John Heitzman had a home run, and Vincent Napolitano had a hit and two runs, as the University of Scranton baseball team captured the Landmark Conference title with a 4-2 win over Elizabethtown College on Sunday at Penn Medicine Park in Lancaster.
The Royals (28-15) advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Selection Show is Monday at noon.
James Nitti scored Napolitano with an RBI single to right in the bottom of the fifth to give the Royals a 1-0 lead, and Heitzman hit a solo homer to right in the sixth for a 2-0 lead.
Alex McClain answered with an RBI single in the seventh to cut the lead to 2-1, but Aidan Casey hit a single to center to score Matthew Gannon and Conor Campbell’s walk scored Napolitano in the eighth to increase the lead to 4-1.
Mason Woolwine hit an RBI single in the ninth, but the Blue Jays (29-16) didn’t score again.
Four Scranton pitchers combined to allow six hits and strike out nine.
Starting pitcher Matt Holgado threw 4.2 shutout innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out three. Winning pitcher Ryan Boyd came on in relief, allowing one hit and striking out one in .2 innings. Old Forge graduate T.J. DiMattia kept the shutout going through six innings, pitching .2 innings and walking one. Kieran Lodewick allowed one hit, one run, one walk and struck out four in two innings, and Logan Mason secured his sixth save of the season, allowing one hit and one run while striking out six.
Women’s lacrosse
Rowan University scored five goals in the fourth quarter to rally past the University of Scranton, 13-11, on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Tournament at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey.
Scranton (16-5) trailed, 5-4, at the half, but outscored Rowan, 6-3, in the third period to take a 10-8 advantage into the fourth.
Jillian Lopez scored three of her six goals in the third quarter, Jessica McCabe scored two of her three goals in the third quarter and Lylah Wilhelm added her only goal in the third quarter to put the Royals ahead.
McCabe scored with 11:49 left in the fourth to give Scranton an 11-8 lead, but Rowan (15-4) scored five unanswered with Madison Rothwein scoring three goals and Elaina Corson scoring two to secure the win.
Eileen Hewitt added a goal and three assists, and Colleen Mullin tacked on three assists for Scranton.
Corson led Rowan with five goals and one assist.