SCRANTON, Pa. – The Susquehanna University baseball team and The University of Scranton combined for 21 runs and 25 hits on Sunday in one of the two pod finals in the 2021 Landmark Conference Baseball Championship. However, No. 1 seed Scranton (18-8) bested No. 6 seed Susquehanna (11-17) by one run, 11-10, on a one-out walk-off single up the middle by
Anthony Lambroia.
The loss brings to a close the 2021 campaign for the River Hawks, who finished the season winning four of their last seven games after snapping a seven-game skid, as well as the end of Susquehanna's defense of its 2019 Landmark championship title.
Scranton will now face No. 3 seed Elizabethtown College, a 10-1 winner over No. 2 seed The Catholic University of America in the second pod final hosted by Catholic, on May 22-23 on Volpe Field in Scranton in a best-of-3 championship series.
How It Happened
The two squads entered the ninth inning tied at 10-all after Scranton rallied from down 10-5 with a five-run seventh inning.
Ryan Heiser relieved
George Sengos at the top of the ninth and retired the River Hawks lineup in order with two strikeouts and a grounder to second. In Scranton's half of the ninth,
Joe Lisicky hit a lead-off double, and then
Anthony Tramonte, who pinched ran for
Lisicky, went to third on a flyout by
Dan Crossan, setting up
Lambroia's heroics.
The Royals owned a 2-1 advantage before Susquehanna reclaimed the lead with four runs in the second inning. Three consecutive singles loaded the bases to start the inning and set up fifth-year senior
Anthony Dombrowski's (Pompton Plains, N.J./Don Bosco Prep) one-out bases-loaded walk to score fifth-year senior
Alec Ranck (Elverson, Pa./Twin Valley). Then fifth-year senior
Craig Roumes (Succasunna, N.J./Roxbury) singled home first-year
Kris Morrow (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) before junior
Adam Schreck's (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) two-out RBI single gave SU a 5-2 lead.
Susquehanna tacked on three more runs in the fourth behind a two-run single by senior
Peter Yarem (Scotch Plains, N.J./Scotch Plains Fanwood) and an RBI double by senior
Steve Lorenz (Langhorne, Pa./William Penn Charter) to bolster the River Hawk lead to 8-2.
Scranton pulled within 8-5 in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a three-run homer by
Corey Zientek. Junior
Kyle Sears (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) then retired the next three batters to get SU out of the inning without further damage.
The River Hawks responded with two runs in the sixth to build up a 10-5 lead as
Yarem earned a lead-off walk, stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error before being tripled home by
Schreck. Then
Schreck came home on a sacrifice fly by
Ranck.
The hosts' five-run seventh inning was highlighted by
Lisicky's one-out double with bases loaded to score three runs and even the score at 10-10.
Inside the Box Score
Susquehanna put up 10 runs on a dozen hits, marking the 11th time this season the River Hawks have notched double-digit hits and the sixth time that SU has scored double-digit runs. Susquehanna made one error and left seven on base. The Royals tallied 11 runs on 13 hits with two errors while stranding seven runners as well.
Top Performers
Schreck was the offensive leader for the River Hawks as he went 3-for-5 with four RBI while
Roumes and first-year
Tyler Hargus (Odenton, Md./Spalding) each collected two hits.
Dombrowski,
Roumes, and
Yarem also scored two runs apiece for SU.
Junior
Dillan Weikel (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg Area) was saddled with the loss after giving up the game-winning run in 1.1 innings of relief.
Connor Harding paced the Royals with a 3-for-5 effort and two runs scored while
Zientek and
Lisicky each finished with two hits and three RBI.
Heiser (3-1) earned the win after throwing one hitless and scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts.
Up Next for the River Hawks
Season Complete
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