5/1/22
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – In a match-up between the top two Region XIX teams to close the regular season, the Delaware Tech Terry Hawks showed why they're on top of the perch, blowing past the Lackawanna College Falcons in a pair of dominant victories on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in Scranton.  
 
Delaware Tech drubbed the Falcons in game one, belting 20 hits on their way to a 19-3 victory in just five innings. In game two, Lackawanna put up much more of a fight, but Del Tech broke open a tie game in the sixth with ten runs in the final two innings, pulling away to win 13-3.
 
Lackawanna College (31-18) put bats to balls in both games, but some excellent defense from the Terry Hawks in the field kept the Falcons grounded. Meanwhile, Delaware Tech (28-2) piled up 32 combined hits, including seven extra base knocks, keeping the Falcon defense on its back heels throughout.  
 
Game One Recap: Delaware Tech 19 – 3 Lackawanna College (5 Innings)
Delaware Tech scored runs in every inning, including nine in the first two, putting Lackawanna College in a hole they could never recover from, as the Terry Hawks battered the Falcons, 19-3, in a five-inning first game of the doubleheader on Sunday afternoon in Scranton.
 
The Falcons (31-17) just couldn't get out of the starting blocks, as the visitors steadily built a 15-0 lead before Lackawanna could finally got on the board. Del Tech (27-2) scored three runs in the first to immediately grab the lead, then took advantage when the Falcons were quiet in the bottom of the first by putting a six-spot on the board in the second.
 
Four different Falcons had two hits, including Madison McVicar, Skylynn Gilligan, Catarena Sommers, and Tess Ruschman. Gilligan had the only extra base hit with a double, and scored a pair of runs. Sommers, Ruschman, and Jennifer Wolak each had an RBI on the day. MacKayla Quick saw her six-game winning streak come to an end, as she could never quite get on track, surrendering nine runs on eight hits in two innings of work.
 
Delaware Tech wasted no time putting their bats on display in the top of the first, getting a walk and a bunt single to start the game. After an infield fly put the first out on the board, an RBI single to center put Del Tech on top. A walk, followed by an error on a fly ball in the outfield, scored another run, and a sac fly to left made it 3-0 before Quick got a fly out to end the top of the first.
 
The Falcons got a single in the bottom of the first, but couldn't get anything going, and Del Tech pounced in the top of the second. Another lead-off walk, followed by a pair of bunt singles, loaded the bases with nobody out. A double to left brought home a pair of runs, and an error on the relay allowed a third run to score, making it 6-0, Delaware Tech. Another double scored a run, followed by back-to-back RBI singles to push it to 9-0. Three straight fly outs got Quick and the Falcons out of the inning before more damage.
 
After another an empty bottom of the second, Delaware Tech punched a few more across in the top of the third. With Tess Ruschman on to pitch, three straight singles loaded the bases with nobody out. A grounder to Wolak at third, was flipped home to Gwen Balavage behind the plate, who stood her ground and got the first out on a bang-bang play. The next batter was hit by a pitch, bringing home a run to make it 10-0. After another out, with the bases still loaded, the Terry Hawks got back-to- back RBI singles to stretch the lead out to 12-0, before a fly out ended the top of the third.
 
The Falcons finally had a pair of baserunners in the bottom of the third, after a Savannah Glover walk, and a two-out single from Madison McVicar to right, but a strikeout ended the scoring threat.
 
Delaware Tech was a little more economical in the top of the fourth, when back-to-back singles led the inning off, and a one-out, three-run blast to center brought everybody home, lengthening the lead to 15-0, Terry Hawks. The Falcons would get out of the inning without any further damage, and had something cooking in the bottom frame, after a lead-off double from Gilligan immediately put some pressure on the defense. Sommers reached after getting hit by a pitch, and a Ruschman single to center loaded the bases, with nobody out. Finally, the breakthrough happened, when a Wolak single to left scored Gilligan, but Sommers was tagged out trying to get to third. Before more could happen, Delaware Tech got a pair of strikeouts to end the Falcon threat.
 
In the top of the fifth, with the score now 15-1, Delaware Tech padded the lead with a few more, when, with the bases loaded and two outs, a ball was crushed to left field for a Terry Hawks grand slam, making it 19-1, sending the Delaware Tech bench to its feet to celebrate the blast.
 
The Falcons had their last chances in the bottom of the fifth, and it looked like, apart from a one-out walk, things would end quietly. A two-out single from Gilligan kept things moving, and an RBI single from Sommers scored a run. Ruschman stepped up and delivered with an RBI single of her own, closing the gap to 19-3. That would be all, however, as a Wolak grounder to short ended the game, triggering the sportsmanship rule.
 
