AUBURNDALE, FL – The University of Scranton baseball team had its four-game winning streak snapped as the Royals suffered a 9-8 loss to Babson College on Tuesday afternoon at Lake Myrtle Park in Florida.

The Basics

• Final Score: Babson – 9, Scranton – 8
• Records: Babson (6-2), Scranton (5-5)

How it Happened

• After loading the bases with one out, Babson's Ryan Liss cleared the bases with a three-run double to give the Beavers the early 3-0 lead. One batter later, Owen Stephens drove in Liss with a sacrifice fly to cap off a four-run first inning.
• Babson tacked on another two runs in the top half of the second inning. A walk and a single set up two runners on with no outs for Tanner Santos, who ripped a base hit to left that scored one run, and an error by junior outfielder John Heitzman allowed a second run to score, making it 6-0 Babson.
• Scranton got on the board with a big, five-run fourth inning to cut the deficit to just one run. Three straight singles to open the inning from senior Jake Elston, junior Conor Campbell and Heitzman produced the Royals' first run of the day. 
• Next, with runners on the corners and nobody out, freshman Joey Granko brought home a run with a ground out, and senior TJ Pleban smoked a ground rule double to make it a 6-3 game.
• Junior Logan Mason drove in sophomore Jake Lopez with a sacrifice fly, which also advanced Pleban to third base, who then scored on a wild pitch one batter later to get Scranton within one run at 6-5.
• The Beavers scored one run in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, all on sacrifice flys, to push their lead to 9-5.
• Heitzman and Granko started the rally for Scranton in the bottom of the eighth inning with a pair of singles that set up first and third with nobody out for the Royals. Lopez drove in Heitzman with an RBI double, and Pleban added his second RBI of the game with a base hit to right field that scored Granko to bring Scranton within two.
• With first and third and still zero outs, Mason brought home Lopez with a sac-fly to make it a one run game with Babson ahead 9-8. With the tying run at first, Babson's Zander Teator struck out the next two Scranton batters to strand the runner and send the game to the ninth inning with the Beavers up by one run.
• Scranton got the tying run into scoring position with two outs in the ninth inning after Heitzman reached on an error and stole second base, but the Royals were unable to drive him in as Babson held on to win 9-8.

Top Performers

• Heitzman led the team with three hits and two runs scored, while also recording one RBI.
• Pleban tallied two hits, two RBI and one run scored.
• Mason had two RBI and tossed 2/3 of an inning without allowing any base runners.

Up Next

• The baseball team will conclude its spring break trip tomorrow as they are set to face the University of Massachusetts – Boston at 10:00 a.m. at Lake Myrtle Park in Auburndale, Fl.