3/1/25
 
BEL AIR, Md. – Lackawanna College baseball had a frustrating afternoon, losing a pair of one-run games on walk-offs in doubleheader action against Harford CC on Saturday afternoon in Bel Air, MD. Harford won game one, 9-8, and then took game two, 8-7.
 
The Falcons (2-7) were particularly hard-pressed about game two, where they held a 7-1 lead entering the bottom of the seventh, only to see the hosts rally with seven runs on just one hit in the inning. Lackawanna surrendered six walks and a hit batter. The Fighting Owls (12-4) scored runs on a wild pitch, back-to-back bases loaded walks, a ground out to the pitcher, another bases loaded walk, and then a two run double down the right field line to end the game and walk things off.
 
Lackawanna had taken the lead earlier thanks to a pair of RBI doubles from Brooks Henderson IV (Feasterville, PA), a pair of ground outs, and a Jason Prudente (Bear Creek Twp., PA) double that made it 5-0 through five innings. The Falcons scored two more in the top of the seventh, thanks to a Henderson single and a double play ground out, making it 7-1 heading into the ill-fated seventh.
 
Henderson was 3-for-4 with three RBI and two doubles, while Prudente was 1-for-3 and Deacon Brown (Williamsport, PA) was 1-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Trey Sajeski (Holland, PA) got the start and went four innings, giving up one hit and striking out six. George Creighton (Somers, NY) was hit with the loss, giving up the final run on two walks and a hit in relief.
 
Game one was one where the Falcons were forced to rally, twice. Trailing 4-1 after four innings, the first rally happened in the top of the fifth. It started with Jake Kelleher (Exeter, PA) leading the inning off with a solo homer to center to make it 4-2. Louis Kegerreis (Murrysville, PA) doubled to left, then Tyler Lepage (Macungie, PA) singled up the middle to make it 4-3. A Nick Matson (Nanticoke, PA) double put runners on second and third, still with nobody out, and forced a pitching change from Harford. Two straight walks forced in the tying run, but back-to-back strikeouts put two away, and a lineout to right field ended the Lackawanna threat with the game tied at 4-4.
 
Starter Liam O'Leary (Souderton, PA) came back out for the fifth, but a leadoff walk, followed by a single and a sac bunt, put runners in scoring position with just one out. A ground out to short scratched a run across to give Harford the 5-4 lead, and a double with two outs made it 6-4, Fighting Owls. Two straight HBP's loaded the bases, and a bases loaded walk forced in the third run of the inning, making it 7-4, Owls, and chasing O'Leary from the contest. Hayden Klyver (Wilton, CT) settled things down for the final out.
 
An error on the infield let a run score for Harford in the bottom of the sixth, making it 8-4 heading into the seventh. That's where Lackawanna rallied for a second time. A one-out error, followed by a Henderson double and then another error, loaded the bases with just one away. That gave Julian Montez (Westfield, NJ) a chance to deliver the RBI single to cut the deficit to 8-5. A two-run single with two outs from Kenny Hirschfeld (New Hyde Park, NY) made it 8-7, and a wild pitch let the tying run score to make it 8-8 in the top of the seventh.
 
Into the bottom frame, back-to-back walks from Klyver forced a pitching change. Creighton walked the next batter to load the bases, got a line out to first for the first out, then gave up the sac fly to center that scored the game winning run and walked things off for Harford.
 
Matson was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk, while Lepage was 1-for-2 with a run scored and the RBI, and Brown went 1-for-2 with a run scored and two walks. Klyver was tagged with the loss, giving up two runs, one earned, on three walks in 1.1 innings pitched.
 
Lackawanna College is now 2-7 on the year, having lost seven straight after winning its first two games. The Falcons will try to get back on track with a mid-week doubleheader at Frederick CC on Wednesday, March 5^th. First pitch of game one is set for 12:00pm ET in Frederick, MD.