4/15/22
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College Softball team will finally get its Region XIX schedule underway, with a pair of doubleheaders, one on the road and one at home, against two key region opponents this upcoming weekend. On Friday, April 15^th, the Falcons travel to Georgetown, DE to take on the Delaware Tech CC Terry Hawks to open Region XIX play. Then, on Saturday, April 16^th, the Falcons are home to host the Mercer County CC Vikings in a pair of games at Scranton High's softball field.
 
The games on Friday at Delaware Tech are set for 1:00pm and 3:00pm ET, respectively, while the doubleheader against Mercer County CC on Saturday is also scheduled for 1:00pm and 3:00pm ET. There will be a video livestream available for the home doubleheader on Saturday, via the Lackawanna College Athletics YouTube Channel at www.lackawannafalcons.com/YouTube.
 
About the Falcons
Lackawanna College (17-12) comes into the weekend on a four-game winning streak, having swept their first two doubleheaders in this four-day stretch of games. On Wednesday, the Falcons knocked off Penn State Hazleton on the road with a pair of wins where they only surrendered two runs, each. You can read the recap from Wednesday HERE. Then, on Thursday, Lackawanna College picked up another pair of wins, sweeping Monroe College for the second time this season, overpowering the Mustangs with 32 combined runs. Read the recap from Thursday HERE.
 
On the year, the Falcons are hitting .342 as a team, and have a combined .929 OPS. Lackawanna College has 105 total extra base hits already this year, 76 of which have been doubles. The Falcons are slugging .518 on the year, and have a .411 OBP, drawing 87 walks and 16 HBPs on the season. The Falcons have stolen 54 total bases on the year, and have driven in 181 of their 210 runs scored so far this year. Lackawanna is averaging just over seven runs per ballgame this season.
 
In the circle, the Falcons have a team ERA of 4.03. Through 185.2 innings, Lackawanna has given up 255 hits and 166 runs, 107 earned, and have struck out 136 batters, while walking 80. Opponents are hitting .304 against the Falcons this year. Lackawanna has turned 12 double plays defensively, but the Falcons have committed 69 errors in 29 games so far this season.
 
Emma McNally is the team-leader so far this year, hitting .465 on the season. McNally has a team-high OPS of 1.303, and leads the Falcons in multiple categories, including hits (46), doubles (13), extra base hits (21), homeruns (5), RBIs (34), total bases (80), and slugging (.808). McNally is second on the team with 30 runs scored, and with a .495 OBP, and she has five stolen bases this year. McNally has 14 multi-hit games this season, and is currently on a 18-game hitting streak. McNally was a combined 4-for-7, with four RBIs and four runs scored, while hitting a double, a triple, and a two-run homer, against Monroe.  
 
Skylynn Gilligan is second on the team with a .438 batting average this year. Gilligan is tied for second on the team with 39 hits, and has a .500 OBP, tops on the Falcons. Gilligan is slugging at .584 this season, and her 52 total bases rank her third on the squad. After going 1-for-12 in her first four games, Gilligan had 19-game hitting streak, including seven multi-hit games, going into the weekend with Brookdale. She's second on the team with 25 RBIs on the year, and is tied for fifth on the squad with eight doubles. Gilligan has ten multi-hit games on the season, but had her hitting streak snapped against Brookdale. Gilligan was a combined 6-for-7 against Monroe, driving in five runs, scoring three of her own, and hitting both a double and a triple against the Mustangs in two games.  
 
Jennifer Wolak is third on the Falcons with a .389 batting average, and an OPS of .987, ranking her fifth on the squad. She has 21 hits in her 25 appearances, and has a .468 OBP, good for third on the team. She's scored 13 runs, and has five doubles and a triple to drive in eleven RBIs this year. Wolak has five stolen bases on the year, and has seven multi-hit games this year. Wolak was a combined 2-for-5 with two runs scored in the two contests against Monroe College.  
 
Catarena Sommers is hitting .380 overall on the year, good for fourth on the squad. Sommers is third on the squad with 35 total hits, and has a .1.040 OPS, ranking her third. Catarena has 16 extra base hits, good for second on the team, along with 23 RBIs on the year, putting her third on the Falcons. Her 56 total bases have her ranked second on the squad this season. Sommers has ten multi-hit games for the Falcons this season, and was a combined 2-for-7 with a double, two RBIs, and a run scored in the two games against Monroe.  
 
