3/20/22
 
HAGERSTOWN, MD – A day after the Lackawanna College Falcons struggled on offense, they more than made up with it, combining for 28 runs and 34 hits on their way to a pair of victories over SUNY Corning and Hagerstown CC on Sunday afternoon in Hagerstown.
 
The Falcons defeated Corning in their first match-up of the day, 14-12, scoring three runs in the top of the seventh to overcome a late deficit and win. In game two, the Falcons scored nine runs in the second inning to help build a lead they'd never surrender, defeating the hosts from Hagerstown CC 14-7, and putting the overall record for Lackawanna College back above .500.
 
Emma McNally went a combined 7-for-10 with six RBIs and five runs scored, hitting a homerun and two doubles, while Skylynn Gilligan was a combined 5-for-9 with nine RBIs and a run scored on a homerun and a pair of doubles, herself. The Falcons hit 12 extra base hits, four of them homeruns, and hit .466 as a team on the day.
 
Game One Recap: Lackawanna College 14 – 12 SUNY Corning
In a game that neither team will look back on fondly for its defense, the Falcons fell behind early, rallied to take a lead, fell behind again, rallied again, fell behind one more time, and then scored three runs in the top of the seventh to come back and win, 14-12, over SUNY Corning in game one of the doubleheader for the Falcons.
 
Lackawanna College (8-8) had three homeruns in the game, and seven extra base hits overall, while producing eleven hits, seven walks, and five hit-by-pitch plate appearances. Skylynn Gilligan was 3-for-5 with four RBIs, two coming on a homerun, while Emma McNally had was 3-for-5 with four RBIs, including the deciding go-ahead three-run homer in the top of the seventh to give the Falcons their final lead. MacKayla Quick got the start and held it together through five innings of work before coming undone in the sixth, but Stephanie Kibbe pitched around two hits and a walk to end the inning, and picked up the win, while Tess Ruschman pitched a 1-2-3 bottom frame in the seventh to earn the save.  
 
The Falcons got things started in the first inning, when Madison McVicar hit a two-out screamer to center field that cleared the wall and gave Lackawanna the early 1-0 lead.  The Red Barons (1-5) answered in the bottom frame, tying with a lead-off homer, then manufacturing a run with a bunt single, a steal, another single, a walk, and a sac fly to make it 2-1, Corning.
 
Catarena Sommers led off with a double to start the top of the second, and was quickly brought home by Quick, who doubled to right field to make it 2-all. The Falcons had more cooking when Kira Ryan got hit by a pitch and Gwen Balavage singled to load the bases with just one out, but the Red Barons were able get out of the inning unscathed. That set up their bottom frame, when, with a runner on and one out, an error, followed by another single, allowed the inning to continue. With the bases loaded and one away, another sac fly allowed a run to score, making it 3-2, Corning. After a wild pitch put runners on second and third, a single to third base scored another run, putting the Red Barons up 4-2 after two innings.
 
The Falcons put a two-run top of the third together to tie things up. An error put McVicar on, and Gilligan would make the Barons pay when she connected on a laser to left field that went over the fence and evened the score at 4-4. Another HBP and a walk put two runners on, but the Falcons were unable to take the lead. Quick responded with a good bottom frame, pitching around a walk with a pair of strikeouts and a ground out.
 
Lackawanna managed to grab another run in the fourth inning, when Gilligan singled up the middle to bring Savannah Glover home, giving the Falcons the lead at 5-4.  In Corning's half of the inning, the Barons got some two-out magic of their own going, when an error allowed a runner to reach, and the next batter skied a go-ahead homer to left field, putting Corning up 6-5.
 
The Falcons had a major offensive eruption in the top of the fifth, when a walk and two straight errors brought a run home to tie things up at 6-6. With runners on second and third and nobody out, Meghan Fritz grounded out to the pitcher, scoring another run in the process, and giving the Falcons a 7-6 lead. After Savannah Glover drew a walk and stole second, an error by the shortstop trying to make the play allowed Gwen Balavage to score from third, making it 8-6, Lackawanna. A McVicar walk put runners on first and second with one out, and McNally doubled to left field, scoring Glover and extending the lead to 9-6. Gilligan came up again, this time doubling to left herself, driving in both McVicar and McNally and blowing the game open at 11-6, Falcons.
 
