LOCAL COLLEGE: Keystone baseball wins conference title; Scranton advances to Landmark final
With a two-game series sweep against Penn State Harrisburg on Saturday, Keystone College clinched its 19th straight United East Conference baseball championship, 5-4 and 8-3, and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
In Game 1, the Giants jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the fourth innings and didn’t look back.
Keystone’s offense was paced by Bobby Pokorney, who recorded two hits and one RBI, while Brayan Villar picked up his eighth win.
Sean Brennan tossed six innings for nine strikeouts, earning the win in Game 2. Outfielder Darren Hagan caught the game-sealing out while PSU-Harrisburg had the bases loaded.
Chase Boyle was named the tournament’s MVP.
Scranton 25, Catholic 5 Scranton 7, Elizabethtown 3
At Weiss Field, the University of Scranton scored two tournament victories — against Catholic and Elizabethtown, respectively — to clinch a berth in the Landmark Conference championship game.
Scranton took down Catholic in Game 1 after taking the lead with a five-run third inning. The game originally started Friday, but was suspended because of the conference’s midnight curfew rule.
Six players had multi-hit performances, led by sophomore Aidan Casey’s career-high four hits and four runs. Senior left-hander Jason Carpenter earned the win, striking out a pair over 1⅔ innings of relief.
The Royals continued their winning ways with a victory over Elizabethtown.
Graduate student Hunter Ralston tossed a complete game, striking out seven batters and only allowing two earned runs. Junior Jake Elston led Scranton’s offense with an inside-the-park grand slam in the ninth inning, which put the game out of reach.
Mercer 4, Lackawanna 2 Lackawanna 5, Morris 4
After falling in its first game, Lackawanna mounted a comeback against Morris, staved off elimination and clinched a spot in the Region XIX Division II championship game.
The Falcons drew five straight walks in the bottom of the ninth inning and turned a 4-3 deficit into an elimination-avoiding victory.
Louis Kegerreis drew a four-pitch bases-loaded walk to tie the game before Nick Matson forced home the game-winning run with another walk.
Nathan Russell earned the win, pitching four innings of relief and striking out five batters.
In Game 1, Nicholas Finarelli was dealt the loss after giving up four runs on nine hits through four innings. Brayden D’Amico paced the offense with a 2 for 4 showing.
Men’s lacrosse
At Carlisle, the University of Scranton fell to Dickinson, 10-3, and was eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament.
Dickinson scored the first four goals, all in the opening 10 minutes, and never ceded the advantage.
Sophomore goalie Declan Allen made 14 saves.
Women’s lacrosse
At Granville, Ohio, the University of Scranton scored the first 13 goals and cruised to an 18-6 victory against Lake Forest in the opening round of the NCAA Division III tournament.
Senior Erin Reich scored the first goal, just two minutes in, and the Royals never relinquished control on the way to the their first NCAA win since 2004.
Reich and freshman Jillian Lopez led Scranton’s offense with three goals apiece.
The Royals (17-3) advanced to a second-round matchup against Denison, which will is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m.
