4/28/22
 
SB: Falcons Go Non-Conference For First Two Doubleheaders of the Weekend
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College Softball team, winners of five straight, and twelve of their last 15, begins an important stretch of four straight days of doubleheader action this weekend. It all starts on Thursday, April 28^th, when the Falcons play host to the SUNY Orange Colts at Scranton High's softball field. Then, the Falcons make a trip down to Wye Mills, MD, for a non-Region match-up with the Chesapeake College Skipjacks on Friday, April 29^th.  
 
The home doubleheader with SUNY Orange is set to start at 3:00pm ET on Thursday, with the second game following around 5:00pm ET. Both games will have a video livestream on the Lackawanna College Athletics YouTube Channel at www.lackawannafalcons.com/YouTube.  
 
The away doubleheader at Chesapeake College is set for a 2:00pm ET start on Friday, with game two going at 4:00pm ET. There will be a video livestream available, courtesy of the Chesapeake College Athletics Department. You can access that by clicking HERE.
 
About the Falcons
Lackawanna College (25-15) enters the weekend on a roll, having won five in a row and gone 7-1 this past weekend, winning a pair of games in Region XIX over Raritan Valley, and earning a split with nationally ranked Division III opponent Brookdale on the road. On Saturday, the Falcons used a pair of sixth inning rallies to come back and beat Raritan Valley, twice, in a doubleheader at home. You can read the recap HERE. Then, on Sunday, the Falcons knocked off the Lock Haven Club softball team with a pair of shutout victories. Read the recap HERE.
 
The Falcons previously played SUNY Orange last Thursday in a doubleheader on the road in Middletown, NY. The Falcons were victorious in the two games, winning the first game by a 28-7 margin, and winning game two 15-9. You can read the recap from the Falcons' win HERE.
 
On the year, the Falcons are hitting .349 as a team, and have a combined .950 OPS. Lackawanna College has 159 total extra base hits already this year, 118 of which have been doubles. The Falcons are slugging .539 on the year, and have a .411 OBP, drawing 109 walks and 19 HBPs on the season. The Falcons have stolen 72 total bases on the year, and have driven in 263 of their 304 runs scored so far this year. Lackawanna is averaging just over 7.5 runs per ballgame this season.
 
In the circle, the Falcons have a team ERA of 4.11. Through 252 innings, Lackawanna has given up 343 hits and 224 runs, 148 earned, and have struck out 178 batters, while walking 104. Opponents are hitting .302 against the Falcons this year. Lackawanna has turned 14 double plays defensively, but the Falcons have committed 86 errors in 40 games so far this season.
 
Emma McNally is the team-leader so far this year, hitting .470 on the season. McNally has a team-high OPS of 1.373, and leads the Falcons in multiple categories, including hits (63), extra base hits (36), doubles (24), triples (6), homeruns (6), RBIs (50), runs (43), total bases (117), slugging (.873), and OBP (.500). Emma has nine stolen bases on the season, tied for third on the team. McNally has 18 multi-hit games this season, and was on a 23-game hitting streak before going hitless in the first game against Brookdale. McNally went 3-for-5 with four RBI, three runs, and three doubles in the doubleheader against Lock Haven club softball.
 
Catarena Sommers is second on the squad, hitting .400 overall on the year. Sommers is second on the Falcons with 50 total hits, and has a .1.121 OPS, also putting her at second in that category. Catarena has 26 extra base hits, good for second on the team, and is tied with Meghan Fritz for second with 20 doubles on the year. Sommers also has 32 RBI on the year, tied for second on the team. Her 85 total bases have her ranked second on the squad this season, as well as her .680 slugging percentage. Sommers is fourth on the team in runs scored with 30, and has a .441 OBP this year. Sommers has 15 multi-hit games for the Falcons this season, and was 0-for-2 in the one game she played against Lock Haven's club softball team.  
 
Jennifer Wolak is third on the Falcons with a .397 batting average, and an OPS of .966, good for fourth on the team. She has 31 hits in her 33 appearances, and has a .453 OBP, good for third on the team. She's scored 18 runs, and has seven doubles and a triple to drive in 15 RBIs this year. Wolak has five stolen bases on the year, and has eleven multi-hit games this season. Wolak was a combined 3-for-5 with two RBI, a run scored, and a double in the two games against Lock Haven.
 
