SCRANTON, Pa. – The Juniata baseball team dropped a doubleheader to the Scranton Royals Saturday afternoon. The Eagles climbed their way back in game one but the Royals ultimately took the win 7-5 and finished off the sweep with a 10-2 victory in game two.
The Eagles got up on Scranton early with a 1-0 lead in the first inning of game one. Nick Stubbs (Hagerstown, Md. / South Hagerstown) hit a leadoff single to start the game. A wild pitch advanced Stubbs to second before he would later steal third base. A groundout from Joe Klusman (Wilmington, Del. / St. Elizabeth) brought Stubbs home and put Juniata on the board.
The Royals immediately responded in the bottom half of the inning and took the lead 2-1. They would pick up one run in the second and three in the fourth to go up 6-1 over JC.
In the top half of the fifth, Juniata got the bats moving again. Chris Sinisi (Altoona, Pa. / Altoona Area) led off the inning with a walk. Sinisi then stole second base before a bunt-single from Devyn Carper (Altoona, Pa. / Altoona Area) moved him to third. An RBI-single from Stubbs brought in Sinisi.
The Eagles took advantage of a Royal's error when Anthony Lombardo (Altoona, Pa. / Altoona Area) reached first and Carper scored. Klusman then advanced Lombardo and Stubbs on a sacrifice bunt. Isaac Kline (Everett, Pa. / Bedford) blasted a 2RBI double before a fly out got the Royals out of the inning.
Scranton picked up one run in the sixth to take a 7-5 lead and would hold off the Eagles in the seventh to take the win in game one.
Jesse Beeler (Greencastle, Pa. / Greencastle-Antrim) started on the mound for Juniata in game one and tossed 4.2 innings. Ichiro Narita (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Brooklyn Latin) and J.D. Weyant (New Paris, Pa. /Chestnut Ridge) came in as relief and threw the rest of the game.
In game two, the Eagles looked to Caleb Pepperday (Phillipsburg, Pa. / Phillipsburg-Osceola). Pepperday went 4.1 innings on the mound and struckout three batters. David DeFreest (Duxburry, Vt. / Harwood Union) relieved Pepperday in the fifth inning and sat down two before Alex Matoushek (Scranton, Pa. / West Scranton) came in to close for JC.
The Royals remained consistent at the plate in game two, putting up at least one run per inning against the Eagles. Juniata would be held scoreless until the top of the sixth.
Jon Geyer (Newport, Pa. / Newport) led off the sixth with a pinch-hit single through the left side. Carper followed up with a double out to right centerfield before a groundout from Stubbs brought in Geyer.
Heading into the top of the seventh, the Eagles were looking at a 10-1 deficit. With one out, Joe DiGangi (Easton, Pa. / Easton Area) sent a triple down the right field line as the pinch hitter. Chris Schreder (Lititz, Pa. / Lancaster Catholic) followed with an RBI-single. The Royals would turn a double play to end the inning and stop the makings of a Juniata rally.
Scranton and Juniata finish up the series Sun. April 17 with a single game at noon.
