Senior lefty Bobby Della Polla (Havertown, Pa./St. Joseph's Preparatory) threw a two-hitter with nine strikeouts in the opener to propel The University of Scranton baseball team to a Landmark Conference doubleheader sweep of Susquehanna University on Saturday afternoon at Connell Park.
Della Polla's gem lifted Scranton to a 3-1 victory in the opener. In the second game, the Royals (15-9, 5-2 Landmark) got big hits from sophomore second baseman Matt Maghini (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand), senior shortstop Tim LeCompte (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) and senior center fielder Michael Gaeta (Cranford, N.J./Cranford) in a 6-4 victory.
In the opener, the Royals scored three times in the fourth innings with the help of a pair of Susquehanna errors. Sophomore first baseman Ross Danzig (Clarks Green, Pa./Abington Heights/Blair Academy, N.J.) scored on a one-out error to tie the game at 1. Two batters later, sophomore right fielder Zach Dignam (Bridgewater, N.J./Immaculata) and junior third baseman Mike Trabulsi (Malverne, N.Y./Chaminade) scored on a two-out error.
Della Polla took it from there, winning for the fifth time this season and the 14th time in his career. He allowed just two hits, both in the second inning, and walked five while going the distance for the second time this year.
Sophomore left fielder Michael Umerich (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights) finished with two hits in the win.
Senior first baseman Nick Ferlise (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) homered for the only run for the Crusaders (10-15, 4-4 Landmark).
In the second game, Scranton broke a 1-1 tie with four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Gaeta delivered a two-out RBI single and LeCompte followed with a two-run double before the Royals tacked on a fourth run on a Susquehanna error.
The Crusaders answered with three in the top half of the sixth, but Scranton got an insurance run back in the bottom half when Trabulsi led off with a double and scored when the throw on a bunt single by Maghini rolled down the right field line.
Sophomore righty Matt Calamoneri (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) earned the win by allowing four runs, three earned, on five hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out three. Sophomore righty Josh Bayzick (Sugarloaf, Pa./Hazleton Area) earned his fourth save of the season by getting the final five outs while allowing only a walk and striking out one.
Maghini, who had an RBI double in the second inning, and senior catcher Michael Amaturo (Rye, N.Y./Rye) had two hits each and Trabulsi scored twice in the win.
The two teams will complete the series on Sunday when they play a single game beginning at noon at Connell Park.
--ROYALS--