WILKES-BARRE, PA (March 13, 2021) -- The King's College baseball team defeated visiting FDU-Florham by scores of 10-8 and 18-4 on Saturday afternoon as the Monarchs played on their home field for the first time in 684 days.

The games were originally scheduled to be played at FDU-Florham but were moved to King's earlier in the week when the Devils were having trouble finding a field to play on before their newly renovated field opens later this spring. The Monarchs wasted little time enjoying the comforts of playing on their home field by outscoring the Devils 28-12 over the 14 innings played. Game two was called after the seventh inning due to darkness.

Batting first the Monarchs jumped right on top as Andrew Steidle knocked the first pitch of the game down the right field line for a double and then Chris Burke blasted his second home run of the year over the left field fence. KC made it 5-0 in the second inning with back-to-back bases loaded walks by Steidle and Burke and then a sac fly to right by Matt Mellinger.

In the bottom of the inning the Devils had their biggest inning at bat of the day scoring five runs to even the score at five. FDU-Florham hit five singles before Tommy Moore hit a two-run homer to left to tie the game up with two outs in the inning.

KC responded right back in the top of the third with five runs on three hits as Pat Noone, Steidle, and Brendan Mozeleski all knocked in runs. The score would remain 10-5 until the fourth when Tyler McCulloch knocked in a pair of runs to cut the lead to 10-7. FDU-Florham would not score again until the seventh when Moore singled to left with two on and one out. McCulloch grounded into a beautifully turned 4-6-3 double play to end the game for the Monarchs.

Steidle led the Monarchs with two hits, two runs scored, and two RBI in the opener. Noone also had two hits and scored twice with one RBI. Burke knocked in three runs and scored twice. Landon LaBar got the win with a excellent four innings of relief in which he allowed just two runs on five hits. Brandon Moffitt got the final four outs to earn his first save of the year.

The first three innings of game two belonged to the Devils as they scored a run in the first and third innings while keeping the Monarch bats to take a 2-0 lead after three. The fourth inning the momentum changed in favor of the Monarchs as they batted around in consecutive innings scoring six runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to take a 12-4 lead.

Burke, Mellinger, and Mozeleski all got on to load the bases to begin the fourth before Cole Keating knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly to right. Will McIntosh singled through the right side to tie the game at two and two batters later Mozeleski scored giving the Monarchs a lead they would never relinquish. The Monarchs cleared the bases to make it 6-3 on a Noone single to left center that the center fielder misplayed allowing the third run to score and Noone to advance to second.

After the Devils cut the lead in half with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, Keating blasted his first home run of the year to left center putting the Monarchs back up by three runs. The offense was not done there however, as Steidle and Noone knocked in a pair of runs on back-to-back singles. Following a pitching change Burke hit a double to the gap in left center scoring two runs to make it 11-4. He then scored three batters later for the Monarchs' sixth run of the inning.

KC added two more runs in the sixth and then four more in the seventh before the game was called due to darkness after the bottom of the seventh inning.

Noone had a career game in the nightcap with four hits and four RBI. Steidle also had a great day with three more hits, three RBI, and four runs scored. Burke had three RBI on three hits and scored twice while Keating also had two hits, two RBI, and two runs scored. Will Hronich was the fifth Monarch with a multi-hit game scoring three runs. On the mound Shane Beyer pitched well over 4.1 innings but did not earn a decision. He struck out six and allowed four runs, three earned on seven hits and two walks. Brennen Schneider was lights out in his collegiate pitching debut to earn the win. The righty struck out four and allowed just one hits with one walk over 2.2 innings.

King's and FDU-Florham will return to Lipo Field on Sunday for another doubleheader starting at 12:00 pm.