ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – Senior Matthew Querey (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the top of the ninth and The University of Scranton baseball team (7-2, 1-0 Landmark) topped the Elizabethtown Blue Jays (7-5, 0-1 Landmark) in a 5-4 thriller in the conference opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Boyd Stadium in Elizabethtown.
Querey came through with the clutch single that scored pinch-runner freshman Brandon Prince (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) and the Royals held on for the victory. Prince had entered the game to run for sophomore Vincent Napolitano (Merrick, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) who led off the inning with a single.
Sophomore right-hander Logan Mason (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) worked around a two-out walk in the ninth and retired the side for his first save.
The game was tied at four apiece in the bottom of the eighth when fellow sophomore Conor Campbell (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) threw out the go-ahead run at the plate in ETown's David Woolley to keep the game tied.
Zach Silfies took the loss in relief for the Blue Jays as he allowed two runs on five hits to go along with three walks and three strikeouts over four innings of work.
Senior righty Johnny Flannigan (Huntington, N.Y./St. Dominic) fanned four over two scoreless innings of relief and notched his second win of the year.
Scranton got on the board immediately in this one with a three-run first inning as a walk, single and hit by pitch loaded the bases for Napolitano who delivered a two-run single. Three batters later, junior TJ Pleban (Sugarloaf, Pa./Hazleton Area) drew a bases-loaded walk to plate the third run of the inning.
The 3-0 lead held until the fourth inning when ETown plated three runs of their own to tie the game including Garrett Schwartzbeck's two-run single.
Greg Zerbe got the start for ETown and allowed three runs on three hits while walking four and fanning five in 5.0 IP.
For the Royals, graduate student right-hander Hunter Ralston (Duryea, Pa./Pittston Area) gave up three runs on eight hits to go along with a walk and five strikeouts over 4 2/3 IP of a no-decision.
Schwartzbeck gave the Blue Jays a 4-3 lead in the sixth with an RBI single.
In the top of the eighth inning, freshman Jake Lopez (Oakland, N.J./Ramapo) led off with a bunt single, took second on a hit by pitch and scored on sophomore Aidan Casey's (Silver Beach, N.J./Don Bosco Prep) RBI single that evened the game at four apiece.
Napolitano (2-5, 2 RBI) had a pair of hits for the Royals, while Casey added an RBI, two walks, three stolen bases and a run scored.
The two teams are set to do battle in a doubleheader on Sunday with first pitch of game one set for 11 a.m.
--ROYALS--
