The University of Scranton baseball team scored four times in the bottom of the sixth inning and then held on for an 8-7 win over Moravian in the opening game of their Landmark Conference doubleheader on Saturday at Connell Park. Moravian bounced back to earn a split with a 5-2 victory in game two.

Scranton (8-8, 3-2 Landmark) rallied from a 5-4 deficit to take an 8-5 lead after the big sixth inning. Moravian (10-8, 4-1 Landmark) scored twice in the top of the seventh and had runners on second and third with two outs when sophomore right-hander Anthony Caladie (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) got a strikeout to end the game and pick up his second save of the season.

In the key bottom of the sixth, the Royals received four RBI singles, one each from junior right fielder Anthony Simone (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley Senior), sophomore third baseman Patrick Mergel (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic), senior first baseman Zach Dignam (Bridgewater, N.J./Immaculata) and junior second baseman Patrick O'Dell (Phoenixville, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep).

Caladie, who started the game at designated hitter, led the Royals' offense with two hits and three RBIs. Sophomore shortstop Brad Schneider (Ambler, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) singled twice and scored twice, and senior left fielder Brian Healy (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) singled twice, drove in a run and scored another. Simone also singled, walked twice, scored three runs and drove in a run, and sophomore centerfielder Tommy Trotter (Cranford, N.J./Cranford) doubled and scored.

In the second game, Scranton led 2-1 after four innings, but Moravian scored three times in the sixth and added an insurance run in the seventh to earn the split.

Dignam singled and doubled in the loss, Healy doubled and scored, and Schneider had a single and an RBI for the Royals.

The teams will complete the three-game series on Monday when they play the rubber game at 3 p.m. at Connell Park.

--ROYALS--