McHenry, MD. – Lackawanna College brought a 17-4 record and a No. 16 NCAA Division II national ranking into Sunday's baseball doubleheader at Garrett College.  The Falcons left with 6-3 and 7-6 losses as GC (21-16) finished off a 4-0 weekend.

"This weekend was huge for us," said Lakers head coach Eric Hallenbeck.  "Coming into Saturday, we had lost seven of our last eight and barely squeaked by Essex in the game we won.

"These guys don't know how good they can be," Hallenbeck continued.  "Control what you can control, be unselfish, be a good teammate and do whatever it takes to help the team win.  We did that this weekend.  I'm hoping this blue print continues."

Brandon Lucas (4 RBI) went 3-for-3, Juan Pinero (2 runs, RBI) was 2-for-2 with 2 walks, and Peyton Carr (hit, walk) scored twice to power GC's offense in Sunday's nightcap.  Even so, the sweep was put in sudden jeopardy when the Falcons pieced together a five-run rally with three home runs in the top of the seventh to forge a 6-6 tie.

Garrett shook off that challenge by pushing across the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.  Carr led off with a hit to center that he stretched into a double with a head-first slide into second.  Pinero, the next batter, lined a 1-1 pitch off the right-center-field fence to score Carr and complete the sweep.

Game 1 had followed a similar script with GC building a 3-0, first-inning lead only to see the Falcons pull into a 3-3 tie.  The Lakers then answered with a 3-run sixth to regain control.

The Lakers' 3-run first was built on consecutive two-out singles by Pinero, Tanner George, and Nate Darwin (RBI), followed by Colby Johnson's 2-run double.  Lackawanna got on the board with a run in the fourth before its 2-run rally in the fifth created a 3-3 deadlock.

GC's 3-run sixth was built upon another 2-out rally.  Pinero walked, stole second and scored the tie-breaking run on George's double.  Two outs later, Lucas and Kyle Armistead delivered RBI singles to make it 6-3.

Pat Bart – who came in to strike out the final batter in the fifth with the go-ahead run on second – pitched a perfect sixth inning to improve to 3-0.  Justin Fluhart then pitched a perfect seventh to pick up the save.

GC also swept the College of Southern Maryland, 5-0 and 8-4 in 10 innings, on Saturday.  Michael Joyce pitched a 1-hitter in the opener and Quintin Smith slammed a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 10^th in the nightcap to complete the sweep.

Garrett used the CSM sweep to improve to 9-9 in the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference.

Pinero (2 RBI), Johnson (double, 2 runs), Lucas (double, run), and Eli Hott (RBI, run) each had key hits in Game 1 on Saturday.  Joyce (4-3) walked two of the first four batters he faced, leading Hallenbeck to make an early visit to the mound that had the desired effort as Joyce finished with 9 strikeouts and 3 walks in his complete-game effort.

"We really needed a solid outing from Michael Joyce," said Hallenbeck.  "I made the early visit to calm him down a bit.  After that, he was lights out."

Saturday's nightcap was much more dramatic as the Lakers rallied from 3-0 and 4-3 deficits to tie the game in the sixth.  It stayed 4-4 until Smith's slam in the 10^th, which dropped CSM to 9-17 overall and 7-13 in Maryland JUCO.

Hott led off the home 10^th with a double down the right-field line.  After a bunt single by Baron Swiger, CSM intentionally walked Brennan White to load the bases.  Smith then hit a 2-1 pitch over the right-center-field fence for the walk-off grand slam.

"Big hit by 'Q'," commented Hallenbeck.  "He had a chance in the 8^th and didn't come through.  I'd say he came through in the 10^th."

Kelan Hoover (2-1) earned the victory with 4 innings of shutout relief.  Hoover allowed just 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out 5.  Starter Dylan McCartney gave up 4 runs (3 earned) on 5 hits over the first 6 innings.  He struck out 9 and walked 5.

The Lakers host Allegany College of Maryland (19-13, 8-10) in a league doubleheader Tuesday starting at 2 p.m. followed by a 1 p.m. doubleheader against visiting Potomac State College on Wednesday.

GC then hosts CCBC-Catonsville in a 1 p.m. Saturday doubleheader before taking on visiting Frederick Community College Sunday in a 1 p.m. single game.

The Lakers end a 13-game home stand next Monday with a non-league doubleheader against Westmoreland County Community College.

The most up-to-date information on Garrett College's response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), can be found online at https://www.garrettcollege.edu/corona-virus.php.