WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – A three-run seventh inning broke a six-all tie and The University of Scranton baseball team (27-10, 16-7 Landmark) notched a 9-7 victory over the Wilkes Colonels (21-16, 11-13 Landmark) on Wednesday afternoon at Bruggeworth Field in Wilkes-Barre.
The game was suspended due to inclement weather on Tuesday with the Royals leading 6-5 in the fifth.
Scranton has now secured a top-three seed in next weekend's Landmark Conference Tournament that will be held May 10-12 at Volpe Field.
In the three-run seventh inning, a hit by pitch, walk and single loaded the bases with nobody out before a wild pitch and an error allowed two runs to score. Sophomore Conor Campbell (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) then added an RBI single later in the frame to stretch the lead to 9-6.
Senior lefty Jason Carpenter (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) earned the win in relief as he allowed just one unearned run on three hits while walking two and fanning four over 3 2/3 IP. Graduate student righty Hunter Ralston (Duryea, Pa./Pittston Area) allowed a run in the ninth, but kept Wilkes at bay over the final six outs to notch his second save.
Mike Show was dealt the loss for the Colonels after giving up a run on two hits to go along with a walk and a strikeout in three innings of work.
The Colonels got on the board with a run in the top of the first, but the Royals fought back and plated six in the second including a pair of hit batsmen with the bases loaded and RBI singles from freshman Jake Lopez (Oakland, N.J./Ramapo) and senior John Zarnowski (East Brunswick, N.J./St. Joseph's).
Show knocked in a pair for Wilkes with a two-run single in the fourth inning that trimmed the deficit to one at 6-5 before a throwing error in the sixth tied the game at six apiece.
Junior righty Thomas Plunkett (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) got the start for Scranton and was charged with five runs on five hits while walking and fanning three over 3 1/3 IP in a no-decision.
Wilkes' Tyler Hoedl gave up four runs on one hit and walked three in an inning plus of work.
Six different players tallied a hit for the Royals and senior Matthew Querey (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) along with junior TJ Pleban (Sugarloaf, Pa./Hazleton Area) each scored two runs apiece.
The Royals will hit the road to battle Catholic in the regular season finale on Friday afternoon with first pitch set for 4 p.m.
--ROYALS--
