3/20/26

BRANCHBURG, NJ – Lackawanna College baseball got exactly what it needed to start Region XIX Division II play on Friday afternoon, scoring runs at will and running away from Raritan Valley CC for the doubleheader sweep, taking game one 10-1 and game two by a 21-7 margin in New Jersey.
 
The Falcons (7-10, 2-0) combined for seven home runs across both games, pounding the Lions (9-4, 0-2) into submission.
 
In game one, Danny Stickney (Secane, PA) got the scoring started with an RBI single with one out, and Sean Moore (Philadelphia, PA) homered on an 0-2 pitch to push the Lackawanna advantage to 4-0 before Raritan even got to the plate.
 
Falcons starter Nico Nattle (Phoenixville, PA) was excellent, retiring the first seven batters and holding the Lions without a hit until a two-out base knock in the bottom of the third, where Raritan was thrown out on the basepaths anyway for trying to stretch it into a double.
 
Lackawanna added a run in the fourth after a passed ball scored a runner, and Raritan answered in the bottom half when a wild pitch scored a runner for the Lions.
 
Into the fifth, Deacon Brown (Williamsport, PA) made his presence known with a two-run homer to make it 7-1, Falcons, and Julian Montez (Westfield, NJ) later delivered a two-out RBI single that made it 8-1, Falcons. Jake Virbitsky (Media, PA) added a two-run homer in the top of the sixth that made it 10-1, Falcons, and Nattle and reliever Liam Newhouse (Philadelphia, PA) did the rest to protect the lead and give Lackawanna the win.
 
Nattle went six strong innings, striking out eight and giving up just one run on four hits. At the plate, Virbitsky was 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBIs, while Brown and Moore each had two hits. Brown and Stickney scored two runs, apiece.
 
In game two, The Falcons scored a combined 13 runs in the second and third innings and never looked back, building a 16-2 lead at one point and coasting to the 21-7 victory.
 
Lackawanna put eight runs on the board in the eighth, getting a solo homer from Stickney, an RBI single from Quinten Jones (Harrisburg, PA), a two-run double from Virbitsky, a two-run single from Tristan Kuijer (Haarlem, Netherlands), and a two-run homer from Brown.
 
RVCC got a run back on a wild pitch in the bottom frame, but the Falcons scored five more in the third, getting an RBI ground out, two RBI singles, and an error that scored two more runs to make it 13-1, Falcons, after 2.5 innings.
 
Raritan added another run in the bottom of the third, and both offenses stayed quiet until Hunter Austra (Larksville, PA) homered to lead off the fifth inning.
 
Lackawanna added two more thanks to a Moore RBI single and a wild pitch in the sixth, and Raritan took advantage of two homers, an RBI single, and an error that scored another run to get within 16-7, before the Falcons scored five more in the seventh, courtesy of a home run from Kolton Haifley (New Oxford, PA), a dropped third strike, and then a bases-clearing double from Miles Godwin (Lewes, DE).
 
Josiah Williams (Emmaus, PA) was effective for most of the game to pick up his third win, giving up seven runs, six earned, on nine hits and striking out seven in six innings. Jacob Amador (Boulder, CO) pitched an inning of scoreless relief in the seventh, striking out a pair. At the plate, Jones finished with three hits and two runs scored, while Moore, Austra, Stickney, and Brown each had two hits. Brown, Godwin, and Virbitsky all had three RBIs, while Stickney scored three runs.
 
Lackawanna College will look to secure the series sweep on Sunday, March 22^nd, with a single nine-inning contest at Scranton HS baseball field. First pitch is set for 1:00pm ET.