Freshman first baseman Kevin Haag (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining/Bridgton Academy) homered twice and drove in the winning run in a 7-6 come-from-behind victory in game two that gave The University of Scranton baseball team a sweep of a Landmark Conference doubleheader against Juniata on Saturday at Connell Park.
Scranton (19-19, 5-12 Landmark) won the opener, 6-5, behind two hits, a run, an RBI and a stolen base from senior Patrick O'Dell (Phoenixville, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) and strong relief work from sophomore righty Matt McDonald (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights).
Prior to the first game, the team presented the Alicia Tamboia Memorial Sportsmanship Award to senior Alex Muggeo (Harrington Park, N.J./St. Joseph's Regional). The annual award is named after Alicia Tamboia, who was a four-year member of the field hockey team and a baseball team manager from 2010-12. She passed away in 2014.
Between games, the Royals honored seniors David Chromey (Old Forge, Pa./Old Forge), Dan Hansen (Helena, Mont./Helena), Sean McNamara (Scarsdale, N.Y./Fordham Prep), Muggeo, O'Dell and Anthony Simone (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley Senior) in a Senior Day ceremony.
Game one – Scranton 6, Juniata 5 – box score
Scranton scored six unearned runs, all with two outs, in the bottom of the second inning. Junior center fielder Tommy Trotter (Cranford, N.J./Cranford) got the scoring started with a two-run single. After an error allowed a run to score, O'Dell followed with an RBI single and Haag had a ringing two-run double to complete the scoring.
Juniata (5-33, 1-16 Landmark) scored four times in the third to get back into the game, then pulled within one with a run in the top of the sixth. McDonald then entered with runners on first and second and one out. Hansen immediately picked a runner off first for the second out and McNamara ended the inning with a strikeout. He then worked a 1-2-3 seventh for his third save of the year, getting the final out on another strikeout.
Freshman righty Bobby Hegarty (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) earned his third win of the season, allowing five runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out six in 5 2/3 innings.
Game two – Scranton 7, Juniata 6 – box score
Haag hit solo homers in the second and sixth innings, and was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded later in the sixth inning to drive in the winning run in the second game. He finished 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs.
His solo blast in the sixth came with one out and started a six-run uprising that turned a 6-1 deficit into a 7-6 lead. Junior right fielder Sean Haveron (Old Tappan, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) had an RBI single for the second run of the inning, and junior catcher Kevin Nolan (Ossining, N.Y./Fordham Prep) followed with an RBI single two batters later to pull the Royals within 6-4.
Trotter then laced a single to left that scored junior Anthony Caladie (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood), who had a pinch-hit single earlier, and Nolan also came around to score when the ball got past the left fielder, tying the game at 6. After back-to-back walks loaded the bases, Haag was hit by a pitch to force in Trotter with the go-ahead run.
Caladie stayed in the game on the mound and picked up his second save of the season by working out of a two-on, two-out jam by ending the game with a strikeout. McDonald earned the win while making his second appearance of the day. He ran out of gas in his second inning of work and wound up allowing three runs in 1 2/3 innings, but improved to 3-0 on the season.
Trotter finished with two hits, a run and an RBI in the victory, and junior designated hitter Chase Standen (Newtown Square, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) doubled and scored.
The Royals will complete the Landmark Conference series against Juniata on Sunday with a single nine-inning game at noon.
--ROYALS--