Box Score BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The University of Scranton baseball team (18-12, 8-5 Landmark) notched a 4-2 victory over the Moravian Greyhounds (8-21, 3-9 Landmark) in game one of a Landmark Conference weekend series on Saturday afternoon at Gillespie Field in Bethlehem.
Game two was suspended with things tied at eight apiece in the bottom of the eighth inning and will be resumed Sunday at 12 p.m. Moravian has runners at first and second with one out in the frame and Patrick Benolken at the plate.
The series finale will follow approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game two on Sunday.
Scranton 4, Moravian 2
The Royals erased a 2-1 deficit with two runs in the top of the fifth and got 3 1/3 scoreless IP from the bullpen to preserve the victory.
In the top of the fifth, consecutive singles started the inning and both runners advanced on a groundout before junior John Zarnowski (East Brunswick, N.J./St. Joseph's) delivered a go-ahead two-run single that opened up the 3-2 lead.
Moravian had two runners on with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, but senior lefty Jason Carpenter (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) got Derek Holmes to fly to left and end the inning.
Junior southpaw Matthew Moreira (Union, N.J./Saint Peter's Prep) got his third win of the year for the Royals after giving up two runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 IP.
Carpenter struck out a pair and allowed two hits in 2 1/3 scoreless IP of relief and graduate student lefty Ryan Heiser (New Milford, N.J./Saint Joseph Regional) retired the side in order in the ninth to notch his third save.
David Ciaccio took the loss for the Greyhounds after giving up three runs on six hits to go along with four walks and five strikeouts in eight innings of work.
The Greyhounds got on the board first with a run in the home half of the first and the 1-0 score held until the fourth when junior Jack Heineman (Abington, Pa./LaSalle College) drove in graduate student Jake Lisicky (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) with a sac fly.
Moravian then temporarily regained the lead at 2-1 before Scranton took the lead for good with the afore-mentioned two-run fifth inning.
The Royals added an insurance run in the top of the ninth as senior Nick Reposa (Factoryville, Pa./Tunkhannock) led off with a single, advanced to second on a sac bunt, stole third and scored on a sac bunt from junior Matthew Querey (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum).
Sophomore Jake Elston (New Milford, Conn./Canterbury School) and junior Corey Zientek (Sugarloaf, Pa./Hazleton Area) both tallied a pair of hits and a run for the Royals, while Zientek also stole a base.
Scranton 8, Moravian 8
The Royals struck for a pair in the top of the first inning and added two more in the third to take an early 4-1 lead.
Lisicky and senior Braden Breithaupt (Canadensis, Pa./Stroudsburg) both came through with RBI singles in the first and Reposa added an RBI single as part of a two-run third that made it 4-1.
In the top of the fifth, junior TJ Pleban (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton Area) drew a bases-loaded walk and Elston knocked in a run with an RBI groundout as Scranton struck for two more runs to open up a 7-1 lead.
The Greyhounds began to battle back with two runs in the home half of the fifth and then took an 8-7 lead with five in the sixth.
Querey reached with a two-out single in the top of the seventh and scored from first on Elston's RBI double that tied the game at eight apiece.
Lisicky notched his 100th career hit with an infield single in the eighth inning and has matched his career-high with four hits.
Senior right-hander Hunter Ralston (Duryea, Pa./Pittston Area) gave up six runs on 13 hits and walked one over 5 1/3 IP in a no-decision for Scranton.
Moravian's Noah Ingalls allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits to go along with three walks and three strikeouts in four innings.
--ROYALS--
