WILLIAMSPORT, PA - A 4-0 first-inning lead put Susquehanna in a good spot Wednesday in its series opener at Lycoming. The Warriors, however, battled back with a five-run fifth and a three-run sixth to put them ahead and tacked five more on in the eighth to take a 13-7 win.
HOW IT WENT DOWN
- The River Hawks got a jump on the game by scoring four runs in the top of the first. With the bases loaded Lucas Zachesky doubled to right center to bring in a pair of runs. Two batters later with the bases still juiced, CJ Orrego peeled off a single to the left side to bring in another pair to lead 4-0.
- Starting pitcher Caden Breault started off well, shutting out the Warriors through the first four innings and finishing with four strikeouts.
- Things started to shift in the fifth inning. With two men on Lycoming's Nick Reeder sent a triple down the right field line to score two to cut the lead in half. AJ Llorente followed this up with an RBI single to make it 4-3.
- Reliver Tommy Kowaliwskyj was called on to get the final two outs of the inning, which he did, but not before Lycoming plated two more runs to take the lead 5-4. It almost was 6-4, but a strong throw to the plate from Dylan Heyduk in right field got Andrew Guzman out on a rundown.
- Michael Gagliardi put Susquehanna back in front in the fifth with a two-run double to make it 6-5. That changed quickly in the bottom half as Llorente again played spoiler with a go-ahead, two-run single to make it 7-6 Lyco. A passed ball brought Reeder around to score to make it 8-6 after six.
- Both SU and Lycoming went to their bullpen often in the back-and-forth game as the River Hawks turned to six pitchers out of the pen, while the Warriors turned to seven. The strategy appeared to work for Lyco as Susquehanna was held scoreless in the seventh and eighth innings.
- The Warriors made one final charge to take the game with a five-run eighth. Only two runs in the frame came off a hit as Eric MacCluen's two-RBI single made it 12-6. A bases-loaded walk on the next at bat gave Lyco one final insurancen run.
- Zachesky bookended Susquehanna's scoring with a sacrifice fly in the ninth, which would be the team's last run of the day.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Gagliardi and Zachesky batted 2-for-4 on the day, with Zachesky earning three RBIs with two doubles and Gagliardi two RBIs with one double.
- Susquehanna led in hits over Lycoming, 10-9. The remaining hits came via one each from Michael Girardi, Heyduk, Andrew Haussman, Paul Daly, Jaden Buechler, and Orrego. Heydul and Haussman's were doubles.
- Breault pitched the first 4.1 innings, allowing five runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Brayden McCourt was handed the loss being on the mound during Lycoming's go-ahead runs in the sixth, coming on for Kowaliwskyj with one out in the inning. The Warriors drew ten walks on the day.
- Nate Fronheiser, Max Lipton, Cole Lilore and Austin Griffith all came on in relief for Susquehanna, with Fronheiser going the longest of the batch through 1.2 innings and six batters faced.
UP NEXT FOR THE RIVER HAWKS
- Susquehanna welcomes Catholic to Bollinger Field this weekend for a three-game Landmark series with the Cardinals. Two games are set for Saturday starting at 12 p.m. and the last game Sunday at 12 p.m.
