3/7/22
 
MYRTLE BEACH, SC – The Lackawanna College Softball team bounced back after a season-opening doubleheader loss with their own doubleheader sweep, knocking off Bay College in a pair of one-run games on Tuesday afternoon at the Cal Ripken Experience Softball Complex in Myrtle Beach.  
 
The Falcons knocked off the Norse 4-3 in game one, then won the second game 7-6 to complete the sweep and grab their first pair of victories in 2022.
 
Game One Recap: Lackawanna College 4 – 3 Bay College
In game one, the Falcon offense scored four runs in the first inning, which proved to be all they'd need in a 4-3 win over Bay College. Emma McNally was 3-for-4 with an RBI, and Catarena Sommers was 2-for-3 with a two-RBI double and a walk. The Falcons put up ten hits, and Tess Ruschman got the win, going the distance while giving up ten hits, three runs, two earned, and striking out three batters. Bay College left 28 runners on base.
 
The Norse put two runners on base with just one out in the top of the first, but Ruschman, as she would prove to do all afternoon, danced out of trouble, getting a fly out and a swinging strike three to end the threat.
 
The Falcons (1-2) got things started in the bottom half of the first when Madison McVicar led the inning off with a double to left. After a Savannah Glover walk, Emma McNally brought home McVicar with an RBI single to centerfield, making it 1-0, Falcons. After a passed ball put runners on second and third, Catarena Sommers smashed a double to left field, making it 3-0 with nobody out. Stephanie Kibbe followed with a single to right field, which scored Sommers and stretched the lead to 4-0 in the first, still with nobody out. Eventually, Bay College starter Rachael Winkel got back in control, striking out two batters in a row to end the inning.
 
Bay College (7-4) would answer back in the top of the second, when Winkel got aboard on a single to right field, followed by a double from Lexi Kacalo, putting runners on second and third with nobody out. Emily Goodacre popped up into the outfield, but an error allowed the runner to score and Goodacre to get to first. Three straight singles brought home two more runs, cutting the lead to 4-3, still with nobody out. Ruschman settled in, getting a swinging strikeout for the first out, and inducing a lineout and pop out to end the threat.
 
In the top of the third, Bay put three runners aboard, two on errors, but Ruschman was able to work around it and get out of trouble. Lackawanna answered by loading the bases with two away in the bottom of the third, but a strikeout ended the Falcon scoring opportunity.
 
The Norse would put runners on second and third with one out in the top of the fifth, but MacKayla Quick started a 5-3 double play with Skylynn Gilligan to keep the Falcons out in front.
 
The Falcons had two runners aboard with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning, still leading 4-3, but they were unable to add to the lead. That allowed Bay to put some pressure on the Falcons, putting two runners on with just one out in the top of the seventh. Ruschman rose to the challenge, inducing a pop out to third base, and getting a line out to center field to close things out and give the Falcons their first win of 2022.
 
Game Two Recap: Lackawanna College 7 – 6 Bay College



Lackawanna College overcame a 5-3 deficit with a four-run sixth inning, then held on for the 7-6 win. Madison McVicar went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and a walk, and Kira Ryan went 2-for-4 with a walk. Gwen Balavage drew a pair of walks and scored a pair of runs, while Meghan Fritz went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Fritz pitched seven innings strong, giving up nine hits and six runs, five earned, while striking out three to pick up the win.  
 
The Falcons (2-2) had runners on first and third with two away in the top of the first inning, but the Norse induced a groundout to end the top half. In the bottom frame, Fritz pitched around a lead-off single to keep the game scoreless after one.
 
Lackawanna College found some offense in the second. A pair of walks for Gwen Balavage and Jennifer Wolak put runners on first and second with one out, when Meghan Fritz singled to center, loading the bases with one out and no score. Madison McVicar punched a single to right field, scoring Balavage and Wolak and giving the Falcons a 2-0 advantage.
 
Bay College (7-5) answered right away in the bottom half. The Norse got three singles out of their first four batters, with the third ending with a run to make it 2-1 with one out. Fritz was able to strikeout the next batter, but back-to-back triples from Bay College put three more runs on the board, making it 4-2 after two innings.
 
Lackawanna College would grind out a run in the top of the fourth, after a lead-off walk and a single put two runners on with nobody out. A pitching change for the Norse put Natalie Belanger in the circle for Bay College, and the Falcons were able to work the bases loaded, still with nobody out. Belanger induced a pop-out on the infield for the first out, and then got Gilligan to fly out into a fielder's choice double play, but the Falcons did plate a runner in McVicar, making the score 4-3, Norse still in front.  
 
After the Norse plated another run in the bottom of the fourth, the Falcons had to wait until the sixth to answer. Back-to-back singles from Fritz and McVicar put runners on first and second, and, after a strikeout, the Falcons advanced both runners to second and third on a passed ball, with one out. Back-to-back walks allowed Fritz to score, and a pair of errors allowed the Falcons to re-take the lead. A Jennifer Wolak RBI single to center gave the Falcons what would prove to be a crucial extra run and make it 7-5 heading into the bottom of the sixth.
 
Bay College would claw a run back in the bottom frame, when back-to-back Falcon errors allowed the Norse a baserunner at second, who was quickly brought home on an RBI single to make it 7-6. The Norse had two on with just one out, but Fritz got Karlie Patron to hit into a 4-6 double play with a pop-up on the infield, ending the threat and preserving the one-run lead for the Falcons.
 
For all the scoring and back-and-forth from the first six innings, the final inning was anti-climactic. After a 1-2-3 top of the seventh, Fritz was able to work a 1-2-3 inning of her own in the bottom half, picking up her first win of the year and helping the Falcons even their overall record at 2-2 on the year.
 
Lackawanna College returns to action on Tuesday, March 8^th, when they take on the Rochester CTC Yellowjackets in a doubleheader in Myrtle Beach, SC. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00pm ET for the first game, with the second game scheduled to start at 5:00pm 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.