4 lead. Sajeski bounced back with two straight strikeouts, but a two-out single forced him out of the game. Zach Ruffing (Marlborough, MA) cleaned up the mess and stranded a pair to get the Falcons out of further harm.
 
Lepage launched his team-high fourth homer with one out in the fourth to give the Falcons a shot of adrenaline. Later in the inning, the Falcons had the bases loaded with two outs. That's when Cody Newhart (Sandpoint, ID) literally took one for the team, drawing the bases-loaded HBP to force in a run and make it 8-6. Unfortunately, that's all the Falcons would get, as a strikeout stranded the bases loaded.
 
Both teams were quiet, apart from a Lepage two-out double in the top of the fifth, and Patrick & Henry came up in the bottom of the fifth ready to add to its margin. An error on the infield with one out put a runner on, but the Falcons got a fly out to get two down. The Patriots got a walk to put two on, and Carson McCoy blasted a three-run homer to break things wide open at 11-6. A walk, still with two outs, was followed by an RBI single that made it 12-6, Patriots, heading into the sixth.
 
PHCC added a run in the seventh, and the Falcons countered with a run in the top of the eighth to get within 13-7. Into the bottom half of the eighth, PHCC had a runner on second with two outs. A walk put two on, and a double from McCoy scored both runners and ended the game early via run rule.
 
Lepage was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI on his two homers. Nick Matson (Nanticoke, PA) went 2-for-5 with a run scored, while Louis Kegerreis (Murrysville, PA) was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Henderson finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and two walks. The Falcons stranded 13 runners on the day. Sajeski took the loss, giving up eight runs, seven earned, on seven hits in 2.2 innings.
 
Lackawanna College has dropped four in a row after winning its first two games. The Falcons' schedule doesn't get any easier next weekend, when Lackawanna travels to take on NJCAA Division I Harford Community College for a three-game series. The Fighting Owls will host the Falcons for a doubleheader on Saturday, March 1^st, starting at 1:00pm ET in Bel Air, MD. The two sides will play a single nine-inning game on Sunday, March 2^nd, to wrap up the series.