WILKES-BARRE, PA (March 15, 2026) -- The King's College baseball team took to Lipo Field for the first time in 2026 on Sunday afternoon, welcoming Lebanon Valley College to town for the third and final game of their Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) series. Despite holding a 6-3 lead through the fifth inning, the Flying Dutchmen used a three-run eighth and strong pitching with the bases loaded to come back and defeat King's, 8-7. The Monarchs fall to 3-7 on the season with an 0-3 mark in the MAC, while Lebanon Valley levels their overall record at 6-6 and improves to 3-0 in conference play.
 
Noah Gesford got the start on the mound and worked through early traffic in the first inning. After a leadoff single and a fielder's choice, he induced a pop-up to second for the second out. A stolen base moved a runner into scoring position before an RBI single put the Dutchmen in the lead 1-0, but Gesford limited the damage by forcing a flyout to right to end the frame with just a single run across.
 
King's responded immediately in the bottom of the first. Troy Neff was hit by a pitch to open the frame and Mikey Timinski followed with a single to right. Owen Kosar laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position, and Jason Cunha punched a two-run single down the left-field line to put the Monarchs in front, 2-1.
 
Gesford pitched a pair of scoreless innings and picked up some help from his catcher, Zach Jenkins, who gunned down a runner attempting to steal third. The Monarchs added on in the bottom half of the third behind back-to-back extra-base swings. Cunha doubled down the left-field line and scored on Jordan Andino's RBI double down the right field chalk. Later in the inning, Andino crossed the plate on an infield misplay to extend the lead to 4-1.
 
After the visitors cut the deficit to 4-3 with two runs in the fifth, King's answered right back. Jaiden Wanamaker reached on a throwing error and advanced to second before a passed ball moved him 90 feet from home plate. Brendan Kopec delivered a pinch-hit RBI single to center field and Ian Campbell entered to pinch run. Campbell stole second base and later scored during a sequence that included two throwing errors, pushing the Monarchs' lead to 6-3.

The visitors tied the game with two runs in the sixth and then surged ahead with a three-run eighth inning. King's answered once more in the bottom of the eighth when Kosar drove in a run with a single to pull the Monarchs within one, 8-7.
 
In the top of the ninth, Neff kept the deficit at one with a highlight-reel play in center field. After a strikeout to open the inning, Neff charged in on a sinking liner and made a full-extension diving catch, then tracked down another fly ball to end the frame and send King's to the plate with a chance to tie the game.
 
With their backs against the wall, the Monarchs made one final push in the bottom of the ninth. Cunha opened the inning with a single through the left side and Tate Pentasuglio entered as a pinch runner, but a quick pickoff at first resulted in the first out. King's continued to apply pressure as Dominic Carafa reached on an error and Wanamaker was hit by a pitch. With two outs, Blaze Graham worked a walk to load the bases, bringing the tying run to third and the go-ahead run to second, but a flyout ended the rally one swing shy of knotting the score at 8-8.
 
Cunha led the Monarchs at the plate, finishing 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. Andino added an RBI double, Kosar drove in two runs and Kopec provided a key lift off the bench with a pinch-hit RBI single in the fifth. As a team, King's scored seven runs on seven hits and worked seven walks.
 
On the mound, Noah Gesford made the start and worked 5.0 innings, collecting a pair of strikeouts in the process. Brian Beltre followed with a scoreless sixth inning in relief before Alexander Breitfeller covered the seventh and eighth. Dusty Shaver closed the afternoon with a clean ninth inning that included a strikeout. Defensively, Jenkins cut down a runner attempting to steal in the third inning and Neff gave the dugout life late with a full-extension diving catch in center field during the top of the ninth.
 
The Monarchs are back in action on Tuesday, March 17 when they host SUNY Polytechnic Institute for a nonconference matchup. First pitch against the Wildcats is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.