FORT MYERS, Fla. – Seniors Nick Reposa (Factoryville, Pa./Tunkhannock) and John Zarnowski (East Brunswick, N.J./St. Joseph's) both tied single-game program records as The University of Scranton baseball team (6-2) topped Babson (3-6) in a wild 20-17 back-and-forth affair on Wednesday at Terry Park in Fort Myers.
Reposa matched the single-game program record with five runs scored, while Zarnowski matched the RBI record with seven on the day.
Babson held a 9-8 lead in the sixth before Scranton quickly responded with six in the top of the seventh to take a 14-9 lead. The Beavers then drew within a run at 14-13, but the Royals plated five in the eighth and were able to hold on for the victory.
Junior right-hander Dominic Chieffalo (Norristown, Pa./Malvern Prep) recorded the win in relief for Scranton and graduate student Hunter Ralston (Duryea, Pa./Pittston Area) got the final out of the game for his first save.
Jimmy Weick was dealt the loss for Babson after allowing five runs (one earned) on four hits while walking two in 1/3 IP.
The Royals struck first in this one as senior Matthew Querey (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) reached with a one-out single, took second on a wild pitch, went to third on a single and scored on Zarnowski's sac fly. Babson plated two runs in the home half of the first for an early 2-1 edge.
Sophomore Conor Campbell (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) tied the game at two with an RBI single in the top of the third and Zarnowski followed with a two-run double that made it a 4-2 game for the time being.
However, the Beavers scored four in the bottom of the inning to take a 6-4 lead after three innings.
Scranton battled back once again in the fifth inning with an RBI single from Zarnowski and an RBI fielder's choice from senior Pat Coyne (Randolph, N.J./Morristown-Beard) that created a six-all deadlock. The seesaw affair continued from there as a pair of runs in the top of the sixth gave the Royals an 8-7 lead, but Babson scored two of their own in the home half for a 9-8 advantage.
Trailing 9-8, junior Jake Elston (New Milford, Conn./Canterbury School) was hit by a pitch with one away in the seventh and scored from first on senior Jack Heineman's (Abington, Pa./LaSalle College) game-tying RBI double. Three batters later, Reposa gave the Royals the lead for good with an RBI single to left and an error charged to Babson 3B Brant Savage allowed two more runs to score. Later in the inning, Zarnowski and freshman Jake Lopez (Oakland, N.J./Ramapo) both delivered RBI singles that extended the lead to 14-9.
The Beavers made things interesting in the home half and trailed 14-13 with runners at first and second with one out when sophomore right-hander Logan Mason (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) came on in relief and got a strikeout and a groundout to protect the one-run lead.
Mason gave up just an unearned run on one hit and struck out a pair over 1 2/3 IP of effective relief.
Two hit batsmen and a walk loaded the bases with one away for Scranton in the eighth inning which set the stage for Campbell's bases-loaded walk that plated an insurance run. Zarnowski followed with a two-run single and came around to score on Lopez's RBI double which made it a 19-13 game.
Querey drove in the 20th and final run of the game for the Royals with an RBI double in the top of the ninth. In the bottom half, Babson got three runs back to draw within 20-17 before Ralston induced a game-ending groundout off the bat of Luke Tanner.
The Royals saw five different players record multi-hit games in Campbell (2-5, 2 RBI, 3 R), Lopez (2-3, 2B, 2 RBI), Querey (2-4, 2B, RBI, 3 R), Reposa (3-4, 2 RBI, SB, 5 R) and Zarnowski (4-5, 2B, 7 RBI, R).
The 20 runs marked a season-high for Scranton and the most since scoring 24 in a victory versus Juniata on Apr. 1, 2023.
Reposa became the sixth player in program history to score five runs in the game and the first since Anthony Simone accomplished the feat on Mar. 15, 2017 against College of Old Westbury.
Zarnowski is the eighth player in program history to drive in seven runs in the game and this marks the second consecutive year that a player has done so after Corey Zientek knocked in seven as part of a victory over New England College on Mar. 13, 2023.
Scranton will open Landmark Conference play on Saturday afternoon with a key doubleheader at Elizabethtown. First pitch of game one is slated for 12 p.m.
--ROYALS--