Madison McVicar is fifth on the team with a .349 batting average, and has a .997 OPS so far this season. McVicar leads the Falcons in runs scored (31), and has a .462 OBP on the year. She's fourth on the team with 30 hits so far this year, and leads the Falcons in walks with 16. McVicar has ten multi-hit games this season, and was 2-for-6 with five RBIs, five runs scored, and a pair of doubles against Monroe on Thursday.  
 
Meghan Fritz has a .322 batting average, and has collected 29 hits on the year, good for fifth on the team this year. Fritz has scored 23 runs this season, good for third on the Falcons, and is second on the team in stolen bases this year, with nine swipes. Fritz has 14 extra base hits on the year, including twelve doubles, tied for second on the team. Fritz has nine multi-hit games this year, and was a combined 4-for-5 with four runs scored and three doubles in the two games against Monroe.   
 
Savannah Glover has a .310 batting average on the year. Her .563 slugging percentage has her ranked fourth on the team, and she's second on the Falcons with three homeruns this year. Glover has scored 19 runs this season, and she's third on the team with eight steals this year. Glover has six multi-hit games, including a stretch where she had three in a row, so far this season. Savannah was 1-for-3 with two RBIs, a run scored, and a double against Monroe on Thursday.     
 
Fritz is also one of the main starters in the pitcher's circle for Lackawanna, with eleven starts in twelve appearances for the Falcons. She has a 5-6 record on the year, with a 3.78 ERA. Fritz has pitched in 66.2 innings, giving up 94 hits and 64 runs, just 36 earned, while striking out 51 batters, good for second on the squad. Opponents are hitting .305 against Fritz this year. She had a stellar relief appearance against SUNY Corning, going 6.2 innings and only giving up two runs on four hits, while striking out eleven batters. Fritz has earned the win in her last two starts, going seven strong and only giving up two runs against PSU Hazleton on Wednesday, and then giving up four runs in four innings, while striking out seven, to get the win against Monroe on Thursday.  
 
MacKayla Quick has made twelve starts in 13 appearances so far this year. She's 7-5 on the year, with a team-best 3.27 ERA. Quick, in 66.1 innings pitched, has given up 49 runs, 31 earned, on 77 hits, with a team-best 62 strikeouts and a team-high 35 walks. Opponents have hit six homeruns against Quick, and are hitting .276 on the year. MacKayla has won her last three starts in a row, including a five inning outing against PSU Hazleton where she gave up two runs and struck out seven, and a four inning outing against Monroe, where she gave up six runs, just one earned, with six strikeouts.  
 
Tess Ruschman has appeared in seven games, with four starts, and is 2-1 overall this year, with a 6.33 ERA. Ruschman has also earned a save this year, in the win over SUNY Corning earlier this year. Ruschman, in her 21 innings of work, has surrendered 20 runs, 19 earned, on 37 hits, while striking out seven and walking five. In her last start, Tess was chased after two innings of work against Monroe on the road, giving up seven runs and eight hits in a game the Falcons would rally to win, 13-8. Tess had a better outing in relief on Thursday against Monroe, not allowing any hits or runs, while striking out a batter, in one inning of work.
 
Stephanie Kibbe has seen action in nine games this year, with just one start, but has a 2-0 record with a 4.11 ERA this season. Kibbe, in 15.1 innings of work, has given up 15 runs, nine earned, on 29 hits. She has seven strikeouts and eight walks on the year. Opponents are hitting .372 against Kibbe this season. Kibbe last got work against PSU Hazleton, allowing just one hit in one inning of relief work.  
 
Jeff Pittsman is in his eleventh season at the helm of the Falcons program. After some early growing pains when he took over in 2012, coach Pitt overhauled the Falcons program, turning it into a Region XIX contender year-in, and year-out. The Falcons had four straight seasons of 20+ wins, starting in 2016, and might have had another if not for the pandemic shuttering the 2020 season early. Pittsman is a two-time EPAC Coach of the Year, and has been a fixture in local softball circles for year. An NEPA native and Mid Valley HS graduate, Pittsman began his coaching career in football with the Mid Valley program, and other various schools around the area, before transitioning into coaching softball at the travel-team level. Eventually, his credentials helped him land the job with Lackawanna College, where he took over a team with barely enough players to safely compete, and steadily built the program into a winner.
 
