3/6/22
 
MYRTLE BEACH, SC – The Lackawanna College Softball team finally got their season underway, but it was the Bay College Norse who made a lot of noise with their bats, sweeping the season-opening doubleheader against Lackawanna with a pair of victories on Sunday afternoon at the Cal Ripken Experience Softball Complex in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
 
Bay College took the first game 7-0, holding the Falcons to just two hits over seven innings, and then beat the Falcons in extra-innings, winning the second game 11-10 in nine innings.
 
Game One Recap: Bay College 7 – 0 Lackawanna College
Lackawanna College struggled to get their offense on track, managing just two hits, but the Falcons held the Norse to just one run into the sixth inning, thanks to Meghan Fritz pitching five innings of one-run ball, scattering five hits and stranding five runners in that span. Unfortunately, Bay College eventually got to Fritz, managing to put a six-spot on the board in the bottom half of the sixth inning, providing a healthy margin for the win.
 
The Falcons (0-1) got the lead-off batter on to start the game, when Skylynn Gilligan drew a lead-off walk. Gilligan made it to second on a wild pitch, but a pair of strikeouts and a pop-up ended the early scoring threat. Fritz induced a groundout, a popout, and a fielder's choice around a single to keep things clean after one.
 
After a scoreless top half of the second, the Norse had a lead-off runner on, thanks to a walk, but Fritz forced a pop out, followed by a nifty 6-4-3 double play to end the threat in the second.
 
Bay College (6-3) would break the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth inning. After a lead-off single and a walk put runners on first and second with no one out, Ellie Miller slapped a groundball up the middle for a single, bringing home a runner to make it 1-0. Fritz, still with two runners on and nobody out, got the next three outs, sandwiching a pop out in between a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.
 
The Falcons had their best chance in the top of the fifth inning, when they put a pair of runners on first and second with nobody out. Madison McVicar led the inning off with a line drive to right, and Tess Ruschman followed with her own single to right to put runners at first and second with nobody out. After MacKayla Quick reached on an error at first, the Falcons had the bases loaded with nobody out. Bay College pitcher Rachael Winkel would rise to the challenge, inducing an infield fly, followed by a strikeout and a lineout to end the inning.
 
A pair of two-out singles put runners on in the bottom frame of the fifth, but Fritz induced a groundout to get out of the inning. Trailing 1-0, the Falcons would go down in order in the top of the sixth inning, setting the scene for the fateful bottom half of the sixth.
 
Miller led things off with a double to left-field, and a hit batter put two runners on with nobody out. Fritz got a fly ball into the outfield, but an error allowed the ball to drop, giving the two baserunners the chance to score and make it 3-0. The error also allowed the batter to reach third, putting another runner in scoring position. At that point, Stephanie Kibbe came in to relieve Meghan Fritz, but the Norse were not done.
 
Winkel welcomed Kibbe with a line-drive single to center that made it 4-0. CC Pilon bunted and reached on an error, putting another pair of runners on with nobody out, and another single loaded the bases. A walk brought Winkel home to make it 5-0, and, after a pop out for the first out of the game, Karlie Patron singled into left field, bringing two runs home and making it 7-0, Norse. Kibbe got a strikeout and a pop out to end the inning.
 
The Falcons had something cooking in the top half of the seventh, when McVicar reached on a walk, and got to second with nobody out. After Ruschman drew a walk to put two runners on, a Quick grounder to short caused McVicar to get tied up with the shortstop. McVicar was called out due to interference, and Quick was thrown out at first, a killer double play. Winkel got a strikeout to end the threat and the game.
 
Rachael Winkel went the distance, giving up just two hits in seven innings, striking out six and walking three batters.
 
Game Two Recap: Bay College 11 – 10 Lackawanna College (9 Innings)



Defense came at a premium in game number two, as both the Norse and the Falcons traded blows throughout, pounding out a combined 25 hits. Lackawanna College came back from three separate deficits from the sixth inning on, but couldn't do it a fourth time, as the Norse scored a run in the ninth, and the Falcons couldn't answer the bell in the bottom half, despite having runners and second and third with nobody out.
 
Madison McVicar went 2-for-5 at the top of the lineup, driving in a run, while Emma McNally was 2-for-4, with a double, a triple, and a pair of RBIs. MacKayla Quick, despite being credited with the loss, was fantastic in relief, scattering five hits over five innings of work, striking out six batters in the process.
 