Game Two Recap: Delaware Tech 13 – 3 Lackawanna College


A Catarena Sommers two-run blast gave Lackawanna College a lead in the fourth, but Delaware Tech scored eleven runs in the final three innings to pull away for a 13-3 victory in game two of the doubleheader on Sunday afternoon in Scranton.
 
Lackawanna College (31-18) held its own with the visitors through five innings, and the Falcons took their first lead of the afternoon on a two-run shot from Sommers in the bottom of the fourth inning at 3-2. A solo homer in the top of the fifth tied the game back up, and the dam broke in the sixth inning, as the Terry Hawks (28-2) plated six to blow open a tight game, and then four more in the seventh to pad their lead.
 
The Falcons were led by Skylynn Gilligan, who went 2-for-3 with a run scored, and Catarena Sommers was 1-for-2 with her two-run homer, and Tess Ruschman was 1-for-4 with an RBI. Stephanie Kibbe was tagged with the loss, but pitched a strong first five innings, before the sixth was her undoing. Kibbe allowed nine runs, three earned, on ten hits, in six innings of work.  
 
Kibbe fired up a zero, the first of the day for Delaware Tech, in the first inning, pitching around a walk and a single to keep the Terry Hawks off the board, but the Falcons couldn't capitalize, going quietly in the bottom frame.
 
In the top of the second, with two on and one out, an RBI single, followed by a sac fly, made it 2-0, Delaware Tech. Kibbe recovered, getting a ground out to short to end the inning. In the bottom of the second, the Falcons bot back-to-back singles from Emma McNally and Gilligan to put two on with nobody out. Sommers lined a hot-shot to third that was snagged on the fly by the third baseman for the first out.  MacKayla Quick lined a shot to second that was snatched out of the air, and, unlucky for the Falcons, the second baseman stepped on the bag before McNally could get back to second, quickly ending the inning and the scoring threat.
 
Kibbe pitched around a walk and a single in the top of the third to keep Delaware Tech from adding to their lead. In the Lackawanna half, a one-out single from Savannah Glover got the Falcons another baserunner. Ruschman delivered the first run of the game for the Falcons with a double to center, scoring Glover and cutting it to 2-1. However, Ruschman was tagged out trying to stretch it to a triple. Kira Ryan reached on an error, and a McVicar single put two on, but McNally couldn't provide the go-ahead runs, as she grounded to first to end the inning.
 
Another zero from Kibbe kept it at 2-1 after the top of the fourth, and the Falcons got their big play in the bottom frame. Gilligan led the inning off with a single, and Sommers drilled a pitch over the left field fence, sending the Falcon dugout into a frenzy and giving Lackawanna their first lead over Del Tech on the season at 3-2. The Terry Hawks recovered, getting three straight outs to get out of the inning.
 
The lead would be short-lived, as Del Tech evened the score with a one-out homer to right field, a shot that cleared the fence with ease and tied things at 3-all. Kibbe recovered, inducing a pop out and a fly out to end the top of the fifth. With a new pitcher in the bottom of the fifth, the Falcons got a one-out walk from Kira Ryan, who stole second to put herself in scoring position, but a ground out to short ended the chance for the Falcons.  
 
Finally, in the top of the sixth, Delaware Tech found their offensive groove. A lead-off single got things started, but a bunt out, followed by a ground out, put two away. An error on the infield put a second baserunner on, and the Terry Hawks hit hard, drilling a triple to left to score the go-ahead runs and make it 5-3. Another error on the infield allowed a run to score, and two more errors loaded the bases, still with two away. A bases-clearing double scored three and broke the game wide open, making it 9-3, Del Tech, before Kibbe got a fly out to end the inning.
 
Things were quiet for the Falcons in the bottom of the sixth, but Delaware Tech added more in the top of the seventh. With Meghan Fritz pitching, Delaware Tech plated four more runs on ground balls and a single, pushing the lead to 13-3.
 
A Glvoer walk led off the bottom of the seventh, but a pair of pop flies, followed by a swinging strikeout, ended the game and gave the win to Delaware Tech.
 
The Falcons now await their fate in the Region XIX playoffs in two weeks. The playoffs will take place at the top-seeded Delaware Tech the weekend of Friday, May 13^th, with the Falcons' opponent still to be determined. Check lackawannafalcons.com for details and scheduling updates on the Region XIX tournament.