4/15/22
 
GEORGETOWN, De. – The Lackawanna College Softball team finally got their Region XIX schedule up-and-running, but the Falcons stumbled out of the blocks against one of the top teams in the region, as Delaware Tech CC picked up a pair of impressive victories to sweep Lackawanna on Friday afternoon in Delaware.
 
The Terry Hawks (17-1, 4-0) won each game because of fast starts, scoring five runs in the first two innings on their way to a 9-2 win in game one, and then scoring six runs in the first inning of game two en route to an 8-2 victory.  Lackawanna College (17-14, 0-2) struggled to get any offense going most of the day, stranding 27 total base runners across two games, while scoring only four combined runs, two coming from actual base hits.
 
Game One Recap: Delaware Tech 9 – 2 Lackawanna College
Delaware Tech hit the ground running in game one, scoring a pair of runs in the first, three in the second, and nine overall to win game one of the doubleheader, 9-2, over Lackawanna College on Friday afternoon.
 
The normally potent Lackawanna College offense was held in check, as the Falcons (17-13, 0-1) could only muster four total hits throughout the game. Emma McNally went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, Skylynn Gilligan was 1-for-3 with a double, and Meghan Fritz went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, but that was it for the Falcons at the dish. MacKayla Quick could never truly settle into a groove in the circle, getting tagged with the loss after giving up nine runs on 13 hits with three walks and a pair of strikeouts.
 
The Terry Hawks (16-1, 3-0) had five players with multiple hits, and were led by a stellar pitching performance from Lauren Smith, who gave up just two runs on four hits, while striking out six batters in her seven innings of work.
 
Things did not get off to the right start for Lackawanna, as Smith struck out the side, all on strike three looking, to retire Lackawanna in order. In the bottom frame, Smith got a lead-off single against Quick, then stole second to immediately put a runner in scoring position with nobody out. A bunt single, followed by a steal, put runners on second and third with nobody out, and a ground ball error on the infield let two runs cross, making it 2-0, Del Tech. Quick would recover to retire the side, keeping the damage to a minimum.
 
Smith pitched around a double in the top of the second, and Del Tech struck for more in the bottom frame. With runners on second and third and one away, an RBI single, followed by a fielder's choice, scored a pair of runs. Another RBI single made it 5-0, Delaware Tech. With runners on second and third, Quick got a pop up to end the scoring threat.
 
The Falcons wasted a two-out double from Fritz in the top of the third, but Delaware Tech was even more wasteful, as Quick stranded the bases loaded to keep it to a five-run deficit. In the top of the fourth, McNally stepped up and smacked a one-out homer to right field to get the Falcons on the board. It was McNally's sixth dinger on the year, and made it 5-1. Smith settled back down to retire the side.
 
The Falcons got another run in the top of the sixth, when a Fritz double, followed by a walk to Kira Ryan, put two runners on with nobody out. A fielder's choice put Fritz down for the first out, and a fly out put two away, but Ryan stole third, then got to come home because of an error on the throw, making it 5-2. A pop out ended the scoring threat, but the Falcons had a little life.
 
Delaware Tech, after two straight 1-2-3 innings, struck back in the bottom of the sixth. With runners on first and second and one out, an RBI single, followed by an RBI double, scored a pair of runs. A sac fly brought another in, and one more double scored one more run, bringing the Terry Hawks lead to 9-2.
 
In the top of the seventh, the Falcons went in order, with a line out and a pair of ground outs. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Falcons, and handed them their first loss in Region XIX play this year.
 
Game Two Recap: Delaware Tech CC 8 – 2 Lackawanna College



Delaware Tech hit the front even quicker in game two of the doubleheader, scoring six runs in the first inning, then coasting the rest of the way to an 8-2 victory over Lackawanna College on Friday afternoon.
 
The Falcons (17-14, 0-2) managed a little more fight with seven total hits, but still struggled to bring in runs, stranding 15 runners in the contest. The Falcons were also sloppy in the field, committing four errors in the contest. MacKayla Quick was 2-for-3 with an RBI single, while Kira Ryan was 2-for-4 with a double for the Falcons. Meghan Fritz was pinned with the loss, going only two innings, giving up seven runs, only three earned, on eight hits.
 
Carly Collins was strong in the circle for Delaware Tech (17-1, 4-0), as she went the distance, giving up two runs on seven hits, while striking out five batters.
 
The Falcons showed a little more fight in the top of the first, with a pair of one-out singles putting two on, but a strikeout, followed by a line out, ended the threat and stranded the runners. In the bottom frame, the Terry Hawks struck right away. A lead-off single, followed by an error on the infield put two on with nobody out. A double steal put the runners in scoring position. A two-run single started the scoring for Delaware Tech, and later, still with no outs, a double made it 3-0, Terry Hawks. Another error allowed a run to cross, and, after the Falcons had finally gotten an out, a two-run single on a liner to center made it 6-0, Delaware Tech. Fritz finally settled in to get her last two outs and get out of the inning.
 
A lead-off walk went nowhere for Lackawanna in the top of the second, and Delaware Tech added another run in the bottom frame, after a lead-off double, followed by an RBI single, which made it 7-0, T-Hawks.
 
The Falcons got a run back in the top of the third, when Fritz singled, and Ryan doubled to put two on with nobody out. A McVicar sac fly to right scored, Fritz, getting Lackawanna on the board. Unfortunately, that would be it, as a pop out, followed by a ground out, ended the top half. In the bottom of the third, Stephanie Kibbe came on to pitch, and, after a lead-off single, Kibbe managed to retire the side to end the inning and get the Falcons a much-needed zero on the board.
 
Things were quiet until Delaware Tech tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth. A one-out single, followed by a walk, put two runners on. With those same runners on second and third, and two away, an error on the infield allowed another run to come home, making it 8-1, Delaware Tech.
 
In the top of the sixth, a McNally double started the frame for the Falcons. Two ground outs threatened to end the rally, but Quick singled to left field, scoring McNally to make it 8-2. A fly out ended any chance of more coming home for the Falcons. Kibbe kept Del Tech off the board in the bottom frame, pitching around back-to-back singles and getting a much-needed inning-ending double play on a 5-3 ground out.
 
Unfortunately for the Falcons, it would be a double play that ended the game for them, when, with one out and a runner on first, a pop out to the pitcher on the infield was quickly flipped to first, picking off the runner and ending the game, giving the Terry Hawks their 17^th straight win, and keeping them perfect in Region XIX play.  
 
The Falcons don't have a ton of time to recover, as they host another key Region XIX opponent on Saturday, April 16^th, when Mercer County CC comes to town. The doubleheader will happen 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.