SCRANTON, Pa. – The Drew University baseball team lost a pair of games at the University of Scranton on Sunday to close out a Landmark Conference series.
 
The Royals won the opener 16-2 before capturing a 12-6 decision in the nightcap.
 
In the opener, the Rangers (10-8, 1-5 LC) trailed just 4-1 after four innings before Scranton (11-6, 4-1 LC) broke it open with a 12-run fifth. Sophomore John Furch provided a highlight for the Rangers, smacking his first collegiate home run with a solo shot in the seventh.
 
Sophomore Will Fritch also contributed offensively, going 2-for-2 with a double.
 
Senior Giovanni DeGiglio (3-1) started on the mound for Drew and pitched 4 1/3 innings. Sophomore Alex Barbarisi tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, allowing just two hits and striking out two, before freshman Luke Tambasco fired two scoreless frames to close it out.
 
In the second game, the Royals jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first versus freshman starter Kyle Johnson (1-1). But Drew quickly answered when senior Billy Coleman blasted a two-run homer – his first long ball as a Ranger – in the top of the second to make it a one-run game.
 
The Rangers scored again in the third, thanks in part to a leadoff double from junior Anthony Diaz, to make it a 5-3 game, but the Royals scored the next four runs to go up six. However, Drew refused to go quietly and scored three in the sixth, getting RBI-singles from juniors Anthony Hernandez, Luis Fuentes, and Nate Miller to make it a 9-6 game.
 
Scranton came back with two runs in the bottom half and one more in the seventh to set the final score.
 
Furch, Fuentes, and Coleman each banged two hits in the second game.
 
The Rangers are back on the diamond on Tuesday, when they visit Montclair State University at 3 p.m. in a non-conference tilt.