SCRANTON, Pa. – In a pair of one-run thrillers, The University of Scranton baseball team (12-3-1, 3-2 Landmark) swept the Moravian Greyhounds (9-8, 2-3 Landmark) in a Landmark Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Volpe Field in Scranton.
Graduate student Connor Harding (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) roped a two-run walk-off double down the right field line in the bottom of the ninth to give the Royals a 12-11 comeback win in game one, while the hosts then held on for a 6-5 victory in game two.
Game One
With the Royals trailing 11-10, Harding stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and one away and plated juniors George Jenkins (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) and Nick Reposa (Factoryville, Pa./Tunkhannock) with his two-run walk-off double for the 12-11 victory.
The Royals trailed 11-9 at the start of the ninth, but graduate student Kevin Johnson (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Hunterdon Central) led off with a single and later scored on Reposa's RBI single to make it a one run game.
Matt Snyder was dealt the loss for the Greyhounds as he allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits to go along with two walks and a strikeout in 2 1/3 IP.
Freshman Jimmy Murray (Hawthorne, N.Y./Westlake) surrendered a pair of unearned runs and fanned one over three innings of work to earn the win for Scranton.
The game was a back and forth affair as the Royals led 2-1 after an inning and senior Tyler Kirsten (Wallenpaupack, Pa./Wallenpaupack Area) delivered a two-run single as part of a three-run third inning to extend the lead to 5-1. Moravian would rally and cut the lead to 5-4, but Johnson came through with a two-run triple and sophomore John Zarnowski (East Brunswick, N.J./St. Joseph's) added an RBI single in the home half of the fifth to open up an 8-4 advantage.
Moravian took the lead momentarily with a five-run sixth inning as four different players contributed RBI singles for a 9-8 lead and the seesaw battle continued when sophomore Corey Zientek (Sugarloaf, Pa./Hazleton Area) evened things at nine with a solo blast to left in the home half. Solo runs in each of the next two innings restored the lead for the Greyhounds at 11-9 before the Royals' ninth inning rally.
Both starters received no-decisions as junior right-hander Hunter Ralston (Duryea, Pa./Pittston Area) gave up two runs on eight hits to go along with a walk and a strikeout in four innings of work, while David Ciaccio allowed five runs on six hits over three innings for Moravian.
Five different players tallied multi-hit games for Scranton led by three hits apiece from Johnson (3-4, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 R), Kirsten (3-4, 3 RBI, 2 R) and Zientek (3-3, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R).
Game Two
Clinging to a one-run lead, senior left-hander Ryan Heiser (New Milford, N.J./Saint Joseph Regional) worked his way out of a bases loaded one out jam in the ninth with a fielder's choice and a strikeout to complete the sweep of the doubleheader in the 6-5 victory.
Moravian added a run earlier in the inning, but Heiser escaped further damage to notch his Landmark leading fourth save of the season.
The Royals led 6-2 after the middle innings and were able to hold on as the Greyhounds plated two runs in the seventh and the afore-mentioned run in the ninth.
Junior right-hander Daniel Johnson (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Immaculata) improved to 4-0 on the season for Scranton as he gave up four runs (two earned) on six hits while walking one and fanning six in six plus innings. Freshman righty Kevin Keil (Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Atlantic County Institute of Technology) allowed a hit and fanned one over two scoreless innings in relief of Johnson.
The Royals started the scoring in the nightcap with senior Jake Lisicky's (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) two-run bloop single in the home half of the first for an early 2-0 edge. After Moravian got one back in the top of the second, head coach Mike Bartoletti's squad added solo runs in each of the next two innings including an RBI single from Zientek to open up a 4-2 lead.
Zientek struck again with an RBI triple in the sixth and later scored on a sac fly from Kirsten that made it a 6-2 game for the time being.
Harding (3-4, 2B, SB, 3 R), Lisicky (2-2, 2 RBI) and Zientek (3-4, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 R) all registered two plus hits in the nightcap.
The University of Scranton baseball team closes out the homestand on Wednesday afternoon when Muhlenberg comes to town for a 5 p.m. first pitch at Volpe Field.
--ROYALS--