4/19/25
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – A game one meltdown and a lightning delay nearly threatened to derail Lackawanna College baseball, but the Falcons managed to pull it together and scrape a doubleheader split at home against County College of Morris at Scranton HS baseball field on Saturday afternoon. Morris won game one in a walk off, 9-8, while the Falcons won a game two that saw a one-hour rain delay by an 11-2 margin.
 
The Falcons (22-15, 11-4) led 7-1 in game one in the fourth inning, but Morris (20-17, 5-8) got back into the game with a strong frame. The Titans hit four-straight singles to drive in a pair of runs, then got a sac fly to score another run, cutting the deficit to 7-4. An error on the infield let one more run scratch across, drawing Morris within two runs at 7-5 after four innings.
 
Lackawanna led by two into the seventh inning and scored a run on a sac fly to make it 8-5, Falcons, heading into the bottom half. Morris struck out twice in a row to start the inning, but a walk, followed by a single, put two on with two outs. Still one out away, an error let the inning continue and let a run score, bringing the game-winning run to the plate. A walk, followed by a two-run single, tied the game and put the game-winning run on second. The Titans had all the momentum, and they quickly cashed in with a single to right field, scoring the game-winner and stunning the Falcons with a walk-off.
 
The Falcons built their early lead thanks to a three-run second, highlighted by a Kenny Hirschfeld (New Hyde Park, NY) double and back-to-back singles from Jake Kelleher (Exeter, PA) and Deacon Brown (Williamsport, PA) scored a pair. That lead grew on a bases-clearing double from Kelleher in the third, pushing the Falcons' advantage to 6-0. The lead ballooned to 7-1 in the fourth, when John Hughes (Hamilton, NJ) pumped his team-high ninth home run over the left field fence, but the offensive onslaught died out, and the Titans began to make their comeback.
 
Kelleher was 3-for-4 with four RBIs in game one, while Brown had two RBIs, and Hirschfeld went 2-for-3 with two runs. Outfielder Mark Zuppo (Garnet Valley, PA) went 2-for-3 with three runs and a walk. The Falcons stranded ten baserunners in game one. Liam O'Leary (Souderton, PA) was tagged with the loss, giving up four unearned runs on three hits, all of it coming in the seventh inning.
 
After the shock in game one, the Falcons came out firing in game two, scoring three runs in both the first and second innings to build a 6-0 advantage. Then, a fast-moving thunderstorm blew in and blew out in 15 minutes, but the game itself took at least an hour to get back under way. Once it finally did, the Falcons resumed the offensive onslaught, pouring on eleven runs on 14 hits, posting six extra-base knocks and getting multiple hits from five different batters.
 
Kelleher, who went 3-for-5 with four runs and an RBI, led the game off with a walk and scored on a Brooks Henderson IV (Feasterville, PA) double that made it 2-0. Nick Matson (Nanticoke, PA) followed with a triple to score Henderson, and the Falcons had a 3-0 lead after one.
 
While Trey Sajeski (Holland, PA) kept the Titans off the board in the bottom half, Lackawanna added three more on a Brown two-run single and a fielder's choice from Matson that made it 6-0, Falcons.
 
After the rain forced a stoppage, the Falcons did their best work to keep the field playable, and both teams took the field for the bottom of the second. Sajeski kept things rolling, eventually pitching four innings and giving up one run on four hits, striking out seven batters and earning his sixth win of the season.
 
Brown tripled home a run in the third to make it 7-0, and, after Morris scored a run in the fourth, Hughes singled in a run to make it 8-1, good guys, heading into the bottom of the fifth.
 
Later, with Lackawanna ahead 8-2, Quinten Jones (Harrisburg, PA) singled in a run in the sixth, followed by a Kelleher RBI single to get Lackawanna up to ten runs. The last run scored in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk, pushing the Falcons ahead 11-2. Hayden Klyver (Wilton, CT) pitched around a pair of hits to throw a spotless seventh and get the Falcons the twin bill split.
 
On top of Kelleher's standout performance, Brown, Hughes, and Henderson all had two hits. Brown had three RBIs, while Hughes scored a pair, and Henderson drove in two more. Matson finished with three hits and two RBIs, and Jones had a pair of RBIs.
 
Lackawanna College has completed its Region XIX Division II regular season schedule, and the Falcons are locked into the second spot for the Region XIX Division II playoffs happening the second weekend in May. The Falcons have eleven remaining regular season games, all non-conference, and Lackawanna is back to work this week on Thursday, April 24^th, when the Falcons travel to play the #1 Division III team in the nation, RCSJ-Gloucester. First pitch is set for 3:00pm ET in Sewell, NJ.