About Delaware Tech CC
The Terry Hawks, receiving votes in the latest NJCAA DII polls, are a stellar 15-1 on the year, and 2-0 in Region XIX play. After dropping its first game of the season against RCSJ Cumberland, Delaware Tech has won 15 in a row, pitching five shutouts and holding their opponents to three or fewer runs on twelve different occasions. In their last games, Delaware Tech hosted Hagerstown CC in doubleheader action this past Sunday. In game one, Del Tech recovered from a 6-0 deficit after two innings, and a 7-6 deficit in the bottom of the seventh, to win 10-7. In game two, the Terry Hawks overcame a 2-0 deficit with a seven-run burst in the third, then coasting to an 11-3 victory.  
 
Delaware Tech is hitting at .410 as a team so far this season, with a combined OPS of 1.084. The Terry Hawks are averaging around 9.4 runs per game, and have 52 combined extra base hits on the year, including 33 doubles and 15 homeruns. As a team, Del Tech is slugging at .612, and have an OBP of .472. The Terry Hawks have stolen 17 bases on the year. Del Tech has drawn 49 walks, and struck out 37 times so far this season.
 
Delaware Tech has been stellar in the pitching circle, with a combined 1.98 ERA on the year. The Terry Hawks, in 92 innings of work, have given up 42 runs on 97 hits, just 26 runs earned, and struck out 53 batters, as compared to 22 walks. The Terry Hawks have five shutouts on the year. Delaware Tech has been efficient in the field, with just 19 errors in 16 games so far this season.
 
Macey Myers leads Delaware Tech with a .509 batting average so far this season. Myers has a team-high 27 total hits, and also leads the Terry Hawks in doubles (7), triples (3), extra base hits (14), and RBIs (26). Myers has a 1.548 OPS, also first on the team, and leads the Terry Hawks in OBP (.567) and slugging (.981). Myers has eight multi-hit games this season, and was a combined 4-for-8 with two doubles, a homer, five RBIs, and four runs scored in the two games against Hagerstown.
 
Carlin Quinn is second on the team with 24 total hits so far this season, and a .480 batting average. Quinn has a 1.259 OPS on the year, and has scored 20 runs so far this season. She's got a pair of homers, and has driven in 17 runs, good for fourth on the team. Her .519 OBP has her ranked third on Delaware Tech. Quinn has eight multi-hit games this season, and was a combined 5-for-7 with a double, a triple, a homer, five RBIs, and two runs scored in the two games against Hagerstown on Sunday.  
 
Couri Smith is fourth on the team with a .453 batting average this season. Smith is tied with Quinn for second on the team with 24 total hits, and is the team leader in stolen bases with 12 swipes on the year. Smith has a 1.028 OPS, and has twelve RBIs on the year. Smith has ten multi-hit games this year, and was a combined 3-for-7 with four RBIs, three runs scored, and a homer against in the two wins against Hagerstown.  
 
Logan Walls is third on the team with a .477 batting average, and tied for fourth on the team with 21 total hits. Walls has a .558 OBP, second on the team, and an OPS at 1.081. Walls has scored a team-high 21 runs, and is second on the team with eight walks drawn on the year. Walls has six multi-hit games this year, including her last four contests. In two games against Hagerstown, Walls was 4-for-7 with four runs scored in two games.  
 
Kandice Schlabach is hitting .422 on the year, slugging at .844, second on the squad. Schlabach has a 1.313 OPS, also second on the team, and leads the Terry Hawks with five homers on the year. Her 18 RBIs have her tied for second on the team, and she has nine extra base hits so far this year. Schlabach has seven multi-hit games so far this year, and was a combined 2-for-6 in the two games against Hagerstown, hitting a double, driving in a run, and scoring another.  
 
Kylie Kruger is hitting .375 so far this season, and is tied with Schlabach for second on the team with 18 RBIs this year. Kruger has 21 total hits, tied for fourth on the team, and has four doubles on the year. Kruger has six multi-hit games on the season, but was a combined 1-for-7 in the two games against Hagerstown, scoring a run and drawing a walk.
 
