3/10/22
 
MYRTLE BEACH, SC – The Lackawanna College Softball team had their bats cooled down by the Henry Ford College Hawks on Thursday afternoon, but the Falcons managed to scratch out a split on the day in Myrtle Beach. The Falcons won the first game 3-0, getting a stellar complete game from MacKayla Quick, but the Hawks would get their own impressive pitching performance in game two from Emily White, going the distance to help Henry Ford College to a 5-1 win.  
 
Game One Recap: Lackawanna College 3 – 0 Henry Ford College
Having won their previous three games by scoring nine or more runs in each, the Falcon offense certainly labored a little more against the Hawks in the first game, but still managed to scratch across some runs, while MacKayla Quick scattered eight hits over seven shut-out innings, striking out three batters, to pick up the win.
 
Jennifer Wolak had a pair of RBIs, going 1-for-3 on the day. She started the scoring with a double to left in the second that put the Falcons in front, and was a part of a two-run fourth to give the Falcons an extra cushion. Skylynn Gilligan went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
 
The Falcons (6-3) led the game off with a Meghan Fritz single to immediately put a runner on. Fritz got to second on an error, but Lackawanna went down in order after that to end the scoring threat. In the bottom of the first, Quick gave up a leadoff single, but the runner was retired on the next batter's fielder's choice. Later in the inning, a two-out single put two runners aboard, but Quick struck a batter out to end the inning and keep the game scoreless through one.
 
A one-out single got things started for the Falcons in the top of the second, when Gilligan climbed aboard. Gilligan stole second to put herself in scoring position, but a ground out made it look like the Falcons might waste another runner on second. Wolak wouldn't let that happen, slapping a double to left that brought home Gilligan, making it 1-0, Falcons.
 
The Falcons would add to their lead in the top of the fourth inning, starting when Catarena Sommers got on base with a one-out single to center field. Gilligan promptly followed with an RBI double to bring her home and make it 2-0, Falcons. Tess Ruschman got on base with a single to left, and Wolak brought Gilligan home again, this time on a fielder's choice, making it 3-0.
 
The Hawks (5-1) got a pair of runners on in the bottom of the fourth with two away, but Quick worked out of the jam, inducing a fly out to strand the runners and end the threat.
 
Lackawanna got a hit in the fifth but couldn't do anything with it, and Henry Ford got one in their side of the fifth, but a stellar 6-3 double play ended the inning and kept the scoresheet clean for the Falcons.
 
Henry Ford had another chance in the bottom of the sixth, after a leadoff single and an HBP put two one with nobody out. But, a sac bunt, followed by a strikeout and a lineout, ended the inning and stranded runners again for the Hawks. They'd get another single in the bottom of the seventh, their last licks, but Quick snatched a liner, then fired over to first to double-off the runner and end the game, preserving the 3-0 win for the Falcons.
 
Game Two Recap: Henry Ford College 5 – 1 Lackawanna College



Where the Hawks may have felt like they left a lot on the table against the Falcons in game one, that was not the case in game two, as Henry Ford put up 12 combined hits and built a steady lead to come away with the win in game two.
 
Meghan Fritz went six innings for the Falcons, giving up ten hits and five runs, three earned, to take the loss. MacKayla Quick was the only Falcon with multiple hits, going 2-for-3. Emma McNally had the lone RBI, coming on a double in the bottom of the sixth inning. She finished 1-for-3.
 
The Hawks (6-1) started the game with two straight ground outs, but got their run on a solo shot to right field to make it 1-0. The Falcons tried to answer in the bottom of the first, as Kira Ryan got on with a one out HBP, but Madison McVicar grounded into a fielder's choice that got Ryan out, and McNally flew out to left to end the inning.
 
The Hawks got back-to-back two-out singles in the top of the second, but stranded the runners when a ground out ended the inning. They'd get another chance in the top of the third, when a pair of one-out singles put two on, and then an error loaded the bases with one gone. Another error allowed the next batter to reach, bringing a run home to make it 2-0. Henry Ford added another on a ground out to make it 3-0 after 2.5 innings.
 
The Falcons (6-4) got back-to-back two-out walks in the bottom frame, but McNally flew out to left field to end the inning. Henry Ford made Lackawanna pay, scoring on two-out RBI double to push the lead to 4-0 in the top of the fourth.
 
It looked like Lackawanna might have something cooking in the bottom of the fourth, when Skylynn Gilligan and MacKayla Quick climbed aboard with a pair of singles, but the inning ended with Gilligan getting caught stealing home plate, a big blow to the Falcons cause.
 
The Falcons have one more game remaining in Myrtle Beach, a single game on Friday, March 11^th, when they take on Henry Ford College one more time. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00pm ET.
 
There will be a video livestream available for that game via Playsight. It is a subscription-based service, and there is a monetary cost to access live and on-demand video streams. You can find that site, along with info on how to join and watch, via this link HERE.