The five-run lead wouldn't hold up, as the Red Barons struck hard in the bottom of the sixth. A one-out single was followed by a homerun to center field, cutting the Falcon lead to 11-8. After a single and a walk, Quick was able to strike a batter out to make it two outs, but another walk loaded the bases, and a single to center field scored two runners, suddenly making it a one-run game. With the two runners on still Quick's responsibility, Stephanie Kibbe came in to try to get one more out, but back-to-back singles scored two runs, putting the Red Barons back on top at 12-11. Kibbe had the bases loaded with two outs, but managed to get a pop out to right field to strand the bases loaded and finally get the Falcons out of the inning.
 
That set the stage for the dramatic top of the seventh. After a fly out to start the inning, back-to-back HBPs put Glover and McVicar aboard with McNally coming to the plate. She wouldn't disappoint, hitting a towering drive to center field that resulted in a go-ahead three-run homer, making it 14-12, Falcons. Tess Ruschman came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh, and she sucked the drama out fast with a decisive 1-2-3 inning, earning the save and helping the Falcons secure the win in a wild contest.
 
Game Two Recap: Lackawanna College 14 – 7 Hagerstown CC



Whatever drama that lingered from game one was quickly diminished in game two, as the Falcons built an eleven run lead and pounded out 23 total hits, coasting to a 14-7 victory over the Hagerstown CC Hawks on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Falcons (9-8) somehow still stranded 17 runners, despite all nine Falcons that made appearances at the plate getting hits, eight of whom had multiple hits. Emma McNally was 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBIs, while Skylynn Gilligan went 2-for-5 with four RBIs. Catarena Sommers had a stellar afternoon, as well, going 5-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Meghan Fritz picked up her third win on the year, going the distance and giving up seven hits and seven runs, just two earned, while striking out five batters.
 
After a lead-off double from Fritz, the Falcons had two straight outs, risking stranding a runner in scoring position, but McNally gave the Falcons an early advantage, singling up the left side to make it 1-0, Lackawanna College. Fritz would keep the momentum rolling, retiring the side in order in the bottom frame, including a pair of strikeouts.
 
The second inning was where the Falcons really poured it on. Lackawanna opened the inning with seven straight hits, all singles, scoring five runs, making it a 6-0 Falcon lead. After chasing the starting pitcher, McNally welcomed the reliever with a double to right field, still with nobody out, that scored Savannah Glover, making it a 7-0 Falcon lead. Gilligan recorded the first out on a ground out to shortstop, but that scored Gwen Balavage to make it 8-0. After a Sommers RBI single made it 9-0, the Falcons had second and third with one out, when Kira Ryan lifted a ball to right field. It was deep enough to score Sommers and make it an even 10-0 lead, but the right fielder was able to gun down Quick trying to tag up, mercifully ending the inning for the Hawks.
 
Hagerstown (7-5) got a runner aboard with a one-out single in the bottom of the second, but Fritz pitched around it to get out of the inning. In the top of the third, Glover added another run with a two-out homerun to right field, making it 11-0, Falcons.  
 
In the bottom of the third, the Hawks got two runs back, with two runs scoring after a single to right field, with the second run coming home because of an error in right field. Fritz would get a line out to end the inning and strand the extra base runner.  
 
The offenses would settle down until Hagerstown's bottom of the fifth, when the Hawks put a little doubt into the Falcon lead. An error, followed by a single, followed by another error, loaded the bases with nobody out, but the Falcons still up 11-2. A fly ball single to right field scored two runners, making it 11-4. A walk loaded the bases, still with nobody out, but a fielder's choice got the first out, and the infield fly rule made it two. It looked like the Falcons might escape, but a double to right field cleared the bases and made it a little closer at 11-7.
 
The Falcons got one back in the top of the sixth, when McNally reached on a single, and then advanced all the way to third on an error in the outfield. Gilligan immediately drove her home with an RBI single to left, extending the Falcon lead to 12-7. Sommers followed up with a double, putting runners on second and third with nobody out, but the Hawks managed to retire the Falcons in order after that to limit the damage.
 
Lackawanna got another pair of runs in the seventh, when Gilligan doubled to center, scoring both Balavage and McNally to make it 14-7. In the bottom frame, Fritz pitched around a two-out single, striking out the final batter, looking, to end the game and give the Falcons a sweep on the day.
 
The Falcons don't get back to work until Friday, March 25^th, when they travel to Onondaga, NY to take on SUNY Onondaga in the first game of a doubleheader. They'll play the Blazers at 2:15pm ET on Friday, and then take on the Sharks of SUNY Suffolk at 4:30pm ET. It's the first of three days of doubleheaders in Onondaga next weekend.