3/7/26

LA PLATA, Md. – Nine RBIs in two games from Julian Montez (Westfield, NJ) helped pace the Lackawanna College baseball offensive onslaught, as the Falcons took a doubleheader on the road at the College of Southern Maryland on Saturday afternoon, winning game one 16-8 and game two 16-2 in six innings.
 
The Falcons (4-7) scored 32 runs on 19 hits, seven for extra-bases, as Lackawanna was a constant run-scoring threat throughout the afternoon. Meanwhile, the Hawks (1-5) hit three homers in two games, but scored only three combined runs in the final nine combined innings of the two contests.
 
In game one, Montez set the tone with a three-run bomb in the first inning that made it 4-0, Falcons, but the Hawks answered with a pair of solo shots in the third, followed by a sac fly and an RBI single that tied things up after three innings.
 
Lackawanna regained the lead in the fourth, scoring a bases-loaded walk and then a two-run single from Montez that made it 7-4. Once again, Southern Maryland quickly recovered and tied the game, this time on a three-run shot with one out.
 
Needing a boost into the fifth, Jose Soquiel (Hazleton, PA) and Quinten Jones (Harrisburg, PA) hit back-to-back singles for the Falcons and quickly moved into scoring position. Julian Abreu (Philadelphia, PA) delivered with an RBI ground out to short, followed by an RBI single from Deacon Brown (Williamsport, PA) to make it 9-7, Falcons. Later, with the bases loaded and just the one out, Bobby Filler, Jr. (Philadelphia, PA) singled home a pair of runs to blow things open at 11-7. Montez followed up with a sac fly to push the Lackawanna advantage to 12-7 heading into the bottom of the fifth.
 
Pitcher Daniel Jacobs (West Chester, PA) pitched himself into trouble with the bases loaded and one out, then got himself out of it with a swinging strikeout on a 3-2 count and then a ground out to second, stranding the runners. The Falcons added two more in the top of the sixth, using a pair of bases-loaded walks to make it 14-7 heading into the bottom frame.
 
Southern Maryland singled home another run with two outs, but stranded the bases loaded, and the Falcons added two more in the seventh, scoring on a balk and then a sac fly. Aiden Sgarra (Pottstown, PA) pitched around a pair of walks, forcing a double play and then striking out a batter to end the game.
 
Montez was 2-for-2 with a run, seven RBIs, and two walks, while Filler Jr. went 1-for-2 with three RBIs and three walks. Danny Stickney (Secane, PA) scored three runs and drew four walks, while Jones also scored three runs on two walks. The Falcons drew 16 walks in game one. Starter Makai Day (South Williamsport, PA) went 2.2 innings, giving up four runs on five hits and striking out a pair. Jacobs got the win, his first of the year, striking out a pair in his inning of relief.
 
Game two saw the Falcons do less damage with the walk and a lot more at the plate, as the Falcons hit four doubles, six total extra-base knocks, and scored in five of the six innings played to run away with a 16-2 win.
 
After a scoreless first, Mark Zuppo (Garnet Valley, PA) got the Falcons going with a two-out, two-run double that put the Falcons in front. Five more scored in the top of the third, when Hunter Austra (Larksville, PA) and Stickney hit back-to-back doubles, with Stickney delivering two runs to make it 4-0. Later, with the bases loaded and one out, Montez stayed hot, singling home a pair of batters to make it 6-0. A fielder's choice let another run score, and the Falcons were in front 7-0 after 2.5 innings.
 
A double-steal in the bottom of the third got the Hawks on the board, but Deacon Brown hit his fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot that made it 9-1, Falcons. A run from Southern MD in the bottom of the fourth was answered with a sac fly from Abreu in the top of the fifth, and the Falcons were ahead 10-2 after 4.5 innings.
 
Starter Josiah Williams (Emmaus, PA) pitched a crucial zero in the fifth, getting around a bases-loaded, nobody out situation with two straight strikeouts and then a ground out to third. The Falcons made the Hawks pay in the top of the sixth, scoring six runs to blow it completely open. The inning was highlighted by a one-run triple from Stickney, plus an RBI double from Abreu. Liam Newhouse (Philadelphia, PA) came on in the sixth, with College of Southern Maryland needing to score at least five runs to keep the game going, and shut the door, getting around a one-out single with two strikeouts and a soft fly out to second to complete the doubleheader victory.
 
Montez was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, while Stickney went 2-for-3 with three runs and three RBIs. Brown had a two-run homer and three RBIs, and Zuppo went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Abreu had two RBIs and a double. Williams got the win, his second of the season, giving up two runs on seven hits and striking out eight in five innings.
 
Lackawanna College will go for the three-game sweep on Sunday, March 8^th, when they take on the Hawks for a single nine-inning contest starting at 12:00pm ET.