The University of Scranton baseball team won a school-record 16 conference games and earned the right to host a playoff game for the first time since 1997. The Royals earned that right with numerous dramatic victories throughout the season, including Saturday's walk-off win that kept the season alive.
Unfortunately, the magical ride came to an end on Sunday when the Royals dropped the decisive game three against Catholic, 7-5, in their Landmark Conference semifinal series at Connell Park.
Scranton finishes the season with a 22-15 record, marking the fourth time in the past five seasons the Royals have won at least 20 games.
As they did all season, the Royals rallied from an early deficit to tie the game at 5 through seven innings. But the Cardinals had the final say, pushing across two unearned runs in the top of the ninth to advance to the best-of-three championship against Moravian on May 8-9 in Bethlehem, Pa.
After the teams traded runs in the first inning, Catholic (25-13-1) got a three-run homer in the top of the third from junior center fielder Stefan Poggioli (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) to take a 4-1 lead.
Scranton answered right back with two in the bottom half of the third on an RBI single from freshman right fielder Chase Standen (Newtown Square, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) and an RBI double from senior first baseman Ross Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights/Blair Academy, N.J.) that cut the deficit to 4-3.
The teams again traded runs in the sixth, with Scranton's tally coming on an RBI sacrifice fly by sophomore catcher Dan Hansen (Helena, Mont./Helena) that brought the Royals within 5-4. It was Hansen's two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th in Saturday's second game that gave Scranton a 13-11 victory and kept the Royals' season alive.
Scranton tied the game with a run in the seventh when Danzig again doubled and Standen scored all the way from first. The Royals had a chance to take the lead later in the inning, but the Cardinals gunned down Danzig at the plate as he tried to score on a fly ball to center.
The Royals also had a shot to push across the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth, but two runners were left stranded.
Danzig finished the day with two doubles, a single and two RBIs. In the three-game series, he went 8-for-15 (.533) with three doubles, four RBIs and a run. In seven career playoff games, Danzig went 17-for-33 (.515) with four doubles, six RBIs, four runs and two stolen bases. He finishes his career with a .341 career batting average, 134 hits – including 22 doubles, a triple and seven homers – 80 runs and 86 RBIs.
Standen finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, sophomore shortstop Patrick O'Dell (Phoenixville, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) singled twice and scored twice, and freshman center fielder Tommy Trotter (Cranford, N.J./Cranford) singled and doubled.
Senior right-hander Dillon Chorba (Pompton Plains, N.J./DePaul Catholic) was the hard-luck loser out of the bullpen. He gave the Royals 4 2/3 strong innings, allowing three runs, all unearned, on two hits and four walks while striking out seven.
--ROYALS--