It was Bay College (7-3) who got things started right away, putting runners on first and second with nobody out, which allowed Karlie Patron to drive a pair of runs home with a hard single to center. Alivia Graber, getting the start for the Falcons, recovered nicely, striking out a pair of batters and getting a fly out to end the top of the first.
 
The Falcons (0-2) responded, as Madison McVicar got things going with a double to left field. Tess Ruschman brought her home with a single to center, making it 2-1. After Skylynn Gilligan hopped aboard with her own single, the Falcons had two on and no one out. A pop out in foul territory was the first out of the game, but Emma McNally smashed a triple to center field, bringing Ruschman and Gilligan home and giving the Falcons a 3-2 lead. Alivia Graber popped out to second base, but McNally managed to come home to give the Falcons the 4-2 advantage.
 
Bay College had a runner on third with two away in the top of the second, but Graber induced a groundout to end the inning. Jennifer Wolak led the bottom frame off with a single and stolen base, but the Falcons couldn't bring her home.
 
With the Falcons still ahead 4-2 in the top of the third, a pair of walks to lead off the inning, plus a passed ball, put runners on the corners with nobody out for Bay College. Ellie Miller hit a single to left to bring one run home, and, after a Natalie Belanger single loaded the bases, a Rachel Winkel 4-6-3 double play plated a runner, making it four-all.
 
Neither team would score until the bottom of the fourth inning, where the Falcons broke the tie. A one-out single from Gwen Balavage gave the Falcons a baserunner. With two away, Kira Ryan lined a single to centerfield, scoring Balavage and putting the Falcons back on top at 5-4.
 
The Norse would strike back hard in the top of the fifth, scoring four runs. Graber labored through the first four plate appearances, as Bay College tied things up with an RBI single from Belanger to tied things back up at five. After a walk loaded the bases with nobody out, MacKayla Quick was brought on in relief. A Lexi Kacalo single broke things open, clearing the bases due to an error, and making it 8-5, Norse. Quick found her footing, getting the three outs she needed to get out of trouble.
 
Lackawanna College fought back in the bottom of the sixth. After two quick outs, Gwen Balavage started the rally again, singling to left field. Jennifer Wolak reached on an error to put two on with two out. Kira Ryan drove in another run with a single to right field, cutting the deficit to 8-6. After Ryan stole second to put runners at second and third, McVicar popped up to short, only for the shortstop to bobble it. After the dust settled, the error let two runs score, and McVicar was standing on second, with the game tied at eight.
 
After a wild pitch with the bases loaded put Bay College back on top at 9-8 in the top of the seventh, the Falcons once again answered the bell. After a pair of pop outs, Emma McNally lined a double to center, and advanced to third on a passed ball. Quick slapped a grounder to left to bring McNally home and tie things back up at nine, eventually sending things to extra innings.
 
In the top of the eighth, it looked like Quick might get out of trouble with a pair of strikeouts, but an Ellie Miller single to right field scored the runner from second, putting the Norse back in front at 10-9. Quick would get a strikeout to end the threat.
 
In the bottom frame, with Balavage placed on second, Wolak singled to put a pair of runners aboard. A Ryan pop out was the first out, but McVicar brought the runner home with a liner to center, once more tying things up at 10-all. The Falcons had a pair of runners aboard with just the one out, but a Ruschman strikeout was followed by a Gilligan fielder's choice, ending the threat.
 
With Belanger at second in the top of the ninth, Rachael Winkel quickly singled her home to make it 11-10. With runners on first and second and nobody out, Quick managed to limit the damage, induced three straight pop ups to end the threat and give the Falcons one last chance.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, Gilligan was the runner placed at second, and Jamison Ness came in to close things out for the Norse. Ness walked Catarena Sommers, and both Gilligan and Sommers advanced a base thanks to a wild pitch. After McNally worked a walk, the bases were loaded with nobody out. The Falcons wouldn't be able to convert, however, as Quick struck out looking, Balavage grounded into a fielder's choice, and Wolak struck out to end the inning and the game.
 
Lackawanna College gets right back to work against Bay College on Monday, March 7^th, when they take on the Norse in another doubleheader in Myrtle Beach, SC. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00pm ET for the first game, with the second game scheduled to start at 3:00pm ET.
 
There will be a video livestream available for both games 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.