Lauren Smith has the most appearances for the Terry Hawks in the circle, pitching in nine games, and going 6-1 with a save and a 3.00 ERA on the year. Smith, in 35 innings pitched, has given up 29 runs, 15 earned, on 46 hits, while striking out 20 batters and walking ten. Smith's last appearance was against Hagerstown, where she pitched two innings in relief, striking out a batter and giving up just one hit to secure the win in game two. Her last start was the first game against Hagerstown, where she was chased after just 1.2 innings, giving up six runs on seven hits. The Terry Hawks recovered to win that game.  
 
Carly Collins has pitched in seven games this year, going a perfect 6-0 with a sparkling 0.81 ERA. Collins, in 34.2 innings, has given up just five runs, only four earned, on 26 hits, while striking out 26 batters, best on the team. Collins has gotten the win in five straight appearances for Del Tech. She got the win in her last game, going 5.1 innings of relief, giving up a run on five hits, in the win over Hagerstown. In her last start, Collins went seven innings against Raritan Valley, allowing four hits and striking out a season-high eight batters in the shutout victory.
 
Victoria Henry has appeared in five games this year, going 2-0 with one save and a 2.57 ERA. In 16.1 innings of work, Henry has given up seven runs, six earned, on 19 hits, while striking out six batters. Henry was the winning pitcher in the last game for Delaware Tech, going five innings while giving up three runs on eight hits, striking out a pair in the win over Hagerstown.
 
The head coach for Delaware Tech is Guy Wilkins, who's been the head coach for the Terry Hawks since 2016. Now in his seventh season, Wilkins has guided the program to winning seasons in six of his seven years, twice topping 20+ victories, and a Region XIX championship a year ago. Wilkins won a pair of national titles and a Little League World Series with the Big League All-Stars in the ten years prior to coming to Del Tech. Wilkins played collegiate ball at Delaware State, and has served as a middle school, JV, and varsity assistant coach at Sussex Central HS for nearly 20 years. He also previously served as an assistant with the Del Tech baseball team for six years.  
 
About Mercer County CC



The Vikings come into the weekend with an 18-4 overall record on the year, having won their last 15 games. Mercer's last loss came in the first game of a doubleheader against Chesapeake College back on March 15^th, and since, the Vikings have been impressive, holding their opponents to three or fewer runs in eleven of their last 15, including four shut-out victories. Mercer swept their last two games, beating CCBC Catonsville at home in a pair of victories. In game one, the Vikings overcame an early 3-0 deficit to score 12 runs in the first three innings to eventually run away with a 12-4 win in five innings. In game two, Mercer had a 6-1 lead after three innings, and held on for a 7-3 win over the Cardinals.  
 
The Vikings are hitting .387 so far this season, and have a team OPS of 1.001. The Vikings are averaging around ten runs per game, and have hit 64 combined extra base hits, including 46 doubles and ten homeruns. They're slugging around .540 on the year, and have just twelve stolen bases on the season. Mercer has 58 strikeouts as a team, and has drawn 69 walks so far this season.
 
In 121 innings pitched this year, the Vikings have a team ERA of 3.59. They've given up 86 runs, 62 earned, on 143 hits, while striking out 94 batters and walking just 17. Vikings pitchers have four shutouts this season, and have held their opponents to three runs or less in twelve games this season. The Vikings have turned three double plays this year, and have 26 errors on the year.
 
Mia Land leads the Vikings with a .577 batting average so far this year. Land leads Mercer in total hits (41), doubles (11), triples (4), OBP (.643), slugging (.930), and OPS (1.573). She's second on the team in runs scored (33), extra base hits (15), and homeruns (2), and is fourth on the team with 17 RBIs this season. Land has recorded a hit in 20 of the 22 games the Vikings have played this season, with 13 multi-hit games on the season. She went a combined 5-for-7 with an RBI, three runs scored, two doubles, and a triple in the two games against Catonsville.  
 
Lillian Torres-Perez is second on the team with a .477 batting average so far this season. She has a 1.196 OPS, good for third on the team, and has 31 hits on the year, ranking her second on the squad. Torres-Perez has 23 RBIs, ranking her second on the Vikings, and has nine extra base hits this year. Torres-Perez has a.519 OBP, tied for third on the team, and is slugging at .677, ranking her third, as well. Torres-Perez has eleven multi-hit games, including a game where she was 4-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs, and a pair of runs scored against Ocean County. Torres-Perez was a combined 3-for-6 with three runs scored, three RBIs, and a triple in the two wins against Catonsville.
 
