3/27/26
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – An explosive nine-run seventh inning completely turned Lackawanna College baseball's Region XIX DII contest on its head, as the Falcons fell to the high-flying Sussex County CC Skylanders, 13-7, on a brisk Friday afternoon at Scranton HS.
 
The Falcons (8-12-1, 3-1) looked to be cruising through Friday's game through the first six innings, leading 5-1 behind solo homers from Jake Virbitsky (Media, PA) and Danny Stickney (Secane, PA), and three sacrifice flies, while pitcher Nico Nattle (Phoenixville, PA) had a strong outing, giving up one run on six hits and striking out three through those first six innings. However, the warning signs were there, with Sussex (11-10, 2-2) leaving eight on base and outhitting the Falcons 6-3 to that point.
 
In the seventh, the Falcons went to the bullpen, and the Skylanders pounced immediately. Back-to-back doubles got the Skylanders a run, and another single cut the deficit to 5-3. An error at short, followed by a wild pitch, put runners in scoring position with nobody out. A broken-bat fly out to short was the first out of the inning, but a walk loaded the bases. A passed ball let a run score, and a wild pitch eventually tied the game at 5-5. Now with momentum firmly on their side, the Skylanders loaded the bases with two outs, and took the lead with a bases-loaded walk to make it 6-5. A two-run single pushed it to 8-5, and a two-run double made it 10-5, Skylanders, completing a disaster of an inning for the Falcons.
 
The Falcons were retired in order in the bottom half, and Sussex added a run to make it 11-5 in the eighth. The Skylanders kept the Falcons quiet again in the bottom frame, then added two more runs in the ninth, using a one-run single and a wild pitch to push the lead out to 13-5.
 
In desperation mode in the bottom of the ninth, the Falcons got the bases loaded with one out, and a wild pitch let a run score. A fly out put two outs on the board, but a balk let another run come home to cut it to 13-7. A walk put runners on the corners, but the improbable proved impossible, as a ground out to second ended the game and gave Sussex a big win on the road.
 
The Skylanders pounded out 15 hits, including five doubles, and got a complete game from starter Dylan Loranger on the mound, giving up seven runs, six earned, on five hits, with five walks and three strikeouts.
 
Virbitsky had two hits, including a solo homer, and two RBIs, while Stickney had two RBIs and his eighth home run of the season. Both Matthew Cichocki (Bridgewater, NJ) and Julian Abreu (Philadelphia, PA) each scored two runs. Aiden Sgarra (Pottstown, PA) was tagged with the loss, giving up seven runs, five earned, on three hits in just 2/3 of an inning pitched.
 
The Falcons are winless in their last three games, and will look to bounce back with a doubleheader on the road against Sussex County CC on Saturday, March 28^th. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 12:00pm ET at Skylands Stadium in Augusta, NJ.