BASEBALL

WILKES-BARRE -- Jon Venarchick's run scoring single in the bottom of the seventh inning enabled the King's College baseball team to post a 5-4 comeback victory over visiting Moravian College in the first game of a non-conference doubleheader Saturday at Betzler Fields. Moravian won the second game, also by a 5-4 count.

With the split, King's stands at 23-7 overall while Moravian is 12-19.

With the Monarchs trailing 4-3 heading into their final at-bats, Vince Budzyn lef off the inning with a walk. J.R. Graver would lay down a sacrifice bunt, btu Moravian relief pitcher Andrew DelRossi's throw to first sailed high for an error, allowing Budzyn to score all the way from first base with Graver reaching third. With the game tied at 4-4, Venarchick smacked an opposite field line drive into the left centerfield gap to easily plate Graver with the winning run.

King's overcame four errors in the opener as well as a 3-0 deficit in the third inning. The Monarchs finally got on the boar when Gracjan Kraszewski doubled and eventually scored from third on an infield ground out off the bat of Graver. The Monarchs closed to within 4-3 with two runs in the fifth when Josh Faust doubled and Kraszewski drilled a two-run home run over the left field fence, setting up Venarchick's game winning hit two inning later.

Josh Faust picked up the complete game pitching victory in just his second appearance of the year, scattering eight hits and striking out four batters while yielding two earned runs. Venarchick was 3-for-4 while Kraszewski went 2-for-3.

In the nightcap, Moravian scored an unearned run in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. The Greyhounds would up the advantage to 5-0 when Pete Moore belted a grand-slam home run to left field in the fifth inning.

The Monarchs would attempt to rally in the bottom half of the fifth when Josh Faust singled and scored on a triple by Matt Livoy. Graver would follow with a base hit to plate Livoy and cut the lead to 5-2.

King's added a run in the sixth when Caleb Calarco belted a solo home run to cut the margin to 5-3.

In the Monarchs final at-bats, Josh Faust stroked a leadoff single. Pinch runner Matt Zellers would then move to third on a failed Moravian pickoff play. Livoy would then deliver an RBI single to bring King's to within 5-4. Graver would draw a walk and moved to third on a two-out single by Jon Venarchick. The rally would end, however, when Calarco grounded into a force play at second base for the game's final out.

Venarchick, Faust, and Livoy paced King's with two hits each. Andrew DiGiacomo took the loss in his first appearance of the season, lasting five and two-third innings and allowing all five runs, two that were earned. DiGiacomo allowed 10 hits and struck out three batters in his season debut. J.T. Levonick pitched one and one-third scoreless innings.

King's returns to action Monday when the Monarchs travel to Doylestown to face Delaware Valley College in a Freedom Conference make-up game. King's will then travel to face cross-town rival Wilkes Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. at Artillery Park.