The Green Terror (2-0) used a pair of dramatic finishes, scoring five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning of game one and four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning of game two to open its season with two wins. McDaniel took the opener 5-4 and won the nightcap, 12-11.

            Justin Champagn led the Royals (0-2) with a 4-for-5 performance in game two, adding three RBIs and a run scored.

            Limited to just one hit and three baserunners in the first six frames as a team, Russell Coover (Schuylkill, Pa./Blue Mountain) was hit by a 1-2 pitch to open the seventh inning of game two.

            A Tipton double put runners at second and third before an Andrew Worm (Easton, Md./Easton) groundout plated Tipton to break up the shutout.

            Brent Toms (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown) and Kyle Pruitt (Berlin, Md./Stephen Decatur) drew back-to-back walks to load the bases and chase the starter, Champagn.

            Sergio Nieto (Mameroneck, N.Y./Rye Neck) greeted Kyle Fox with a bases-clearing double to tie the game.

            A groundout moved Nieto to third before Zach Croft (Laurel, Md./DeMatha) drew a walk to put runners at the corners with two outs.

            On a 0-2 pitch, Harold Baines, Jr. (St. Michaels, Md./St. Michaels) swung a pitch low and outside that made its way to the backstop allowing Nieto to score with the winning run on the strike out-wild pitch.

            A pair of errors to lead off the first game coupled with a Chris Bligh double down the left-field line and a Mike Martinelli RBI groundout staked Scranton to an early 3-0 lead.

            In the top of the fifth, Charles Comprelli led off with a bunt single. A Chris Psihoules single and fielding error put runners at the corners with nobody out.

            Ryan Graves (Cordova, Md./St. Michaels) relieved Tyler Persun (Mount Joy, Pa./Donegal), who recorded five strikeouts in his four innings of work, and induced a ground-ball double play that allowed Comprelli to score before getting a strikeout to keep it a 4-0 game.

            The nightcap provided for more dramatics – in extra innings.

            Knotted at 8-all heading to the eighth, the Royals plated three runs in the top of the inning to take an 11-8 lead.

            With one out in the bottom of the frame, Jon Zimmerman (Lemoyne, Pa./Cedar Cliff) singled up the middle.

            Croft followed with a walk before a Baines double scored Zimmerman and moved Croft to third.

            With two outs, Tipton was hit by the first pitch he saw to load the bases and gave way to pinch runner Ryan Byrnes (New City, N.Y./Clarkstown North) at first.

            Worm drew a full-count walk to force in Croft, pulling the hosts within 11-10.

            On an 0-1 pitch, Toms skied a pitch just behind the first baseman, who had the ball pop out of his glove. Baines and Byrnes scored on the play, allowing McDaniel to complete the sweep.

            A walk and three straight singles in the first inning staked Scranton to a 2-0 lead but a pair of walks and Tipton double knotted the game in the bottom of the frame.

            Doubles from Bligh and Richard Raiani in the visitor third once again gave the Royals a two-run advantage but the Green Terror countered with a Croft double and singles by Baines and Coover.

            A Champagne RBI double in the top of the fifth broke the 4-all deadlock before a walk, sacrifice and error stretched the advantage to two in the top of the sixth.

            With one out in the home sixth, Toms and Pruitt each rapped singles before a Nieto double scored Toms and a throwing error also allowed pinch-runner Matt Teter (Spring Grove, Pa./Susquehannock) to score, knotting the game at 6-all.

            A Zimmerman hit through the right side plated Nieto before a stolen base, passed ball and Baines sacrifice fly pushed the lead to 8-6.

            A David Giglio RBI groundout and Chris Valazquez RBI single evened the game in the top of the seventh.

            Fox picked up the loss in both games, throwing a combined inning with two strikeouts. Champagne fanned five in the opener while Todd McGee struck out four in the first four innings of game two.

            Graves earned the win in game one for McDaniel, striking out two. Mike Quinn (Williston, N.Y./Herricks) got credit for the victory in the nightcap, pitching the top of the eighth.

            Zimmerman finished with two hits, three runs scored and an RBI in the nightcap. Baines had two hits, two RBIs and two runs in game two. Coover, Toms and Nieto all opened the season with a pair of base knocks.

            McDaniel returns to action at Catholic on Tuesday. Game time is 3:30 p.m.

 

Scranton (0-1)                                   3      0      0      0      1      0      0      -      4      8      0

McDaniel (1-0)                                 0      0      0      0      0      0      5      -      5      3      5

 

Justin Campagne, Kyle Fox (7) and Jeff Manahan; Tyler Persun, Ryan Graves (5) and Chris Longo. WP: Graves (1-0). LP: Fox (0-1). S: none. SO-BB: Campagne 5-3, Fox 1-1; Persun 5-1, Graves 2-0. 2B: Chris Bligh (S), Troy Tipton (M), Sergio Nieto (M). 3B: Chris Stallone (S).

Scranton (0-2)                                   2      0      2      0      1      1      2      3      -      11    12    2

McDaniel (2-0)                                 2      0      2      0      0      4      0      4      -      12    12    3

 

Todd McGee, Mike Sidlowski (5), Rocky Sawyer (6), Kyle Fox (8) and Chris Velazquez; Chase Wolf, Joe Drzonsc (5), Brian Rosato (7), Mike Quinn (8) and Ramon Hart, Chris Longo (7). WP: Quinn (1-0). LP: Fox (0-2). S: none. SO-BB: McGee 4-3, Sidlowski 0-0, Sawyer 2-1, Fox 1-2; Wolf 2-1, Drzonsc 2-3, Rosato 0-1, Quinn 0-2. 2B: Chris Stallone (S), Charles Comprelli (S), Chris Bligh (S), Justin Champagne (S), Richard Raiani (S), Zach Croft (M), Harold Baines (M), Brent Toms (M), Sergio Nieto (M). 3B: Troy Tipton (M).

-30-