Results
Wrestling at home for the first time in a month, The University of Scranton rallied from an early deficit but came up just short in a 19-18 loss to East Stroudsburg University on Wednesday night in the Long Center.
The Royals (5-4) dropped the first four matches of the night to fall in a 15-0 hole, but rallied with four straight wins to knot the match after 184 pounds, highlighted by a thrilling pin by sophomore Zachary D'Apolito (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley Senior) at 165 pounds.
But the Warriors (2-1) picked up a major decision at 197 to take a 19-15 lead, and when junior Eric Calimano (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) gave the Royals a 5-0 decision at 285 pounds, Scranton found itself a point short of a tie that would've given them the victory thanks to D'Apolito's pin, which was the only fall of the night.
The Royals' comeback started at 157 pounds, where junior Ian Evans (Laurys Station, Pa./Parkland) continued his standout season with an 8-2 victory. The win was his 12th of the season and improved him to 9-0 in dual match competition. He now has 73 career victories, sixth most in Royals' history.
D'Apolito followed with his pin in 3:21. He started the second period with an escape to pull even, 2-2, then caught his opponent, redshirt freshman Vickson Krah (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) off balance and slammed him down and pinned him immediately, giving the Royals nine points and earning him a round of high-fives as he sprinted off the mat in celebration.
Freshman Kevin Merle (Stroudsburg, Pa./Belvidere) rode the Royals' momentum to a dominant 7-3 victory at 174 pounds, and fellow freshman Daniel D'Agostini (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) followed with a 4-2 win at 184 to square the match at 15.
But the Warriors pulled out the major decision at 197 with a late takedown, and Calimano's 5-0 victory at 285 was dominant, but a point shy of what the Royals needed. The win keeps Calimano perfect on the season at 9-0 and improves his career record to 40-11.
Scranton will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 5, when the Royals travel to Rochester, N.Y. to compete in the Rochester Institute of Technology Invitational.
--ROYALS--
