4/29/22
 
WYE MILLS, Md. – The Lackawanna College Softball team went on the road to face a tough Region XX opponent in Chesapeake College, and the Falcons showed their worth, earning a split in the road doubleheader on Friday afternoon in Maryland.  
 
The Falcons (28-16) won game one in impressive fashion, knocking off the host Skipjacks with a 12-5 victory. Game two went more the way of Chesapeake, as the Skipjacks (22-9) held the Falcons to just two hits en route to a 9-1 decision.
 
Game One Recap: Lackawanna College 12 – 5 Chesapeake College
A six-run first inning got the Falcons a lead they'd never surrender, and a five-run sixth inning put it beyond any doubt, as Lackawanna College earned a big road win over Chesapeake College, 12-5, in game one of their doubleheader in Maryland on Friday afternoon.
 
The Falcons (28-15) put their offense on display against the Skipjacks in game one, collecting twelve hits, including six doubles, and seven Falcon players had a hit at the plate. Jennifer Wolak went 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored, while Emma McNally was also 3-for-4, driving in three runs and scoring two of her own. MacKayla Quick improved to 12-6 on the year, giving up five runs on ten hits in seven innings, while striking out eight batters.
 
In the top of the first, the Falcons struck hard and fast. A one-out walk, followed by a single from Madison McVicar, put two on with one out, when McNally singled to center to score the first run of the game. A hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, and Catarena Sommers drew a walk with the bases loaded to score the second run. The Skipjacks made a pitching change, and Quick sac flied to score another run, before Wolak broke things open with a two-run double to center to make it 5-0. Savannah Glover followed with a double to center of her own to make it 6-0, Falcons, before Chesapeake finally got out of the inning. 
 
Things remained quiet until the bottom of the second. With the Falcons still up 6-0, the Skipjacks (21-9) got a couple runs back. With the bases loaded and two away, back-to-back singles scored a pair of runs, making it 6-2, before Quick got a fly out to end the scoring threat and strand the bases loaded.
 
The Falcons added another run in the top of the third, when Sommers led off with a double, advanced to third on the throw, then successfully stole home to make it 7-2, Falcons. Wolak doubled again to keep the inning going, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the top half. In the bottom of the third, Chesapeake finally woke themselves up. A walk, followed by a double, immediately put runners on second and third with nobody out. Quick got an out via pop out, but back-to-back singles scored two runs, making it 7-4. A sac bunt scored another run to pull it to 7-5, but Quick struck out the next batter for the last out to keep the Falcons in front.
 
Chesapeake pitched around a McNally double in the top of the fourth, and the Skipjacks had more cooking in the bottom frame. With the bases loaded and two away, Quick managed to muscle up and get a massive swinging strikeout to end the threat and strand the runners.
 
Things were quiet in the fifth, and the Falcons, still leading 7-5, blew things wide open in the top of the sixth. With one out, the Falcons had the bases loaded, when McNally doubled to center, scoring a pair of runs to make it 9-5. Two passed balls brought two runs home, stretching the lead to 11-5, then, with two away, an RBI single from Wolak scored another run, making it 12-5, Falcons.  
 
Quick pitched around a single and a walk to keep Chesapeake off the board in the bottom of the sixth, and, after a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the seventh, Quick did the same in the bottom of the seventh, pitching around a lead-off walk and a two-out single to secure the win for the Falcons, their eighth straight.
 
Game Two Recap: Chesapeake College 9 – 1 Lackawanna College


Chesapeake College got a gem from pitcher Macy Griffin, who allowed just two hits and one run, while striking out three, holding the Falcon offense down, and allowing the Skipjacks to run away with a 9-1 victory in five innings in game two of the doubleheader on Friday afternoon in Maryland.
 
Chesapeake (22-9) steadily built their lead, scoring runs steadily through the second, third, and fourth innings, and with the Falcons struggling to answer, the lead expanded, before they scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth. That outburst put the Skipjacks up by eight and triggered the sportsmanship rule.
 
The Falcons (28-16) struggled mightily from the plate, after three straight games of double-digit runs, to put any sort of offense on the board. Kira Ryan and Emma McNally were the only Falcons to record hits, with a Ryan double as the only extra base knock.  Meghan Fritz got tagged with the loss, pitching four innings and giving up five runs on nine hits, while striking out four.
 
Both teams were quiet in the first inning, and the Falcons did the same in the top of the second, but Chesapeake found their breakthrough in the bottom frame. Three straight singles opened the bottom half, loading the bases, and a hit-by-pitch scored the first run of the game. Fritz recovered, striking out the side with the bases loaded, keeping the damage to a minimum at 1-0.
 
Nothing doing for the Falcons in the top of the third led to a pair of runs in the bottom frame for the Skipjacks. With a runner on third and one out, a sac fly to right scored the second run of the game. Back-to-back singles put runners on, and a passed ball put those runners on second and third, still with two outs. A walk loaded the bases, and a two-run single pushed the Skipjacks lead to 4-0. Eventually, Fritz got a strikeout to get out of the inning and strand the bases loaded.
 
In the top of the fourth inning, Ryan led things off with a double to left. Two straight outs threatened to end the inning, but a Skylynn Gilligan single to right scored Ryan, cutting the deficit to 4-1. Gilligan got to second on a passed ball, but a fielder's choice ended the inning.  
 
Chesapeake got a run back in the fourth, when a two-out single to third base scored a run to make it 5-1, 'Jacks. Fritz was able to get out of trouble and strand a pair of runners with an induced ground out to third to end the threat.       
 
The Falcons went quiet in the fifth, as the Skipjacks pitched around a walk, and the bottom frame was where Chesapeake got what they needed to end the game early. With Stephanie Kibbe on to pitch, a two-out single scored a run, followed by an error, and then a two-run double to make it 8-1. Another error, followed by a walk, loaded the bases. An RBI single promptly followed, triggering the sportsmanship rule and ending the game at 9-1.
 
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.