Posted: May 02, 2026
Late-Inning Heroics Lift CCBC Essex Past Lackawanna College
Game 1
Game 1
CCBC Essex
(33-13)
7
Lackawanna College
(19-25-1)
6
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CCBC Essex | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 0 |
|
Lackawanna College | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 2 |
Scranton, PA — May 2, 2026
Sophomore Joey Rosa delivered the biggest swing of the day, launching a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning to power CCBC Essex to a thrilling 7-6 comeback victory over Lackawanna College on Saturday at Scranton High School.
Trailing 6-2 midway through the game, the Knights battled back before Rosa's dramatic blast to left field capped a five-run rally and flipped the game in CCBC Essex's favor for good.
Sophomore Diego Garcia, an outfielder from Bradenton, FL, got the Knights started early with a solo home run to left field in the top of the first inning.
Lackawanna answered quickly in the bottom half of the inning. Austra doubled to center field and Stickney followed with an RBI single down the left field line to give the Falcons a 2-1 lead.
Freshman Yahil Diaz tied the game in the second inning with an infield single to the left side, scoring a run to make it 2-2.
The Falcons regained momentum in the bottom of the second after Haifley connected for a home run to right field and Verbitsky added an RBI single. Lackawanna extended the advantage to 5-2 in the third inning when Zuppo drew a bases-loaded walk.
CCBC Essex chipped away before erupting in the seventh. Rosa stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and crushed a grand slam over the left-field wall, completing the comeback and giving the Knights a 7-6 lead.
Left-hander Kyle Rineman was dominant out of the bullpen, earning the win after allowing just one run on three hits over 3.2 innings while striking out six. The southpaw attacked the zone throughout his outing and helped shut the door late for the Knights.
Sophomore Michael Sanchez started for CCBC Essex, while Ethan Mosteller added a scoreless inning of relief.
Rosa and Diaz each collected two hits for the Knights in the win.
Lackawanna finished with 10 hits offensively, led by Brown, Stickney, Haifley, and Moore, who each recorded two hits.
CCBC Essex will wrap up the series against Lackawanna College later Saturday afternoon.