CHESTER, Pa. – Matt Samson had three hits and scored four runs, but the Widener University baseball team was nipped 10-8 by the Scranton Royals in a game shorted to eight innings due to darkness.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Samson extended his hitting streak to 14 games with the performance. It was his seventh multi-hit game in the streak.
• Greg Elfreth also had three hits in the game. Stephen DeBellis and Tommy McParland had two hits apiece.
• Samson and McParland both drove in a pair of runs.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• After Scranton scored two runs each in the first and second, Widener battled back in the third. Matt Samson singled, followed by a walk to Tommy McParland and Nick D'Alessandro reaching on an error to load the bases. Two more bases on balls drawn by Stephen DeBellis and Daren Wood forced in runs to make it 4-2. Ryan Bennett drove in the final run of the frame on a fielder's choice.
• The Royals pushed the lead to 5-3 in the top of the fourth. In the bottom of the inning, Samson was hit by a pitch and stole second in front of McParland who singled, cutting the edge to 5-4.
• Trailing 9-4 heading to the bottom of the sixth, WU once again clawed back. Brennan Taylor and Greg Elfreth led off with singled before Samson delivered a two-run double. Two batters later, DeBellis drove homer Samson with a hit, chopping the edge to 9-7.
• In the eighth, Samson singled and stole second before scoring on a double by McParland.

 
UP NEXT
Widener travels to Messiah for a MAC Commonwealth contest on Thursday, April 18. First pitch from Grantham, Pa. is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.