Skylynn Gilligan is fourth on the team with a .385 batting average this year, and has a solid .957 OPS, good for fifth on the Falcons. Gilligan has 47 total hits, ranking her third, and is third on the squad with 31 RBI this year. Gilligan is slugging at .508 this season and has 62 total bases on the year. Gilligan has 12 extra base hits on the year, including ten doubles, and is second on the team with 14 walks drawn. After going 1-for-12 in her first four games, Gilligan had 19-game hitting streak, including seven multi-hit games, and now has twelve multi-hit games on the season. Gilligan was a combined 2-for-3 with an RBI in the two games against Lock Haven.  
 
Madison McVicar is fifth on the team with a .353 batting average, and has a 1.017 OPS so far this season, good for third on the squad. McVicar is second on the Falcons in runs scored (42), and has a .462 OBP on the year, ranking her second on the team. She's one of five Falcons with 40+ hits this year (42), and leads the Falcons in walks with 22. McVicar has driven in 26 runs, ranking her fourth on the team, and has 17 extra base hits this year, including 13 doubles and three homeruns. McVicar has a .555 slugging percentage, placing her fourth on the Falcons. McVicar has twelve multi-hit games this season, and was 1-for-2 with a run scored in two games against Lock Haven club softball.   
 
Meghan Fritz has a .346 batting average, and has collected 44 hits on the year, putting her fourth on the team. Fritz has scored 35 runs this season, good for third on the Falcons, and is second on the team in stolen bases this year, with 13 swipes. Fritz has 23 extra base hits on the year, including 20 doubles, tying her with Sommers for second on the team. Fritz is slugging at .559, good for third on the team. She has 13 multi-hit games this year, and was a combined 0-for-4 with an RBI in the two games against Lock Haven.
 
MacKayla Quick is hitting .343 on the year for Lackawanna College, collecting 36 hits and scoring 23 runs so far this season. Quick has ten extra base hits on the year, including seven doubles, and has driven in 22 runs on the year. Quick has an .870 OPS. Quick has seven stolen bases on the year, and has drawn six walks on the season. Quick has ten multi-hit games this season, and was a combined 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI in the two games against Lock Haven.      
 
Quick has made 17 starts in 18 appearances so far this year for the Falcons. She's 11-6 on the year, with a 3.71 ERA. Quick, in 96.1 innings pitched, has given up 75 runs, 51 earned, on 119 hits, with a team-best 84 strikeouts and a team-high 47 walks. Opponents have hit nine homeruns against Quick, and are hitting .287 on the year. MacKayla has won seven of her last eight starts, including her last four. In her latest outing, Quick knocked off Raritan Valley, pitching seven innings, while giving up three runs on six hits, striking out four in the process.
 
Fritz is also one of the main starters in the pitcher's circle for Lackawanna, with 14 starts in 15 appearances for the Falcons. She has a 7-7 record on the year, with a 4.15 ERA. Fritz has pitched in 82.2 innings, giving up 119 hits and 82 runs, just 49 earned, while striking out 58 batters, good for second on the squad. Opponents are hitting .310 against Fritz this year. Fritz picked up the win in her last outing, pitching seven strong innings against Rairtan Valley, giving up two runs on four hits and striking out five batters.      
 
Tess Ruschman has appeared in eight games, with five starts, and is 2-2 overall this year, with a 7.46 ERA. Ruschman has also earned a save this year, in the win over SUNY Corning earlier this year. Ruschman, in her 25.1 innings of work, has surrendered 30 runs, 27 earned, on 48 hits, while striking out eight and walking six. In her last start, Tess went 4.1 innings against Brookdale, allowing ten runs on eleven hits, while striking out a batter and walking another.  
 
Stephanie Kibbe has seen action in twelve games this year, with two starts, and has a 3-0 record with a 2.39 ERA this season. Kibbe, in 26.1 innings of work, has given up 19 runs, nine earned, on 37 hits. She has 13 strikeouts and eleven walks on the year. Opponents are hitting .303 against Kibbe this season. Kibbe picked up the win in her last appearance, a start against Lock Haven, where she shut out the Bald Eagles on one hit in five innings, striking out a season-high five batters.   
 
