3/30/25
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – A walk-off single helped Lackawanna College baseball preserve its winning streak and secure a doubleheader sweep over SUNY Rockland CC on Sunday afternoon in non-region action, winning 9-4 and 6-5 in the pair of contests at Scranton HS baseball field.
 
The Falcons (16-10) extended their winning streak to nine games with the pair of victories, but they had to work for it in game two, overcoming an early 3-1 deficit and needing to score in the seventh to break a tie game.
 
A one-out walk from Brooks Henderson IV (Feasterville, PA) gave the Falcons a lifeline in the bottom of the seventh inning, and he was placed on second after a balk. A fly out to left was the second out, then a walk put two on with two outs. That brought up pinch hitter Kenny Hirschfeld (New Hyde Park, NY), who stepped in to the batter's box. Hirschfeld swung on the first pitch, bouncing a hard ground ball to the left side of the infield. The ground ball pierced the infield defense and made it to left field. Henderson rounded third and bounded his way to home plate down the line. As Henderson slid headfirst, the relay home was late and high, giving Lackawanna the walk off win.
 
Getting there wasn't easy for the Falcons, as the Hawks (13-12-1) took an early 2-0 lead and chased starter Jaden Morgan (Perkasie, PA) after just an out. Morgan walked four batters and gave up two runs on a double. In came reliever Zach Ruffing (Marlborough, MA), who got two straight outs with the bases loaded to get out of trouble.
 
It took until the bottom of the second for the Falcons to get on the board. John Hughes (Hamilton, NJ) hit a screamer to left field that tailed towards the foul pole but, according to the umpire, stayed fair for a home run, despite some argument from the Rockland dugout. The homer got the Falcons on the board and gave Hughes his fifth homer of the season.
 
Rockland got the run back in the third, using a two-out baserunner, courtesy of a hit by pitch, to get to an RBI double to left that made it 3-1, Hawks, after 2.5 innings.
 
In the bottom of the third, Lackawanna bounced back with two runs to tie things up. Back-to-back singles for the Falcons forced a pitching change from the visitors and let Deacon Brown (Williamsport, PA) come to the plate with nobody out. Brown launched a double to deep right to plate a run and make it 3-2. Later, with the bases loaded and nobody out, Henderson tied the game on a fielder's choice, to third base, beating out the throw to reach base. The Falcons had the bases loaded with two outs later in the inning, but a ground out to third ended the scoring threat.
 
After Ruffing shut down Rockland in the fourth, the Falcons bounced back big in the bottom half. A one-out walk gave the Falcons a baserunner, and Louis Kegerreis (Murrysville, PA) hit his team-high 13^th double of the season to score the run and give Lackawanna a 4-3 lead. With the bases loaded and one out, Henderson got another RBI, hitting a sac fly to left field that pushed the Falcons in front at 5-3 after four innings.
 
Back-to-back singles opened the top of the fifth for Rockland, and an RBI double to deep center tied the game at 5-5. A one-out walk put runners on first and second, and Ruffing was searching for a way out of the inning. In stepped Henderson, who snagged a hot shot liner to short, then flipped to Kegerreis at second for the inning-ending double play.
 
Lackawanna went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fifth, and Hayden Klyver (Wilton, CT) pitched around a two-out single in the sixth. A one-out single from Kegerreis gave Lackawanna a baserunner in the bottom of the sixth, but a nifty 3-6-3 double play ended the inning and fired up the Hawks.
 
Klyver came back out for the seventh and got two quick ground outs, then a huge punch out to get the Falcons into the bottom of the seventh and set up the walk-off winner.
 
Kegerreis was 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, Brown was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Henderson had two RBIs. Klyver pitched two scoreless innings for the win.
 
Lackawanna scored eight runs in the first two innings of game one to build a big lead, then cruised to a 9-4 win that started the afternoon.
 
Starter Nick Matson (Nanticoke, PA) pitched past a two-out single in the first inning to keep Rockland off the board, and the Falcons scratched a run across in the bottom half. Henderson singled to get on, then stole second, then got to third on a wild pitch. Another wild pitch with one out scored Henderson and made it 1-0, Falcons.
 
The second inning was where Lackawanna's offense really hit its stride. Jason Prudente (Bear Creek Twp., PA) led the inning off with a double, then a pair of walks loaded the bases with one out. A wild pitch scored a run, then Jack Friend (East Setauket, NY) singled home a pair of runs to make it 4-0, Falcons. An error let Henderson reach and put runners on the corners, then Henderson stole second to put runners in scoring position. Brown singled to right field to score a pair of runs and pushed the Lackawanna lead to 6-0, forcing a pitching change. The new pitcher hit a batter, then walked the next batter to load the bases, still with one out. A Prudente sac fly traded a run for an out, then two straight hit batters forced in another run, extending the Lackawanna advantage to 8-0 heading into the third inning.
 
New Lackawanna pitcher Julian Montez (Westfield, NJ) started the third, and Rockland pounced right away. Back-to-back walks put two on, then back-to-back singles scored a pair of runs to make it 8-2. Montez bounced back out of trouble, striking out the side to strand a pair of baserunners and get the Falcons out of trouble.
 
Lackawanna added a run in the bottom frame, when Kegerreis singled home Henderson with two outs to make it 9-2, Falcons, after three.
 
Josiah Williams (Emmaus, PA) took over in the fourth, and Rockland struck back for two more. With the bases loaded and one out, a two-run double made it 9-4. Williams was able to strike out the next batter for the second out, then got a ground out back to himself to strand a pair of runners.
 
In the fifth, Williams got around a pair of two-out baserunners, getting past a walk and a single to get a fly out to left to end the inning and strand another two runners.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, the Falcons loaded the bases with two outs, but a ground out to shortstop left the bases loaded and frustrated the Falcons.
 
Landon Brandt (Wapakoneta, OH) relieved Williams in the sixth, and looked to be in trouble after walking his first batter, getting back-to-back fielder's choices, and then walking two more batters. With the bases loaded and two outs, Brandt induced a ground ball back to himself, flipped to first, and the Falcons kept the Hawks from cashing in on the bases loaded.
 
Lackawanna couldn't do anything in the sixth with two baserunners, and Mark Zuppo (Garnet Valley, PA) took over to try to close things out. Zuppo struck out the first batter, but a single and two walks loaded the bags again with one out. Zuppo responded with a fly out to shallow left that prevented a sac fly, then got a grounder to Henderson, who gathered the ball and threw it to Hughes for the final out.
 
Henderson was 1-for-4 with three runs, while Friend finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Brown had a pair of RBIs and a run scored, while Prudente and Kegerreis each had RBIs. Williams got the win, giving up two runs on three hits and striking out a pair in two innings.
 
The pair of wins gives Lackawanna College nine wins in a row and 14 wins in their last 16 games. Deacon Brown also extended his hitting streak to 21 games. The Falcons get a well-deserved day off, then get right back to work on Tuesday, April 1^st, with a road doubleheader at Monroe CC. First pitch is set for 1:00pm ET in Rochester, NY.