4/15/26

NEW ROCHELLE, NY – It wasn't pretty, but Lackawanna College baseball stayed hot with a big road win at Monroe University, 8-3, on Wednesday afternoon at Dick Caswell Baseball Field in New York.
 
The Falcons (16-19-1) took advantage of two bases-loaded hit batters, two sac flies, and a two-run error, while getting a stellar outing from the eight-man squad on the bump that kept the Mustangs (15-18) to just six hits and stranded eleven runners.
 
In the top of the second inning, Danny Stickney (Secane, PA) had the game's first hit, a one-out single. Hunter Austra (Larksville, PA) followed with a single of his own, and the two advanced into scoring position on a passed ball. A walk loaded the bases, and back-to-back hit batters with those bases loaded scored two runs to get the Falcons up, 2-0. Quinten Jones (Harrisburg, PA) singled to center to score a third run, and Deacon Brown (Williamsport, PA) hit a sac fly to right to score a fourth and give the Falcons a sizable lead heading into the home half.
 
Starter Jaden Morgan (Perkasie, PA) pitched two solid innings to start, pitching around an error in the first and a walk and single in the second to keep Monroe off the board. He was aided by a base-running error in the second, when a liner to short was caught, and he combined with the shortstop to pick off the baserunner at first.
 
Monroe got after reliever Geoffrey Moore (Erie, CO), in the top of the fourth with a leadoff single. The Falcons elected to bring in Brant Barilaro (Monaca, PA), who got two outs, but allowed that run to score on a two-out single. Barilaro recovered, after that runner stole second, with a ground out to short to end the potential rally.
 
In the fifth, a leadoff walk put a runner on, and back-to-back steals had that leadoff man on third with two away, but Barilaro struck out the next batter to end the inning and strand the runner, setting up the Falcons to get a run on a sac fly in the top of the sixth to go ahead 5-1.
 
Matthew Cichocki (Bridgewater, NJ) pitched a scoreless inning in the bottom of the sixth, but was lifted for reliever Sam Marsh (Phoenixville, PA) in the seventh. Marsh hit a batter with one out, then allowed a single to put runners on first and second. An error scored a run and put runners on the corners, and a walk with two outs loaded the bases. A pitching change didn't help, as a wild pitch let a run score to make it 5-3, Falcons, and a walk loaded the bases again. The Falcons went to the bullpen once more and brought on Levi Hooven (Johnson City, TN), and Hooven got a line out to short to strand the bases loaded and keep the Mustangs from getting closer.
 
The Falcons added three crucial runs in the top of the eighth inning. A hit batter, followed by a single and a stolen base, put runners on second and third with one out. Stickney reached on an error at first, allowing two runs to cross and making it 7-3. Pinch-runner Bobby Filler, Jr. (Philadelphia, PA) managed to score on an RBI single from Austra, pushing the Lackawanna advantage out to 8-3. A Mark Zuppo (Garnet Valley, PA) two-out double put runners in scoring position, but the Falcons couldn't get one more across.
 
Hooven pitched around a pair of two-out singles, forcing a fielder's choice in the bottom of the eighth, and the Falcons brought on Tobe Kuntz (Lancaster, PA) to see out the final inning. Monroe put a leadoff runner on with a walk, but got a huge double-play on a liner to third and throw back to first for two outs. Another walk put another runner on, but Kuntz got a huge swinging strikeout to end the game and give the Falcons their seventh-straight victory.
 
Barilaro gets the win, his third of the year, pitching two strong innings of relief and striking out three. Jake Virbitsky (Media, PA) was 2-for-4 with two runs, while Stickney had two RBIs and Austra went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
 
The Falcons are back in action on Friday, April 17^th, for the first game in a three-game series against Delaware Tech CC in Region XIX Division II play. Friday's game is a single nine-inning contest at Scranton HS baseball field, starting at 3:00pm ET. On Saturday, April 18^th, they'll play a doubleheader at Delaware Tech CC, starting at 1:00pm ET in Georgetown, DE.