3/28/26
 
AUGUSTA, NJ – A frustrating afternoon for Lackawanna College baseball ended in a doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Sussex County CC Skylanders, as the Falcons fell 6-5 and 10-9 in a pair of Region XIX DII contests on Saturday afternoon at Skylands Stadium in New Jersey.
 
The Falcons (8-14-1, 3-3) blew leads in both games, once in game one and three separate times in game two, while the Skylanders (13-10, 4-2) showed a lot of heart to keep fighting back.
 
Lackawanna led 3-0 in game one after 1.5 innings of play, taking advantage of an error, plus RBI hits from Hunter Austra (Larksville, PA) and Julian Abreu (Philadelphia, PA). The lead was 4-2 after an RBI ground out from Austra I the top of the third, but a double steal put the Skylanders within a run after three innings, and the bottom of the fourth would be where they struck big. A leadoff walk, followed by a single and a double steal, had the Skylanders in business with runners in scoring position and no outs. A two-run single answered the bell, giving Sussex a 5-4 advantage. Back-to-back ground outs scored a third run, increasing the Sussex lead to 6-4 after four innings. Lackawanna immediately answered back in the top of the fifth, getting a leadoff triple from Jake Virbitsky (Media, PA) that was cashed in with an RBI ground out. The Falcons had two on with two outs, but stranded the runners, leaving things at 6-5 through 4.5 innings.
 
Daniel Jacobs (West Chester, PA) pitched two strong innings of relief to give the Falcons their chances. In the top of the sixth, Abreu doubled with two outs to get into scoring position, but the Falcons struck out. In the top of the seventh, A two-out error allowed Danny Stickney (Secane, PA) to reach. A pinch runner was inserted, and a two-out double from Austra moved that runner to third, but a strikeout ended the chances for the Falcons to rally.
 
Lackawanna outhit the Skylanders (8-5) and had six extra-base knocks, but the Falcons stranded seven runners and struck out six times. Austra was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Abreu was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Stickney had two runs scored. Josiah Williams (Emmaus, PA) took the loss, giving up six runs, five earned, on four hits in four innings.
 
In game two, the Falcons held leads of 5-0, 7-6, and 9-7, and Sussex rallied each time, eventually winning on a walk-off in the bottom of the seventh inning.
 
Lackawanna had just scored two runs thanks to a wild pitch and an RBI single in the top half to go ahead 9-7, but an error at third let the leadoff batter for Sussex on to start the bottom frame. A one-out double scored that runner to close the gap to 9-8. A walk, then a passed ball, and suddenly the tying run was at third and the game-winning run was at second. An RBI single tied the game, but a fielder's choice got the second out. With two outs and the game-winning run just 90 feet away, the Skylanders got the win they needed when the Falcons committed an error on the ground ball up the middle, letting Sussex walk off with the win.
 
It was a bitter loss for the Falcons, who, like in both Friday's game and game one on Saturday, jumped out to the lead, only to see it slip away. In game two, a Stickney two-run homer got the Falcons going in the top of the first inning, and two more runs scored on an error and a wild pitch, making it 4-0 after two innings. A fifth run scored on a two-out double from Kolton Haifley (New Oxford, PA) in the top of the third, but the bottom half was where the Skylanders started to make some in-roads. Three walks loaded the bases with two outs, and an RBI single, followed by an error in the outfield, let the runs score, making it 5-3, Falcons, after three innings.
 
Lackawanna stranded the bases loaded in the top of the fourth, and Sussex made them pay in the bottom half, getting a solo homer and a two-out RBI single, made possible by an error in the outfield, which tied the game at 5-5 after four innings of play.
 
A wild pitch, let the Falcons reclaim the lead in the top of the sixth, and an error on the infield against Sussex let a second run score to make it 7-5, Falcons, but the lead was short-lived, as three-straight walks loaded the bases in the bottom frame with nobody out, and the Skylanders traded a pair of outs for a pair of runs to tie things back up, setting up the exciting final inning of play.
 
Tristan Kuijer (Haarlem, Netherlands) takes the loss, giving up three unearned runs in just 2/3 of an inning pitched. Stickney was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, while Haifley had two hits. Kuijer did score three runs, starting the game at shortstop, and Abreu had two RBIs.
 
Lackawanna has now lost four-straight games, and is winless in its last five contests. The Falcons will look to get of the skids with an away doubleheader on Sunday, March 29^th, as the Falcons travel to take on SUNY Rockland CC. First pitch of the twin bill is set for 12:00pm ET in Suffern, NY. It marks the first meeting between the two sides since last year in the 2025 NJCAA Division II East District playoffs. Lackawanna won that first round game, 23-17, after falling behind 14-0 after 1.5 innings of play.