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 SUNY Orange
The Colts (9-9) enter Thursday's contests after snapping a three-game losing streak that started last week against Lackawanna College. After dropping their two games against the Falcons, Orange managed to split the doubleheader against SUNY Suffolk on Sunday. The Sharks managed to take the first game with a 9-0 victory in five innings, but the second game went much better for Orange, as the Colts recovered from blowing a 7-3 lead by overcoming an 11-7 deficit with a six-run bottom of the sixth inning. Erin Warner was 3-for-3 with six RBI, hitting a double and a homerun for the Colts. Jessica Stewart got the win, despite allowing eleven runs, and her team committing seven errors.
 
SUNY Orange is hitting at .360 as a team so far this season, with a combined OPS of .929. The Colts are averaging around 7.6 runs per game, and have 48 combined extra base hits on the year, including 35 doubles and seven homeruns. As a team, Orange is slugging at .494, and has an OBP of .435. The Colts have stolen 15 bases on the year. SUNY Orange has drawn 65 walks, and struck out 74 times so far this season.
 
In the pitching circle, SUNY Orange has a combined 5.79 ERA on the year. The Colts, in 107.2 innings of work, have given up 140 runs on 192 hits, 89 runs earned, and struck out 67 batters, as compared to 28 walks. The Colts have a pair of shutouts, and have held their opponents to three or fewer runs in six games this year. The Colts have turned one double play this year, and have 53 errors in 18 games.
 
Kayla Consolo is the team-leader with a .547 batting average so far this season for the Colts. Consolo leads Orange with 35 total hits so far this season, and is also first on the team with 28 runs scored. Her 1.411 OPS is also tops on the team, buoyed by her team-high OBP (.552) and slugging (.859). Consolo also leads the team in extra base hits (15) and doubles (12). Her 15 RBI on the year has her fourth on the squad, and her six stolen bases are a team-best. Consolo has eleven multi-hit games this year, including six of her last eight games, and was a combined 7-for-8 with a triple, two RBI, and three runs in the two games against Lackawanna. Consolo was 0-for-2 in the first game against Suffolk.  
 
Julianna Garvey has a .413 batting average so far this year, second on the team. Garvey leads the Colts with 22 RBI on the year. She has a .855 OPS, with a .456 OBP and a .429 slugging percentage. Garvey has 26 total hits on the year, third on the squad, with one double this season. Garvey has seven multi-hit games so far this season, and was a combined 2-for-8 with two RBI and a run scored in the two games against Lackawanna College. Garvey was 2-for-6 with two runs scored and an RBI in two games against Suffolk.  
 
Amanda Miller has a .409 batting average this season, third on the team, and her 27 hits on the year puts her second on the team.  Miller has a .591 slugging percentage, good for second on the team, and has driven in 16 runs on nine extra base hits, including a team-high three triples. Miller has scored 25 runs on the year, putting her second on the team, and she's also got three stolen bases this year. Miller has nine multi-hit games this year, and was a combined 2-for-7 with two doubles, two RBI, and two runs scored in the two games against Lackawanna. Against Suffolk, Miller was 3-for-7 with a double, two RBI, and a run scored in two games.  
 
Kayla McNamara has a .375 batting average on the season, placing her fourth on the team. McNamara has 13 RBI on the year, fifth on the squad, and her .439 OBP has her fourth on the squad. McNamara has 21 total hits, five of which have been doubles, and is slugging at .464 this season. McNamara has seven multi-hit games this season, and was a combined 1-for-7 with two runs and a pair of walks in two games against Lackawanna. McNamara is 0-for-5 with a run scored and a walk in two games against Suffolk. McNamara is 0-for-her-last-11, and has gone three straight games without a hit.
 
Chloe Jamieson is hitting .328 so far this season, driving in 20 runs, second on the squad. She's got 19 hits so far this year, and has five extra base hits, including four doubles and a homerun. Jamieson has an .866 OPS, with a .448 slugging percentage and a .418 OBP. She's drawn nine walks this year, second on the team. Jamieson has five multi-hit games this year, including three of her last four games. Against Lackawanna, Jamieson was a combined 4-for-6 with a run scored, a homerun, and six FBI in two games. Jamieson was 2-for-6 with a run scored and an RBI in two games against Suffolk.
 
