Box Score
Box score
Photo gallery (by Dan Ceccacci)
Sophomore left-hander Brian Markowski (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) was absolutely dominant on Thursday afternoon, tossing a complete-game six-hitter with 11 strikeouts to lead The University of Scranton baseball team to a 7-1 win over Moravian to take the three-game Landmark Conference series at Connell Park.
The Royals (9-8, 4-2 Landmark) split the doubleheader against the Greyhounds (10-10, 4-2 Landmark) this past Saturday, setting up the rubber game on Thursday. Scranton then revealed the ace in its pocket, and it was Markowski.
The lanky lefty entered the game having never thrown more than five innings in a game, but he blew past that mark, tossing all nine innings while allowing just one run on a solo home run in the top of the second inning. He did not allow a single walk and hit two batters while setting a career high with those 11 strikeouts. After getting a key double play grounder to end the third inning, Markowski went on to retire 18 of the final 20 Moravian hitters over the last six innings.
Scranton's offense was stymied through four innings before catching a break in the fifth. A Moravian error helped the Royals load the bases with two outs. That's when senior left fielder Brian Healy (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) worked the count in his favor and then launched a towering grand slam, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 lead.
The score remained 4-1 into the eighth before the Royals tacked on three insurance runs. Junior second baseman Patrick O'Dell (Phoenixville, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) connected for a two-run home run and sophomore third baseman Patrick Mergel (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) followed with a solo shot to finish the scoring.
The three home runs in the game give the Royals 11 on the season. Mergel and Healy are tied for the team lead with three apiece while O'Dell's was his first of the season. The four RBIs give Healy a team-high 21 on the season.
O'Dell and Healy finished with two hits and a stolen base each and sophomore center fielder Tommy Trotter (Cranford, N.J./Cranford) singled and scored a run.
The Royals are back in action on Saturday, April 2, when they welcome Catholic to Connell Park for a Landmark Conference doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
--ROYALS--
