KINGS POINT, NY—Sophomore Michael Haag (Ossining, NY/Ossining/Bridgton Academy-Maine) turned in a pitching gem when The University of Scranton baseball team needed it most Saturday at Lower Roosevelt Field.

He went the distance, allowed only two hits and struck out five to lead the Royals to a 7-2 victory over the Merchant Marine Academy in the nightcap of a Landmark Conference doubleheader.  In the opener, sophomore pitcher Patrick Morgan (Roxboro, NC/Person) struck out nine batters in picking up a complete game victory as the Mariners blanked the Royals, 6-0.  

After losing both games Thursday at Elizabethtown, the last thing the Royals needed was to drop back-to-back conference doubleheaders.  They avoid the sweep by scoring four runs in the top of the seventh inning to break open a close game.

Scranton, now 8-11 overall and 6-5 in the Landmark Conference, received three hits apiece from freshman Tommy Trotter (Cranford, NJ/Cranford) and sophomore Anthony Simone (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley Senior), two from freshman Patrick Mergel (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic), and senior Ross Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights/Blair Academy-NJ) tripled, drove in a run, and scored twice in the second game.

Trotter, who has hit safely in four of his last five games and in 15 of 18 this year, started the rally in the seventh with a one-out single, advanced to second and third on an error and a passed ball, respectively, and scored when senior Michael Umerich (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.  Simone followed with an RBI single and Mergel drove in two runs to cap off the rally with a double, his second of the season.

Scranton added a run in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Dan Hansen (Helena, Montana/Helena) and two more in the third when Danzig triple to knock in Trotter, who singled, and junior Brian Healy (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South) hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Danzig.

With the win, Haag is now 3-0 on the season with a 0.76 ERA.  

The Royals managed only four hits off Morgan in the opener, two by sophomore shortstop Patrick O'Dell (Phoenixville, Pa./St. Joseph's Preparatory) and one each from junior Dominick Gulius (Laflin, Pa./Coughlin) and Healy.

The Mariners are now 10-8 overall and 6-5 in the conference.

Monday's final game in the series will begin at 3:00 p.m. at Lower Roosevelt Field.