SCRANTON, Pa. – Junior right-hander Thomas Plunkett (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) allowed just one hit over five shutout innings and The University of Scranton baseball team (12-6) tallied 14 hits in a 7-1 win over the Muhlenberg College Mules (7-10-1) on Wednesday evening at Volpe Field in Scranton.

Plunkett walked two and struck out three over his five innings of work, while freshman righty Ryan Boyd (Millwood, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic) and junior righty Ryan Walsh (Rockville Centre, N.Y./Chaminade) both registered scoreless outings in relief as the Royals surrendered just four hits on the day. Boyd struck out three in two scoreless frames and Walsh retired the side in order in the ninth.

Making his first start, freshman Vincent Napolitano (Merrick, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) tallied his first career hit with a solo blast to right centerfield that gave the Royals a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Head coach Mike Bartoletti's team added two more runs in the fourth as a walk and a single put two runners on before graduate student Jake Lisicky (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) and junior John Zarnowski (East Brunswick, N.J./St. Joseph's) came through with consecutive RBI singles for a 3-0 advantage.

The Royals started the fifth with consecutive singles to chase Muhlenberg starter Ryan Friesen and Napolitano knocked in his second run of the day with a sac fly to plate graduate student Dan Crossan (Media, Pa./Archbishop Carroll). Sophomore Jake Elston (New Milford, Conn./Canterbury School) followed with a double to put runners on second and third and Zarnowski scored both with a two-run single that made it a 7-0 game after five.

Friesen gave up five runs on 10 hits to go along with three walks and four strikeouts in four plus innings and was dealt the loss for the Mules.

Crossan (2-3, 2B, R), Elston (3-4, 2B, SB, 2 R), Zarnowski (2-3, SB, 3 RBI) and junior Corey Zientek (Sugarloaf, Pa./Hazleton Area) who had two hits and two runs scored all recorded multi-hit games for the hosts. The three hits for Elston marked a career-high and he now has six multi-hit games in his last nine contests.

Scranton will host Juniata in the opener of a Landmark Conference series on Saturday at Volpe Field with first pitch set for 3 p.m.

--ROYALS--