Bella Truelove is third on the team with a .419 batting average, but leads the team in homeruns (6), RBIs (28), extra base hits (16), walks (13), and runs scored (38). Truelove has 26 hits so far this year, fifth on the Vikings. Truelove has nine multi-hit games this year, and was a combined 1-for-5 with two RBIs, two runs scored, and a double in the two games against Catonsville.  
 
Julia Hannawacker is hitting .418 on the year, good for fourth on the squad. Hannawacker has a .519 OBP, tied for third on the team, and has an OPS of 1.196. Her 28 total hits this year has her ranked third on the squad, and she's drawn twelve walks on the season, ranking her second on the team. Hannawacker has four doubles and 15 RBIs this season, and is credited with three stolen bases on the year. Hanawacker has eight games with two or more hits, and was a combined 3-for-7 with three RBIs and two runs scored in the two games against Catonsville.
 
Hailey Nardone is hitting .391 for the Vikings this year, and is slugging at .551, good for fourth on the team. Nardone has 27 total hits and 26 runs scored, placing her fourth on the team. Nardone has eight doubles, third on the Vikings, and has a homerun, along with 22 RBIs. Hailey has eight multi-hit games, and was a combined 1-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored in the two games against Catonsville.  
 
Gianna DeMatteo has made ten starts in twelve appearances this year, going 9-1 with a team best 3.18 ERA this year. DeMatteo, in 55 innings of work, has given up 41 runs, 25 earned, on 69 hits, while striking out a team-high 42 batters. DeMatteo has won her last nine starts, including against Catonsville, where she went the full seven innings, giving up three runs on five hits, while striking out nine batters, a season-high.  
 
Amanda Gonzalez has made four starts in twelve appearances this season, going 5-1 with a 4.16 ERA. Gonzalez, in her 37 innings of work, has given up 30 runs, 22 earned, on 47 hits, while striking out 24 batters on the year. Gonzalez got the win in her last two appearances, both starts, and was victorious in the first game of the doubleheader against Catonsville, pitching five innings and giving up four runs on five hits, while striking out five batters, a season-high.
 
Delaney Misier is the other starter for the Vikings, making eight appearances, all starts, while going 4-2 with a 3.50 ERA this season. Misier, in 28 innings, has given up 14 runs on 25 hits, while striking out 28 batters. Misier hadn't pitched longer than four innings in a game before a seven inning outing against RCSJ Cumberland, and has won her last four starts. In Misier's last four starts, she hasn't allowed a run in 17 combined innings, while striking out 20 batters and surrendering just two hits. The Vikings have outscored their opponents 38-1 in those four games. Misier went the full seven in her last start, a 3-0 win over Morris, where she allowed just one hit and struck out a season-high seven batters.  
 
The head softball coach for Mercer County is Ryan Zegarski, now in his 18^th season at the helm. Zegarski, a 2001 graduate of MCCC, has been the head softball coach since the fall of 2004, and he has enjoyed significant success at Mercer. Zegarski has taken the Vikings to three NJCAA World Series appearances, the latest in 2018. He's won three GSAC championships, and has three Region XIX champinships, along with three Region XIX Coach of the Year awards. Zegarski played baseball at Mercer, helping the 2000 squad win a Region XIX and Northeast District Championship, while making an appearance in the NJCAA World Series.  Zegarski went on to play baseball at Richard Stockton University in New Jersey, where he led the NJAC in batting average during his junior year. Zegarski is 504-194-1 in his career at Mercer.
 
Game Information
The doubleheader against Delaware Tech CC is set for Friday, April 15^th, with the first game starting at 1:00pm ET in Georgetown, DE. The second game will follow at 3:00pm ET. There is no video livestream available for the doubleheader on Friday.
 
The Saturday, April 16^th doubleheader against Mercer County CC will take place at Scranton High's Softball Field, and is set for a 1:00pm ET start, with the second following at 3:00pm ET. Both games will be streamed live via the Lackawanna College Athletics YouTube Channel, at www.lackawannafalcons.com/YouTube.   
 
The Falcons get a little break before they get back to work on Thursday, April 21^st, when they travel to SUNY Orange to take on the Colts in doubleheader action. The first game is set for a 3:00pm ET start, and the second will follow at 5:00pm ET.