Photo By Nicholas Campbell
By Abrielle Tutino
Susquehanna baseball stormed back from a five-run deficit to defeat Lycoming 8-6, in an 11-inning thriller Wednesday afternoon, capped by a walk-off home run from Paul Daly at Bollinger Field.
The River Hawks (16-11, 7-5 Landmark) trailed 4-0 after two innings and found themselves down 6-1 midway through the fifth before completely flipping the script late.
Lycoming wasted no time jumping ahead, putting up three runs in the first inning after taking advantage of early traffic and a defensive miscue. The Warriors added another in the second to extend the lead to 4-0, immediately putting Susquehanna on its heels.
The deficit grew to 6-1 in the fifth and for a moment, it looked like the River Hawks were running out of time.
Susquehanna began its comeback in the bottom of the fifth when Michael Gagliardi delivered a huge swing, launching a two-run home run to left field to cut the deficit to 6-3 and spark life into the dugout.
The River Hawks kept applying pressure at the plate, working counts and putting runners on, before breaking through in a big way in the seventh inning. With the bases loaded, Andrew Haussman came through with an RBI single to make it 6-4 and keep the inning alive.
Moments later, Paul Daly stepped up and delivered in a clutch spot, ripping a two-run double to center field to tie the game at 6-6 and erase the early deficit entirely.
What started as a quiet afternoon suddenly turned into a back-and-forth battle.
Both teams had chances to take control late, but Susquehanna’s pitching staff came up big when it mattered most, shutting down Lycoming over the final innings of regulation and into extras.
The River Hawks stranded runners in both the ninth and tenth innings but continued to stay patient and trust their approach at the plate.
That patience paid off in the 11th. With two outs and a runner on, Daly stepped in once again and once again delivered.
The junior crushed a walk-off two-run home run over the left field fence, sealing the 8-6 win and sending the River Hawks pouring out of the dugout in celebration.
Daly finished with a game-high four RBIs, accounting for both the game-tying hit and the walk-off blast in a standout performance. Gagliardi’s home run provided the spark that shifted momentum, while Haussman’s RBI knock played a key role in the seventh-inning rally.
After a slow start, Susquehanna’s offense came alive when it mattered most, combining timely hitting with disciplined at-bats to chip away inning by inning. The win showcased exactly what this team has been all season, resilient, patient and capable of delivering in big moments.
The River Hawks will be back in battle next on Saturday, April 11 when they take on Drew University for a Landmark Conference double header beginning at noon.