Erin Feeney has the most appearances with nine, all starts, on the season for the Colts. Feeney is 3-6 on the year, with a 5.28 ERA. In her 50.1 innings pitched, Feeney has surrendered 56 runs, 38 earned, on 85 hits, while striking out a team-high 31 batters. Feeney has also walked a team-high 14 batters this year. Feeney has pitched in three games where she surrendered two runs or less, including a shut-out win over Sussex County CC back in March, where she struck out eight batters in five innings, giving up just five hits. Feeney has lost her last two starts, including against Lackawanna College, where she gave up a season-high 17 runs on 15 hits. Her last start was a loss to Suffolk, where she surrendered nine runs on 15 hits.  
 
Jessica Stewart has made six starts in eight appearances, going 4-2 with a 6.03 ERA. Stewart, in 33.2 innings pitched, has surrendered 56 runs, 29 earned, on 71 hits, while striking out twelve batters this year. Stewart made an appearance against Lackawanna College, pitching 1.1 innings of relief where she gave up eleven runs on ten hits. Her last start came against Suffolk, where she picked up the win, despite giving up eleven runs on 17 hits against the Sharks. Stewart has been victorious in her last four starts.  
 
Kayla Consolo also pitches, and has made three starts in five appearances this season, going 2-1 with a 6.51 ERA. Consolo, in 23.2 innings, has given up 28 runs, 22 earned, on 36 hits, with 24 strikeouts this season. Consolo got the lost in her last appearance in the circle, where she gave up 15 runs on 17 hits to Lackawanna College in a 15-9 loss.  
 
The head coach for SUNY Orange is John Rywalt, in his first season leading the Colts. Rywalt was an assistant with the baseball team back in the 08-09 season, and has been a veteran of the Orange County softball scene for almost thirty years. Rywalt has spent time at the youth and travel levels of softball since 2003, and is a certified umpire at both the high school and collegiate levels. Coach Rywalt is a graduate of SUNY Delhi.  
 
About Chesapeake College


The Skipjacks (21-6) will be fresh off a road doubleheader at Hagerstown CC when the Falcons come calling on Friday. In its last two games over the weekend, Chesapeake split a road doubleheader at Mercer County CC. The Skipjacks scored five runs in the first two innings of game one, giving themselves just enough of a cushion to secure the 6-3 win. In game two, Mercer scored seven runs in the third inning to eventually win in five innings, 8-0. Heading into their doubleheader with Hagerstown, Chesapeake has gone 3-5 in its last eight games, after winning 16 straight before that.
 
Chesapeake is hitting .441 on the season as a team, and has a 1.165 OPS on the season. The Skipjacks are slugging at .668 on the year, as a squad, and have 96 extra base hits, including 55 doubles and 36 homeruns on the season. Chesapeake has a combined .497 OBP this season, and has drawn 79 walks, while striking out 56 times this year. The Skipjacks have 32 stolen bases on the season.
 
On the bump, Chesapeake has a 3.24 team ERA. In 160 innings of work, they Skipjacks have given up 100 runs, 74 earned, on 176 hits, while striking out 142 opponents, and walking 60. Chesapeake's staff has 15 games where they have allowed three or fewer runs, including six shutouts this season. The Skipjacks have turned a pair of double plays this season, and have committed just 28 errors in 27 games.
 
Mackenzie Willey leads Chesapeake with 47 total hits this year. Her .500 batting average is second on the squad, but Willey leads the team in homeruns (9) and RBI (42). She has 19 extra base hits this year, and has scored 31 runs. Her 1.409 OPS is second on the team, as is her .904 slugging percentage this season. Willey has six stolen bases on the season, tied for second on the Skipjacks. Willey has twelve multi-hit games this year, and was a combined 5-for-6 with an RBI in her two games against Mercer this past weekend.
 
Megan Stubbs leads the 'Jacks with a .525 batting average, and has scored 45 runs this year, the most on the team. Stubbs is also the team-leader in OPS (1.614), slugging (1.000), OBP (.614), doubles (12), extra base hits (21), walks (19), and stolen bases (13). Stubbs has collected 42 total hits this season, which is good for second on the team behind Willey. Stubbs has eleven multi-hit games this year, but a was just 1-for-7 with an RBI in the two games against Mercer.
 
