SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (April 23, 2023) – Junior Jack Irby hit a game winning two-run homer in the sixth inning for the Ducks as the Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team defeated Lycoming 4-3 Sunday afternoon in a MAC Freedom Contest.

The home run was the third of the season for Irby. The Ducks (24-11, 14-7) recorded nine hits on the day. They take the series against Lycoming, as the two teams split a doubleheader yesterday in Hoboken. Stevens sits in third place in the MAC Freedom standings with just over one week left in the regular season.

Lycoming (11-22, 8-14) played the Ducks well but were unable to put it all together in defeat. The Warriors, who hit a game winning home run in game one of the series, saw the favor returned to them in game three.

Irby's blast came in the sixth inning with two outs already in the inning. With one out, senior Michael Reyes singled up the middle. During Irby's at-bat, he stole second. Then on a 1-2 count, Irby blasted a ball to right field which put the Ducks up 4-3. The team was then able to see the game out for the next three innings as they secured the win. Senior Anthony Pron earned his sixth save of the season, striking out three of the four batters he faced.

The Ducks jumped on the Warriors from the start, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning to take the early lead. Senior Chris Davis was hit by a pitch in the first at-bat of the game. Later with one out, junior Christian Kreiser grounded out to the pitcher, advancing Davis to second. Irby followed that up with a two out RBI single to score Davis. Irby then stole second. Junior Frank Tonina then hit a double to score Irby and give the Ducks the early advantage.

After a scoreless second inning, Lycoming struck for two runs in the bottom of the third to tie the game. Nick Reeder and Braden Campbell hit back-to-back home runs in the inning to give the Warriors momentum.

Lycoming took the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Warriors scored on a wild pitch.

Stevens then did its damage in the sixth via Irby and closed out the game. The Warriors could not strike in the final four innings as they saw their playoff hopes fade away ever so slightly.

First-year Erik Sibbach (6-3) earned the victory in relief. He pitched four innings for the Ducks. He gave up three runs on two hits. He also struck out five batters. Sophomore Jordan Fisse earned the start in the game. He pitched just two innings, striking out one and giving up two hits. Junior Jacob Buurman also saw action, pitching one and two-thirds innings for the Ducks. He struck out two batters and gave up no hits.

Noah Miller (1-4) lost in relief for the Warriors. He gave up two runs on five hits and struck out four. Jake Wilber started the game and lasted five innings. He also struck out four batters.

Up Next: Baseball hosts NJCU on Tuesday, April 25 in a non-conference contest. The Ducks are 9-1 all-time against NJCU. First pitch for game one is set for 7 p.m. and links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.