4/3/26
 
WEST WINDSOR TWP., NJ – A stellar pitching performance from Nico Nattle and Jacob Amador helped Lackawanna College baseball end its losing skid and knock off the top team in Region XIX DII, as the Falcons downed #20 Mercer County CC, 4-2, in a nine-inning region contest at Mercer County CC's baseball field.
 
The Falcons (9-16-1, 4-3) came in to the match-up winless in their last seven games and reeling after getting swept by Sussex County CC last weekend, while Mercer (17-7, 5-2), #20 in the latest Division II national rankings, came in as winners of seven of their last nine games, and had scored double-digit runs in five of their last six contests. That didn't stop Lackawanna from putting together its best defensive and pitching performance of the season, thanks to Nattle (Phoenixville, PA) on the bump.
 
Nico pitched seven strong innings, giving up just two hits and two runs, one earned, on four strikeouts. The high-flying Mustangs stranded eight runners on the day, getting at least one runner on in seven of the nine innings.
 
While the Lackawanna offense wasn't exactly lighting things up, the Falcons got big contributions in key spots, starting with the first runs of the game in the top of the fourth inning. A leadoff walk, followed by a wild pitch, put a runner on second with one away. Sean Moore (Philadelphia, PA) pushed a double to the outfield to score that runner, putting Lackawanna up 1-0 after 3.5 innings.
 
Mercer had two runners on in the home half after Nattle plunked a pair of batters to lead the inning off, but a ground ball to Mark Zuppo (Garnet Valley, PA) turned into a double play for the Falcons, and Nattle got another grounder to strand a runner and keep the Mustangs off the board.
 
Julian Abreu (Philadelphia, PA) singled to lead off the fifth, stole second, and then scored when Zuppo went the opposite way for an RBI single. Later in the inning, the Falcons had the bases loaded and two down, and Moore delivered once again, smacking a single back up the middle to center to score a pair and lengthen Lackawanna's advantage to 4-0 after 4.5 innings.
 
Nattle stranded runners in each of the fifth and sixth innings, but the Mustangs found the breakthrough in the bottom of the seventh. A leadoff double, followed by a walk, put two runners on for Mercer. A fly out to left let the lead runner reach third. The next batter hit a ground ball up the middle, but the infield made an error on the throw, and a run scored to get Mercer on the board. An RBI ground out scored another run, cutting the Lackawanna advantage to 4-2, and a walk put Nattle in another spot with runners on the corners, but a fly ball to center was caught and major disaster avoided.
 
Moore led the eighth off with a double and reached third base on a passed ball, but the Falcons failed to bring him home and stranded him at third. Amador (Boulder, CO) came on to pitch the bottom of the eighth, and he overcame a leadoff walk with three-straight outs to get the Falcons to the ninth.
 
Zuppo was caught straying off first base after leading off the ninth with a single, and the Falcons couldn't get anything going, leaving Mercer the chance to try to get at least two runs in the bottom frame. Amador got a pair of outs to get Lackawanna to the brink, but Mercer got one last single to get a runner on with two away. Amador induced a grounder to himself, tossing to first for the out and his first save of the year, giving Lackawanna a much-needed win in region play.
 
Nattle's win is his third of the season. Amador pitched two scoreless innings for the save. Moore was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two doubles, while Zuppo had two hits and an RBI. Deacon Brown (Williamsport, PA) had a single and a run scored for Lackawanna.
 
The Falcons are back to action on Saturday, April 4^th, when they are set to host Mercer County CC for a doubleheader at home at Scranton HS baseball field. The doubleheader is set for a 2:00pm ET start.