SCRANTON, Pa. – Senior right-hander Thomas Plunkett (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) fanned a career-high eight batters over five innings of work and The University of Scranton baseball team (9-3, 3-1 Landmark) used a four-run third inning to pick up a 4-3 victory over the Lycoming Warriors (4-12, 1-4 Landmark) on Friday afternoon at Volpe Field in Scranton.
Plunkett gave up two runs on three hits while walking three and fanning eight over his 5.0 IP, while senior lefty Mike Fox (Westfield, N.J./Union Catholic), junior right-hander Dominic Chieffalo (Norristown, Pa./Malvern Prep), senior lefty Jason Carpenter (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) and sophomore righty Logan Mason (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) combined to not allow an earned run over the final four innings.
Carpenter retired the side in order on just six pitches in the eighth inning and Mason sent the Warriors down in order in the ninth to notch his second save.
For Plunkett, his eight punchouts surpassed his previous career-high of six that had been set in a win over Albertus Magnus on Mar. 15, 2022.
Lycoming got on the board first with a run in the top of the third, but Scranton quickly answered with four in the home half to take a 4-1 lead for the time being. Junior Jake Elston (New Milford, Conn./Canterbury School) led off the inning with a double and later scored on sophomore Vincent Napolitano's (Merrick, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) RBI fielder's choice to tie the game at oen apiece. Two batters later, senior Jack Heineman (Abington, Pa./LaSalle College) delivered a go-ahead two-run single and classmate Nick Reposa (Factoryville, Pa./Tunkhannock) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring home the fourth run.
Zac Zaller took the loss for Lycoming as he allowed four runs on six hits to go along with three walks in three innings of work.
The Warriors added solo runs in the fifth and sixth innings to draw within a run at 4-3. In the top of the seventh, the visitors had runners at second and third with two away, but Chieffalo got Jake Schilling to foul out to Elston at third base to end the inning.
Elston (2-3, 2B, R), Heineman (3-3, 2 RBI, R) and freshman Jake Lopez (Oakland, N.J./Ramapo) who added two hits of his own all tallied multi-hit games for the Royals.
The two teams will close out the series with a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Volpe Field with first pitch of game one set for 12 p.m.
--ROYALS--
