LA PLUME, Pa. – The University of Scranton baseball team (24-14) used an eight-run third inning to take control of the game and held on for a 13-8 victory over the Keystone College Giants (27-12) in the regular season finale for both teams on Sunday afternoon at Christy Mathewson Field.
Each team traded a pair of runs in the second inning as the Royals got on the board with a solo shot from senior Braden Breithaupt (Canadensis, Pa./Stroudsburg) and a wild pitch later in the inning brought home a second run.
In the eight-run third inning, junior Jack Heineman (Abington, Pa./LaSalle College), senior George Jenkins (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) and graduate student Jake Lisicky (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) all came through with two-run doubles, while freshman Conor Campbell (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) also added an RBI single in the frame that made it a 10-2 game.
Griffin Yastremski was dealt the loss for Keystone as he allowed three runs on two hits to go along with four walks and two strikeouts over 2 1/3 IP.
Junior lefty Matthew Moreira (Union, N.J./Saint Peter's Prep) got the win for the Royals as he allowed just one run on one hit while walking two and fanning four in three strong innings of relief. Moreira came on for senior righty Daniel Johnson (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Immaculata) who allowed two runs on five hits to go along with two walks and three strikeouts in 2 2/3 IP.
The 10-2 score held until the sixth inning when Breithaupt led off with a single, advanced to second on a single, took third on a fielder's choice and scored on Jenkins' sac fly.
Keystone answered with a run in the home half of the sixth and then began to battle back with five more runs in the eighth that cut the lead to 11-8. Giovanni Diaz delivered a two-run triple as part of the five-run eighth for the Giants.
The Royals were then able to add a pair of insurance runs in the top of the ninth behind RBI singles from sophomore Jake Elston (New Milford, Conn./Canterbury School) and junior Aidan Plick (Cranford, N.J./Cranford). Graduate student Ryan Heiser (New Milford, N.J./Saint Joseph Regional) retired Keystone in order in the bottom of the ninth to preserve the victory.
Sophomore righty Dominic Chieffalo (Norristown, Pa./Malvern Prep) retired the only batter he faced in relief and senior righty Hunter Ralston (Duryea, Pa./Pittston Area) struck out one in a scoreless inning.
Offensively, Breithaupt (2-3, HR, RBI, 3 R), Heineman (2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R) and Jenkins (2-3, 2B, 3 RBI, R) all tallied multi-hit games for the Royals.
Scranton has secured the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Landmark Conference Tournament and will battle No. 2 seed Catholic in opening round action on Friday night at Volpe Field with first pitch set for 7 p.m.
--ROYALS--