5/26/25
 
ENID, Okla. – The lightning and thunder delayed the start, and it may as well have stolen the thunder that got Lackawanna College to Enid, as the offense never got going and the #12 Falcons bowed out of the 2025 showcase, falling 9-1 to #9 Iowa Central CC in seven innings on Monday evening in an elimination game at David Allen Memorial Ballpark.
 
The Falcons (34-18) knew their best chance was if the offense did what it has done all season, and starter Liam O'Leary (Souderton, PA) needed to be at his best. Despite a thunder and lightning delay that pushed the start time back nearly an hour, the mood was high in the Lackawanna dugout. However, as the early innings wore on, the high-powered Tritons (46-16) built an advantage, using a five-run second to unsettle the Falcons and some great starting pitching to keep the Lackawanna offense off balance throughout the night.
 
After Iowa Central stranded a runner in the top of the first, Lackawanna immediately pounced in the bottom half, using a leadoff single from Jake Kelleher (Exeter, PA) to get a baserunner. Kelleher got to second on a wild pitch, then third on a ground out. With two away and runners on the corners, Deacon Brown (Williamsport, PA) singled down the left field line to get the Falcons on the board, 1-0, heading into the second.
 
Unfortunately for Lackawanna and O'Leary, that's where things unraveled. Two singles and a walk sandwiched a strikeout, loading the bases with one away. Back-to-back RBI singles for Central made it 3-1, Tritons. A pop up to center put two away, but a walk, followed by a bases-loaded hit batter and another walk, eventually forced in two more runs and left Lackawanna in a 5-1 hole.
 
A leadoff triple in the top of the fourth eventually led to a sixth run scoring on a ground out, pushing the Triton advantage to 6-1. The Falcons, meanwhile, struggled to get their offense back into gear, wasting baserunners in both the third and fourth innings.
 
O'Leary was eventually chased after a leadoff homer in the sixth, followed by a hit batter and a walk. He'd finish the day with 5.1 innings pitched, giving up seven runs, all earned, on nine hits and walking seven batters.
 
The Tritons stranded a pair when George Creighton (Somers, NY) came on to get the final two outs of the inning, but the Falcons went down in order in the sixth, and things got critical for the Falcons in the seventh.
 
Creighton left after hitting the leadoff hitter. Daniel Jacobs (West Chester, PA) came on and gave up an infield single, a walk, and a bases-loaded hit batter to force in another run.
 
Down 8-1, the Falcons turned to Hayden Klyver (Wilton, CT) who came on and struck his first two batters out with ease. Unfortunately, he hit the third batter, forcing in a run to make it 9-1. Klyver got a strikeout to end the inning and strand the bases loaded, but the Falcons now needed to score at least a run to keep the game alive.
 
Brooks Henderson IV (Feasterville, PA) put a charge into one to lead the inning off, but the left fielder ranged to his right to make the play. A walk to Nick Matson (Nanticoke, PA) gave the Falcons a one-out baserunner, but a fielder's choice eliminated the lead runner and left the Falcons with a runner on first and two down. Lackawanna, needing to get at least a run to keep its season alive, eventually took a gamble with a steal attempt from pinch runner Jackson Weidner (Wildwood, MO), but the dart from catcher to second was just in time, cutting down Weidner for the third out and ending the 2025 campaign for Lackawanna College.
 
Brown finished with two hits and the lone RBI, while Kelleher was 1-for-3 with a run scored. John Hughes (Hamilton, NJ) had the only other hit for the Falcons, as Lackawanna put up only four hits and struck out five times on the night. The Falcons walked eight batters and hit five more, giving the high-powered Tritons plenty of chances to cash in.
 
The win sends Iowa Central into the next elimination contest, where the #9 Tritons will face #4 Heartland CC at 1:00pm ET on Tuesday, May 27^th.
 
The loss ends the 2025 season for Lackawanna College, which finishes with a 34-18 overall mark. It saw the Falcons win their tenth Region XIX DII title, fourth under head coach Mike McCarry, and qualify for their sixth NJCAA Division II World Series. The Falcons won over 30 games for the fifth time in seven years under coach McCarry. 2025 saw the Falcons earn five first-team all-region nominations, a Region XIX Offensive Player of the Year, and it saw Lackawanna coach McCarry win his 200^th game as the man in charge of the Falcons.
 
The finish for the Falcons marks the end of the 2024-2025 athletic season for Lackawanna College.