SCRANTON, Pa. – Senior Anthony Lambroia (East Northport, N.Y./Commack) delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth and The University of Scranton baseball team (18-8) captured its second walk-off win in as many days and advanced to the Landmark Conference Championship Series with a come-from-behind 11-10 victory over the Susquehanna River Hawks (11-17) on Sunday afternoon at Volpe Field.

The Royals erased deficits of 8-2 and 10-5 with a five-run seventh inning to tie the game at 10 and set the stage for another walk-off win.

Scranton will host Elizabethtown in next weekend's Landmark Conference best of three Championship series beginning on Saturday.  

Lambroia's walk-off single scored sophomore pinch-runner Anthony Tramonte (Mineola, N.Y./Chaminade) who entered the game after a leadoff double down the left field line from junior Jake Lisicky (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall).

Junior left-hander Ryan Heiser (New Milford, N.J./Saint Joseph Regional) tossed a 1-2-3 top of the ninth and notched his second win in as many days for Scranton. Dillan Weikel allowed the run on two hits in 1 1/3 IP and took the loss for the River Hawks.

In fact, the quartet of Heiser, freshman left-hander Michael Fox (Westfield, N.J./Union Catholic), junior righty Mason Boettger (Old Forge, Pa./Old Forge) and freshman righty George Sengos (Washington Twp., N.J./Westwood Regional) combined to retire 10 straight over the final 3 1/3 innings.

Trailing 10-5, the Royals tied the game with the afore-mentioned five run seventh as junior Tyler Kirsten (Wallenpaupack, Pa./Wallenpaupack) knocked in a run with an RBI double and Lisicky cleared the bases with a three-run double that knotted things at 10.

Susquehanna starter Kyle Sears surrendered the 10 runs (nine earned) on nine hits to go along with two walks and five strikeouts in 6 1/3 IP. Junior right-hander Josh Lydon (Shavertown, Pa./Dallas) made the start for the Royals and allowed five runs on seven hits in 1 2/3 IP.

The River Hawks struck first with a run in the top of the first, but the Royals quickly answered with two in the home half including an RBI single from senior Kevin Johnson (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Hunterdon Central). Susquehanna plated four in the top of the second and added three more in the fourth to take an 8-2 lead for the time being.

Scranton began the comeback with a three-run blast from freshman Corey Zientek (Sugarloaf, Pa./Hazleton Area) in the home half of the fifth, his second home run in as many days, that made it an 8-5 game before the River Hawks plated two more in the top of the sixth to take a 10-5 lead.

Senior Connor Harding (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) was 2-5 with a double and three runs scored, while Zientek (2-3, 3 RBI, 3 R) and Lisicky (2-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI) also added multi-hit games for head coach Mike Bartoletti's squad.

Stay tuned to athletics.scranton.edu later in the week for a full preview of next weekend's Landmark Conference Championship series.

--ROYALS--