CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The University of Scranton baseball team (21-13) scored multiple runs in four different innings to break the game open and notched a fifth win in six games with a 16-6 victory over the DeSales Bulldogs (19-17) on Wednesday night at Weiland Park in Center Valley.
Scranton has won three straight overall and five of six dating back to Apr. 18.
DeSales got on the board first with a run in the home half of the first and threatened for more in the second with runners at first and second with nobody out. However, Gavin Zavorski lined into a triple play as Royals' sophomore 3B Jake Elston (New Milford, Conn./Canterbury School) threw to senior 2B Braden Breithaupt (Canadensis, Pa./Stroudsburg) to double the lead runner off second and Breithaupt then fired over to senior 1B Robert Beyer (Bedford, N.Y./Fordham Prep) who stepped on the bag to finish things off.
Scranton then used the momentum to take the lead with two runs in the third when a pair of bunt singles and a walk put two runners on before Elston plated a run with a sac fly and junior Corey Zientek (Sugarloaf, Pa./Hazleton Area) followed with an RBI fielder's choice.
Beyer delivered a two-run single as part of a four-run fourth inning and Elston added his second sac fly in as many as innings, while junior Matthew Querey (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) also came through with an RBI single in the frame for a 6-1 lead.
Tom Berg III was dealt the loss for DeSales after giving up four runs on two hits to go along with three walks and four strikeouts over 3 1/3 IP.
Freshman righty Ryan Boyd (Millwood, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic) made his second start of the season for the Royals and was charged with three runs on three hits to go along with four walks and a strikeout in 4.0 + IP of a no-decision. In relief, sophomore righty Dominic Chieffalo (Norristown, Pa./Malvern Prep) allowed a run on a hit and struck out three over two innings of work to earn the victory.
In the top of the fifth, senior Nick Reposa (Factoryville, Pa./Tunkhannock) knocked in a run with an RBI triple and came around to score on an RBI single from junior TJ Pleban (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton Area). DeSales then responded with three runs in the home half that cut the lead to 8-4.
The Royals got one of the runs back in the sixth when Elston led off with a single, advanced to third on Zientek's double and scored on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 9-4.
Head coach Mike Bartoletti's squad broke open a 9-5 game with seven runs in the eighth as they took advantage of five Bulldog errors in the frame. Reposa plated a pair with a two-run single in the inning to go along with RBI singles from Elston and junior Jack Heineman (Abington, Pa./LaSalle College), a sac fly from Zientek and an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of freshman Conor Campbell (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum).
Five different players registered multi-hit games for the Royals as Reposa matched his career-high in hits (3) and RBI (3) while setting a new career-best with four runs scored. Beyer (2-5, 2 RBI, 2 R), Elston (2-4, 3 RBI, 2 R), Pleban (2-3, 2 RBI, R) and Querey (2-4, RBI) all tallied two hits apiece on the night.
Junior right-hander Ryan Walsh (Rockville Centre, N.Y./Chaminade) also struck out the side in a scoreless inning of relief.
Scranton returns home to host Elizabethtown in a Landmark Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Volpe Field with first pitch of game one slated for 12 p.m.
--ROYALS--