The University of Scranton baseball team earned a hard-fought 6-3 victory against Elizabethtown College, taking the first game of the three-game series on Saturday afternoon on the road in Elizabethtown, Pa. 

The Basics 

• Final Score: Scranton – 6, Elizabethtown – 3 
• Records: Scranton (14-5, 4-1 Landmark), Elizabethtown (13-5, 5-3 Landmark) 
• Win: Nick Hernandez (2-1), Loss: Joey Smith (0-3), Save: Logan Mason (5)

• Elizabethtown struck first with two runs off Nick Hernandez in the bottom of the third. A solo home run put the Blue Jays on the board, and they added an unearned run on an RBI single following a two-out error to take a 2-0 lead. 
• Hernandez settled in from there, tossing two more scoreless innings to finish with five strong frames. He struck out six in what was his best start of the season. 
• Scranton broke through against Blue Jays starter Joey Smith in the top of the sixth with four runs in the inning. James Nitti singled with one out and moved into scoring position with a stolen base before Conor Campbell ripped a double to left center to get the Royals on the board. One batter later, Logan Mason brought Campbell home with an RBI single to tie the game at 2-2. Later in the frame, with two outs and two runners on, Matthew Gannon delivered a two-run double to give Scranton a 4-2 lead. 
• The Blue Jays answered with a run in the bottom of the sixth, using a leadoff single and a one-out triple to pull within 4-3. Matt Scepkowski limited the damage to that lone run, striking out the final batter of the inning and stranding the tying run at third base. 
• Scranton loaded the bases with two outs on a single from Joey Granko and walks by Vincent Napolitano and Aidan Casey, but the Royals were unable to add to their lead and left all three runners stranded. 
• In the bottom of the eighth, the Blue Jays advanced the tying run into scoring position with a single and a passed ball. The Royals then turned to Logan Mason, who recorded the final out to send the game to the ninth with Scranton in front, 4-3. 
• Scranton added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the ninth to extend the lead to three runs. Mason singled with two outs, and Joey Granko followed by crushing his second home run of the season to make it 6-3 Royals. 
• The Blue Jays recorded back-to-back singles to get the tying run to the plate with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Mason got Alex Perrin to line into a game-ending double play as the Royals took the first game of the series, 6-3. 

• Granko tallied two hits, including a two-run home run. 
• Gannon recorded two RBI and one double. 
• Hernandez pitched five innings, allowing just one earned run with six strikeouts. 
• Campbell recorded two hits, one RBI, and one run scored. 
• Scepkowski pitched 2.1 innings in relief, giving up one run with three strikeouts and zero walks. 
• Mason tallied three hits, one RBI, and scored two runs, while also earning the save, pitching 1.1 innings to close out the win. 

• The Royals will continue their series against Elizabethtown College with a doubleheader tomorrow. First pitch for game one is set for 11 AM at Kevin Scott Boyd Stadium in Elizabethtown.