5/17/25
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna offense stayed hot, and starter Trey Sajeski pitched a strong complete game as the Falcons defeated UConn Avery Point, 9-1, in seven innings on Saturday afternoon in an NJCAA DII East District semi-final contest at Scranton HS baseball field in the Electric City.
 
The Falcons (33-16) got contributions throughout the lineup, scoring four runs in the third to stake themselves to a 5-0 lead, then expanding out to an eight-run spread with two runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings. Meanwhile, Sajeski (Holland, PA) struck out seven and allowed just one unearned run on four hits in seven innings, helping the Falcons earn the run-rule victory.
 
Sophomore John Hughes (Hamilton, NJ) went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs, while Louis Kegerreis (Murrysville, PA) and Tyler Lepage (Macungie, PA) each posted a pair of hits. Jack Friend (East Setauket, NY) had two hits and two runs at the bottom of the order.
 
Avery Point (30-7) won the coin toss and was the designated home team, but neither team could get anything going in the first. It wasn't until the top of the second, as Lackawanna took its turn, that a breakthrough was found.
 
Kegerreis doubled to lead the inning off, then got to third on a ground out. Brooks Henderson IV (Feasterville, PA) sac flied to center to bring Kegerreis home for the game's first run.
 
Lackawanna really opened things up in the third. Friend singled, and Jake Kelleher (Exeter, PA) doubled to put runners on second and third with one out. A wild pitch scored Friend, then a Hughes single scored Kelleher and made it 3-0, Falcons. Later, with runners on second and third and one out, Kegerreis ripped a single to center that scored a pair, pushing the Lackawanna lead to 5-0. The Falcons threatened to do more damage with the bases loaded, but a strikeout ended the potential rally.
 
UCAP got itself on the board in the bottom half. Center fielder Jayden Sgro lined a base hit into left, turning it into a double with some extra hustle. Sgro then stole third, and the error on the throw let him score to get the Pointers up and running. Sajeski didn't blink, however, getting a ground out and a crucial strikeout looking to avoid anything snowballing on him.
 
The Falcons got Friend on with an error in the fourth, but a double play, followed by a strikeout, pumped up Avery Point for the bottom frame. Sajeski shut that down in the bottom half, getting a nifty play from Friend and a pair of strikeouts to keep the Pointers off the basepaths in the fourth.
 
Back-to-back singles for UCAP in the bottom of the fifth got the Pointers their best shot at scoring. A fly out placed runners at the corners, and Sajeski earned the second out with a huge swinging strikeout. With two down and the top of the order up, a sharp ground ball up the middle threatened to score a run, but Kegerreis snagged the ball behind second base and threw a dart to Hughes a first. In a bang-bang play at the bag, Hughes managed to hang on for the out. Avery Point argued that Hughes bobbled the throw, but the umpire made the call, and the inning ended without a run scoring.
 
The Falcons used that momentum in the top of the sixth. Nick Matson (Nanticoke, PA) singled and stole second to get into scoring position. He stole third with one out, for good measure, then scored on a single from Friend to left field. Kelleher was hit by a pitch, a fly out put runners on the corners, and Hughes singled home another run to make it 7-1, Falcons, after 5.5 innings.
 
Two more runs scored in the seventh, thanks to an RBI single from Henderson and a sac fly. In the bottom half, Sajeski came out to finish off the game, getting back-to-back infield groundouts and a fly out to Matson in center field to end the game and send Lackawanna to the championship round.
 
Lackawanna College will now play Sunday, May 18^th, at 12:00pm ET at Scranton HS baseball field against either UConn Avery Point or SUNY Rockland CC. A win for Lackawanna means the Falcons will be the East District Champion. If the Falcons lose that game, a second, winner-take-all game will start 30 minutes after game one's conclusion.