Cassidy Stubbs is third on the team with a .487 average this year, and is tied for third on the team, alongside Olivia Brown, with 37 total hits. Cassidy Stubbs has a 1.288 OPS, third on the squad, and has a .776 slugging percentage this year. Cassidy has scored 26 runs, and has twelve extra base hits, including six doubles and four homeruns. She also leads the team with two triples, and has driven in 25 runs this year, good for fourth on the 'Jacks. She has nine multi-hit games this season, and went 0-for-3 in the first game against Mercer this past weekend.
 
The aforementioned Olivia Brown has a .446 batting average this year, with 37 total hits. Brown has scored 30 runs, which is third on the team, and has four doubles and 23 RBI on the year. Brown has a .466 OBP, and a .494 slugging percentage this year. Brown has ten multi-hit games on the year, but was held to 0-for-5 with a run scored in two games against Mercer.
 
Shyra Jones has played in just 14 of Chesapeake's 27 games this year, but she's played a lot more as of late, now with a .541 batting average in those 14 games. Jones has been ripping the cover off the ball, hitting seven homers and driving in 26 runs, already third on the team. Jones has a 1.162 slugging percentage, and a combined OPS of 1.787, thanks to a .625 OBP. Jones has scored 13 runs and collected 20 hits in 14 games. She has five multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 4-for-6 with a run scored, two RBI, and a homerun in two games against Mercer, including a 4-for-4 performance in game one.
 
Madison Covey is hitting .443 on the season, with a 1.137 OPS. Covey has 31 total hits, and has scored 23 runs this year. She's hit ten extra base hits, including eight doubles, and has 20 RBI on the year. She's also drawn nine walks, third on the team. Covey has eight multi-hit games on the season, and was a combined 1-for-5 with a walk, a strikeout, and a stolen base in two games against Mercer.
 
Madison Gentry is hitting .368 on the season, with an OPS of 1.029, and a slugging percentage of .605. Gentry has eight extra base hits, including five homeruns, and has 23 RBI on the year. Gentry has collected 28 total hits, and has scored 29 runs this year for the Skipjacks. She has also drawn eight walks on the season. Gentry has seven multi-hit games this year, but was a combined 1-for-6 with a run scored in the two contests against Mercer.
 
Gentry is also the main pitcher for the 'Jacks on the season, appearing a team-high 14 times, twelve of which have been starts. Gentry is 11-2, with a 3.06 ERA. In 77.2 innings pitched, she has given up 47 runs, 34 earned, on 84 hits, while striking out a team-best 78 batters. She has also walked a team-high 36 batters. She averages around seven strikeouts per seven innings pitched. Gentry had a season-high twelve strikeouts in a win against Anne Arundel CC, and has won her last two starts, including the first game against Mercer, where she allowed three runs on eight hits, striking out four in seven innings.
 
Olivia Wheel is second on the staff with twelve appearances, eleven of which have been starts, going 8-4 with a 3.13 ERA this season. Wheel, in 53.2 innings, has surrendered 36 runs, 24 earned, on 59 hits, while striking out 49 batters, and walking 17. Wheel had won six straight starts, but has now lost her last three, including the second game against Mercer, where she allowed eight runs, three earned, on eight hits in 4.2 innings against the Vikings. In her last three starts, Wheel has given up 22 runs, twelve earned, and struck out just five batters.
 
The head softball coach for Chesapeake is Matt Elzey, in his first season at the helm for the Skipjacks. Elzey was an assistant coach for seven years at Easton and St. Michael's high schools, and has twelve years combined as a head coach for two high-level club teams, all happening before he took the Chesapeake position.
 
Game Information
The home doubleheader with SUNY Orange is set to start at 3:00pm ET on Thursday, April 28th, with the second game following around 5:00pm ET. Both games will have a video livestream on the Lackawanna College Athletics YouTube Channel at www.lackawannafalcons.com/YouTube.  
 
The away doubleheader at Chesapeake College is set for a 2:00pm ET start on Friday, April 29^th, with game two going at 4:00pm ET. There will be a video livestream available, courtesy of the Chesapeake College Athletics Department. You can access that by clicking HERE.
 
The Falcons get back to work with another doubleheader at home on Saturday, April 30^th, when the County College of Morris Titans come to town to take on the Falcons. The doubleheader will start at 1:00pm ET at the Scranton High softball field.