3/12/25
 
VINELAND, NJ – Lackawanna College baseball put nine extra-base hits on the board to build a big lead early, and the pitching and defense did enough late to secure the road win at Rowan College South Jersey – Cumberland on Wednesday afternoon, 11-9, in non-region action in New Jersey.
 
The Falcons (6-8) scored seven runs through two innings and led 11-5 through 4.5 innings of work against Cumberland, but the hometown Dukes (6-7) outscored the Falcons 4-0 over the final four innings, and had the game-winning run at the plate with two outs in the ninth, before the Falcons shut the door and won their fourth-straight contest.
 
Louis Kegerreis (Murrysville, PA) was 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored, hitting a two-run home run in the first inning to give Lackawanna the lead it would never surrender. John Hughes (Hamilton, NJ) was 3-for-5 with three RBIs and three doubles for the Falcons. Brooks Henderson IV (Feasterville, PA) was 2-for-6 with two runs scored and an RBI courtesy of a solo homer. Pitcher Jack Hansen (Holden, MA) picked up his first win of the year, pitching an inning and a third in relief, giving up three runs on two hits. Hayden Klyver (Wilton, CT) picked up his first save of the season, getting a strikeout in the ninth and holding the Dukes off the board.
 
Lackawanna hit the front immediately, getting a leadoff opposite field double from Henderson to quickly put a runner in scoring position. Kegerreis stepped in and smashed a two-run bomb to dead center to give Lackawanna a 2-0 lead just two batters in. Tyler Lepage (Macungie, PA) followed that with a single, and Hughes doubled to put runners on second and third, still with nobody out. Deacon Brown (Williamsport, PA) sac flied to left to score Lepage, and then Jake Kelleher (Exeter, PA) singled to score Hughes and push the Lackawanna advantage out to 4-0 heading into the bottom of the first.
 
Starter Daniel Jacobs (West Chester, PA) struck out a pair and pitched around a single to throw up a zero in the bottom frame, and Henderson led the top of the second off with a an opposite field homer, his second in two games, to make it 5-0, Falcons.
 
An RBI double from Hughes, followed by a Kelleher sac fly, made it 7-0 in favor of Lackawanna heading into the bottom of the second.
 
Cumberland answered in the bottom frame, taking advantage of a two out hit batter to get a baserunner on. A single put two on, and a walk loaded the bases. A two-run single put the Dukes on the board, and a one-run single scored another to make it 7-3. A fourth run scored when Cumberland had runners on the corners and got caught in a rundown in between first and second base. While the rundown was happening, the runner on third broke for home and scored before the third out was recorded. Just like that, it was only a three-run lead for Lackawanna.
 
George Creighton (Somers, NY) came on to pitch in the next inning, and he held the Dukes off the board in the third, giving Lackawanna a chance to lengthen their lead in the top of the fourth. Kenny Hirschfeld (New Hyde Park, NY) led the fourth off with a single, advanced to second on a ground out, and then scored when a high pop up at third was dropped with two outs, gifting the Falcons their eighth run of the game.
 
A one-out double led to an RBI single in the bottom frame to make it 8-5, as the Dukes tried to keep pace. They had runners on second and third with just one out in the inning, but a fly out to short, followed by a ground out to short, stranded the runners and ended the potential rally in the fourth.
 
The Falcons made the Dukes pay in the fifth. Jordan Czerniak (Levittown, PA) singled to start the fifth, and a hit batter plus a fly out put Czerniak on third. Kegerreis sac flied to left to score Czerniak, an error put Hirschfeld on with two outs and extended the inning, and Hughes doubled for the third time, scoring a pair of runs to make it 11-5, Falcons.
 
Cumberland scored three in the bottom of the sixth on Hansen, who came on with two outs in the fifth. They used a bases loaded sac fly, followed by a two-run single, which made it 11-8, Falcons, heading into the seventh inning.
 
Lackawanna wasted a Kegerreis double in the top frame, and Cumberland was shut down in the bottom side, as Julian Montez (Westfield, NJ) pitched around a leadoff walk to force a 4-6-3 double play and get a fly out to shallow center to get through unscathed.
 
The Falcons were careless in the eighth inning. Brown led the eighth off with a double. With one out, A liner to right field was caught and quickly relayed back to the infield, catching Brown straying off second and doubling off the Falcons to end the inning, firing up the home side heading into the bottom half.
 
Jay Creighton (Somers, NY) came on to pitch the bottom frame, and a walk, followed by a single, put runners on the corners with one out. The Dukes traded a run for an out, sending the runner at second and forcing a Lackawanna throw. The runner at second was tagged out in another rundown, while the runner at third scampered home to cut the Lackawanna lead to just 11-9. A walk brought the tying run to the plate, but a ground out to Creighton ended the inning.
 
In the ninth, the Falcons wasted another double, this time when Jack Friend (East Setauket, NY) doubled with one out. He reached third on a ground out, but a fly out to center ended the inning and sent things to the ninth.
 
Klyver came on to earn the save opportunity and got two outs quickly on a fly out and a strike out. A hit batter gave Cumberland some life, and then an error at short put two runners on and brought the game-winning run to the plate. A low liner was lifted to center, drifting towards right field, but Nick Matson (Nanticoke, PA) was there to chase it down and snag the ball to seal the victory.
 
Lackawanna College has now won four-straight games and has scored a combined 40 runs in those four games. The Falcons are back to work this coming Saturday, March 15^th, when they travel to take on Allegany College of Maryland for a doubleheader. First pitch of the first game is set for 12:00pm ET in Cumberland, MD.