WAYNE, N.J. -- The University of Scranton baseball team split a Saturday doubleheader at William Paterson, falling 9-8 in the opener before rallying for a 9-7 victory.
The Basics
Game One - W: Jayden Villalta (1-0); L: Bello, Daniel (0-1); S: Nick Durso (3)
How it Happened
- Scranton jumped out to an early lead in the first inning as Vincent Napolitano drew a two-out RBI walk to score Aidan Casey. Moments later, Joey Granko delivered a two-run double to right-center that brought home John Heitzman and Conor Campbell, giving the Royals a 3-0 advantage.
- William Paterson quickly responded with a four-run bottom of the first, stringing together four RBI singles to take a 4-3 lead.
- The Royals evened the game in the second inning when Conor Campbell lifted a sacrifice fly to right field that allowed Aidan Casey to score. Scranton then regained the lead in the third as Vincent Napolitano drove in Matthew Gannon with a groundout before Tyler Yoo followed with an RBI single to center field that plated Joey Granko, pushing the Royals in front 6-4.
- The Pioneers answered again in the fourth inning, tying the game with a two-RBI single before adding another RBI single later in the frame to move ahead 7-6.
- Scranton pulled even in the sixth inning when Matthew Gannon lined a two-out RBI single through the left side to score Conor Campbell and knot the game at 7-7.
- William Paterson capitalized on a Scranton error in the bottom half of the inning to plate two unearned runs and regain the lead at 9-7.
- The Royals made one final push in the ninth as Joey Granko singled to center field to bring home Matthew Gannon, but Scranton was unable to complete the comeback as William Paterson held on for the 9-8 victory.
Top Performers
- Joey Granko led the Royals at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs, including a two-run double in the first and an RBI single in the ninth.
- Conor Campbell went 3-for-4 with one RBI and two runs.
- Matthew Gannon recorded two hits and an RBI while also scoring twice for Scranton.
- Tyler Yoo added a pair of hits and an RBI for the Royals.
- In relief, Chris Correll provided a strong outing on the mound, tossing two scoreless innings while striking out two and allowing no hits.
Game Two - W: Hernandez, Nick (1-0); L: Rob Nathan (1-2); S: Mason, Logan (2)
How It Happened
- Scranton broke through in the second inning when Roman Valvano lined a single through the right side that brought home Hunter Petrich and Logan Mason to give the Royals an early 2-0 lead.
- William Paterson answered in the bottom half of the inning with a pair of runs on an RBI single and an RBI walk to even the score at 2-2. The Pioneers then added another run in the third on an RBI single to move ahead 3-2.
- The Royals responded in the fourth inning as Conor Campbell singled to right field to score Evan Laub, tying the game at 3-3. Later in the frame, Brayden Keller crossed the plate on a groundout by John Heitzman, giving Scranton a 4-3 advantage.
- Scranton extended the lead in the fifth when Jimmy Lundari launched a solo home run to left field to make it 5-3. William Paterson cut into the deficit in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single, trimming the lead to 5-4.
- The Royals created separation with a big sixth inning. Brayden Keller doubled to left-center to score Aidan Casey, and Keller later came home when John Heitzman reached on a fielding error. Hunter Petrich then delivered the biggest hit of the inning, ripping a two-run double to left-center that plated Logan Mason and Heitzman, extending Scranton's lead to 9-4.
- William Paterson mounted a late push in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs on an RBI single, a groundout, and a Scranton error, but the Royals held on over the final inning to secure the 9-7 victory.
Top Performers
- Hunter Petrich delivered the key hit of the game with a two-run double in the sixth inning.
- Roman Valvano drove in two RBIs in the second inning.
- Jimmy Lundari blasted a solo home run in the fifth.
- Brayden Keller recorded an RBI double and scored twice during the Royals' comeback.
Up Next
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The Royals will now turn their attention to their annual spring break trip to Florida, where they are set to compete in the RussMatt Invitational beginning Saturday, March 14 with a doubleheader against Farmingdale State in Davenport.
