4/18/25
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College baseball got an important three-game homestand off to a great start, taking down County College of Morris, 6-2, in a Region XIX DII contest on a warm, comfortable Friday afternoon at Scranton HS baseball field.
 
The Falcons (21-14, 10-3) took the lead for good in the bottom of the third, when Jake Kelleher (Exeter, PA) hit a leadoff solo home run to give Lackawanna a 2-1 lead. The Falcons scored runs in five of the first six innings, slowly building a lead, and relied on their pitching and defense to keep the Titans (19-16, 4-7) from closing the gap.
 
Kelleher was 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, while John Hughes (Hamilton, NJ) was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Nick Matson (Nanticoke, PA) and Grant Dalton (Bedford, IN) each had RBI hits, while Louis Kegerreis (Murrysville, PA) poked an RBI single to the left side that made it 6-2 in the sixth. The Falcons used five pitchers, with Zach Ruffing (Marlborough, MA) getting the win, pitching the fifth inning and holding the lead, despite giving up a run on three hits. Reliever Josiah Williams (Emmaus, PA) was the most effective pitcher, striking out a pair and retiring all nine batters he faced in three innings.
 
Starter Jay Creighton (Somers, NY) got the Falcons off to a strong start, pitching around a two-out walk, and the Falcons got things going in the bottom frame. Kelleher drew a leadoff walk and made it to second on a ground out. With two outs, Hughes lined a double to right center, scoring Kelleher to get the Falcons on the board. There was a chance to score more, but a strikeout with two on held Lackawanna from scoring more.
 
A one-out single, followed by a walk and a wild pitch, put runners on second and third with just one out for Morris in the second inning. A grounder to short tied the game, and Creighton bounced back with a fly out to strand a pair and keep the damage to a minimum.
 
George Creighton (Somers, NY) came on to pitch the third, and he pitched around a pair of two out baserunners to keep the Titans off the board. Kelleher rewarded him with a solo shot to lead off the bottom frame, and the Falcons threatened to get more with two singles with two outs, but a baserunning error cost Lackawanna a chance to add more.
 
Creighton induced a 5-4-3 double play in the top of the fourth to end the inning, and the Falcons sprang for a few more in the bottom half. An error let Matson reach, then he got all the way to third on an errant pick-off attempt. Dalton rewarded the hustle with an RBI single through the right side, pushing the Lackawanna lead to 3-1. Later, with Dalton on second and two outs, Kelleher singled to the right side to make it 4-1, Falcons. A walk put two on in front of Kegerreis. Louis swung at a ball and launched it to the left field corner that, initially, looked like it stayed fair for a three-run bomb, but the home plate umpire ruled it foul. A few pitches later, Kegerreis flew out to center to end the inning, stranding the pair of runners.
 
Ruffing came on to start the fifth, and he was rudely welcomed with back-to-back singles that put runners on second and third with nobody out. Rather than wilt under the pressure, Ruffing got a grounder back to himself with the next batter. He stared the runner at third back to the bag, then fired to first for the sure out. The runner at second strayed off the bag while this was happening, and Hughes lasered a throw to Brooks Henderson IV (Feasterville, PA) for a huge double play. Morris made sure not to waste the runner at third, singling home a run to cut the deficit to 4-2, but Ruffing got a grounder to the right side to end the inning before it got any worse.
 
A two-out double from Matson scored Hughes, who led the bottom of the fifth off with a walk, making it 5-2, and the Falcons scored another run in the sixth, thanks to Kegerreis pulling a single to the left side, giving the Falcons a 6-2 lead.
 
In the meantime, Williams came on in the top of the sixth, where he proceeded to retire nine straight batters over the next three innings, keeping the Titans from mounting any sort of a comeback. In the top of the ninth, Matson came on to close things out, striking out the first two batters on just six pitches. The third batter reached on an error, and a single put two on and threatened to give Morris a chance to rally, but a fielder's choice to second got the force out at the bag, giving Lackawanna the region victory, its tenth of the season.
 
The series with Morris will continue on Saturday, April 19^th, as the Falcons host the Titans for a doubleheader starting at 1:00pm ET at Scranton HS baseball field. The Friday win keeps the Falcons in second place in the Region XIX Division II standings, while Morris remains in third place.