4/12/26
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – A desperate squeeze play walked off game two for Lackawanna College baseball, securing a non-region doubleheader sweep against SUNY Onondaga CC on Sunday afternoon at Scranton HS baseball field. The Falcons won game one, 13-8, and squeezed for the win in game two, 11-10.
 
The Falcons (15-19-1) had just blown a 7-3 lead in the fifth inning, seeing the visiting Lazers (12-14) score seven runs in the top half to go ahead, 10-7. Lackawanna found a way to score three runs in the home half, taking advantage of a leadoff double from Mark Zuppo (Garnet Valley, PA) to eventually bring him in on an RBI ground out, while Mason Pratt (Morrison, CO) singled home a run, got to second on an error, and stole third, before scoring the tying run on an RBI single from Deacon Brown (Williamsport, PA).
 
Neither team found the breakthrough until the bottom of the seventh. After back-to-back walks put two runners on, the Falcons eventually used a double-steal to put them in scoring position with one away. Quinten Jones (Harrisburg, PA) stepped in and delivered a picture-perfect bunt down the right field line. While the Lazers defense scrambled to track it down, Matthew Cichocki (Bridgewater, NJ) sprinted down the line from third and slid in safely at home to clinch the game for the Falcons.
 
Before that, the Falcons had steadily built a 7-3 advantage through the first four innings. An RBI ground out in the first, followed by back-to-back errors and an RBI single from Brown that made it 4-0 after two innings of play.
 
Onondaga scored a pair in the top of the third, then added another run on a two-out double in the top of the fourth to get within 4-3. In the bottom half of the fourth, the Falcons put two on with nobody out, and Jones cranked a long home run to left field, clearing the bullpens beyond the fence and giving Lackawanna the 7-3 advantage.
 
It would be short-lived, however, as Onondaga scored seven runs, on five hits and two errors, two coming from bases-loaded hit-by-pitches, then two runs on a single and an error, followed by another two-run single, then a ground out, giving the Lazers a 10-7 lead heading into the home half.
 
After the Falcons tied it up at 10 after five innings, relief pitcher Tobe Kuntz (Lancaster, PA) hit the bump and twice got out of jams, stranding three runners in scoring position, setting up the Falcons for the dramatic win in game two.
 
Kuntz picked up the win for his two innings of scoreless relief, his first of the year. Jones was 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBIs, while Brown had two hits and two RBIs. Cichocki scored three runs, while Zuppo had a pair of runs.
 
In game one, Lackawanna built a 9-4 advantage through the first two innings, only to see Onondaga get within 9-8 thanks to a four-run third, but the Falcons settled in after that, getting four strong innings of relief from Liam Newhouse (Philadelphia, PA), allowing just three hits and striking out one to help keep the Falcons in front.
 
Meanwhile, an RBI single from Jake Virbitsky (Media, PA) in the home half of the third made it 10-8, and the Falcons added three more in the fourth inning to get enough cushion for the win.
 
Early on, the Lazers scored via an error in the first inning to go ahead, but the Falcons scored a pair in the bottom half thanks to a two-run double from Jones. The Lackawanna lead wouldn't last, as Onondaga scored via another error on the Falcons, then got an RBI single and a sac fly to make it 4-2, Lazers, going into the bottom of the second.
 
Lackawanna re-took the lead in the home half, loading the bases, then eventually scoring via a wild pitch. A double from Sean Moore (Philadelphia, PA) tied the game at 4-4, and another mistake let the Falcons take the lead at 5-4. A Virbitsky single made it 6-4, and the Falcons scored two more runs when Kolton Haifley (New Oxford, PA) singled home a pair. A pop-up behind first base was enough to score a ninth run, and the Falcons held a 9-4 lead after two innings of play.
 
The Lazers came back to score on an RBI single, followed by a sac fly and a two-run homer, getting within 9-8 after 2.5 innings of play, but Newhouse came in to start the fourth and shutdown the visitors from there.
 
Newhouse picked up the win, throwing four scoreless innings of relief. Virbitsky had two hits and two RBIs, while Jones had a double and two RBIs. Jose Soquiel (Hazleton, PA) had three RBIs, while Haifley added a pair of RBIs.
 
Lackawanna College has now won six-straight games, and the Falcons will look to keep the streak alive with a nine-inning contest on the road at Monroe University on Wednesday, April 15^th. First pitch is set for 1:00pm ET in New Rochelle, NY.