Phillipsburg, NJ — By Kyle Craig | For lehighvalleylive.com Saturday’s Easton-Phillipsburg baseball game was on the clock due to an ominous weather forecast. So, the Red Rovers offense got things started quickly. 4/22 - 4:30 PM Baseball Final Easton 11 Phillipsburg 5 Complete Box Score » Easton posted 11 runs during the first three innings, sat through a lightning delay and defeated its archrival 11-5 in a six-inning contest at the Phillipsburg Athletic Complex. The Rovers have now won six straight against Phillipsburg. “It was the most important thing,” senior center fielder Braydon Hubbard said about extending Easton’s streak of dominance. “They’ve had a lot of success this year against us (in other sports), but it was important to keep (the rivalry trophy) home. Personally, I’ve never lost to P’burg, and I wasn’t going to lose my senior year.” Junior Alex Laquintano opened the scoring in the top of the first inning for Easton (6-7) with a double to right field that plated sophomore Tony Suffness and Hubbard. Laquintano came home on a wild pitch to give the Rovers an early 3-0 lead. “We were just able to get the bats going early,” Hubbard said. “That’s what we came out here to do. We’ve been working all week … It feels amazing.” Phillipsburg also scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the frame as junior Kevin Burgess, who singled, sprinted home to make it 3-1. Freshman Khamryn Singto singled and Suffness was hit by a pitch to reach base for Easton in the second. Both came around to score as Phillipsburg couldn’t corral a bloop into shallow center by Hubbard and compounded problems with an errant throw. The Rovers broke the game open with six runs in the third. Suffness scored a pair with an extra-base hit and then was chased home by a double to deep right field by senior Brendan Larkin. After a pitching change by the Stateliners, Larkin scored on a wild pitch and Josh Perry, another senior, cracked a two-run double over the head of the left fielder to push the advantage to 11-1. The game was halted for about 40 minutes at the start of the fourth inning due to lightning in the area. Phillipsburg took advantage of a handful of defensive miscues to score three runs when play resumed. Senior Andrew Haussman, who reached with a single, scored thanks to an error. Junior Jacob Kisselbach plated senior Dylan Melsky with a sacrifice fly later in the inning, and a wayward Easton throw also allowed sophomore Dylan Wayne to score on the same play. The Stateliners (4-7) cut the visitors’ advantage to 11-5 in the bottom of the sixth when a hit by Padraic Taggart, a senior, allowed Haussman to score. The game was halted before the start of the seventh inning, minutes before a thunderstorm arrived to dump heavy rain on departing fans (and reporters). Easton senior Colin Jackson earned the win on the mound, allowing three hits and one earned run in 4 innings while striking out seven and walking one. “Our bats were hot,” Jackson said. “I trusted all my guys behind me when I was throwing strikes. There’s not much more I can ask for.” P’burg, which has dropped four of its last five games, got a defensive highlight from Burgess in the fifth inning. The center fielder made a diving catch to retire the side and strand a runner on third base. Easton ended a three-game losing skid with a home win over Pleasant Valley on Friday. “I really liked the energy that our kids came out with,” Easton coach Carm LaDuca said. “We came out strong. We hit balls the other way. We’re really coming along a little bit, winning games two days in a row here ... These kids did a great job and showed up to play today. I’m very happy for them.” Easton will try to return to the .500 mark on Tuesday at Dieruff. The Rovers have seven regular-season games remaining to secure a place in the District 11 Class 6A tournament. That pursuit was secondary for the Easton seniors on Saturday, though. The main goal was staying unblemished against the Stateliners. “It means everything, this rivalry,” Jackson said. “In four years, I’ve never lost to P’burg in baseball. I had to keep it going.” Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Kyle Craig may be reached at [email protected].