3/24/23

SYRACUSE, NY -- In action for the first time in over two weeks, Lackawanna College's softball squad got a pair of impressive victories on Friday afternoon, knocking off the hosts SUNY Onondaga with a come-from-behind 11-10 victory, then piled on eleven runs in the first inning to build an unassailable lead and win 12-4 in five innings over Hudson Valley CC at the SUNY Onondaga spring Classic.
 
In game one, the Falcons built an early 4-0 lead, lost it, gained it back, lost it again, then scored two two runs in the top of the seventh when pinch hitter Krista Scoblick (Harvey's Lake, PA) launched a two-run homerun to center field to give Lackawanna (6-5) another lead. Aria Reyes (Allentown, PA), on in relief for the Falcons, got out of a jam, danced around a leadoff double to get the Falcons the big win. Gabby Wettig (Manheim, PA) led the way, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI on a pair of doubles, while Madison Maloney (Scranton, PA) went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a walk, and a double, and Skylar Borthwick (Pittston, PA) was 2-for-3 with an RBI, a walk, and a run scored.
 
It was about as good a start as the Falcons could have hoped for, after exactly 15 days since their last game. Maloney and Borthwick led the game off with back-to-back singles, and Catarena Sommers (Windham, OH) brought the pair home with a double to left field. Madison McVicar (Blakely, PA) provided her one RBI double, scoring Sommers to make it 3-0, Falcons, before the first out had been recorded. Onondaga (4-7) settled in, getting the next three outs to get out of the inning.
 
Playing just south of her home town, Alivia Graber (North Syracuse, NY) got the start for the Falcons, and tossed a 1-2-3 first to get things started in the bottom frame. In the top of the second, back to back one-out walks, preceded a single from Borthwick to left-center, but an error in the outfield from the Lazers allowed a run to come across, giving the Falcons a 4-0 advantage. The Falcons had runners on second and third with just one out, as a result, but Lackawanna couldn't convert, thanks to a strikeout and a caught stealing at home plate.
 
Onondaga got itself going in the bottom of the second, using a two-out walk, followed by a hit batter, to put a pair on. An RBI double scored the pair to cut into the Falcon lead at 4-2. A wild pitch put a runner at third, and then a pair of walks loaded the bases, still with two outs. Graber threw another wild pitch, allowing a runner to score and make it 4-3. An error on the infield allowed two more runs to score and give the Lazers the 5-4 lead. A walk, followed by another hit batter, loaded the bases once more, and the Lazers got one more big hit, doubling to center to extend their lead at 7-4. A fly out mercifully ended the nightmare inning.
 
Lackawanna got two back in the top of the third with some two-out magic of its own, when Wetting doubled to center, then was brought home with a pop-fly double from Allyson Lemerise (Catonsville, MD). Graber then came to the plate and helped herself out, singling to left field to score Lemerise and cut the Falcon deficit to 7-6.
 
The Falcons scored three more in the top of the fourth, which started with a leadoff double from Maloney, who got all the way to third on an error in the outfield. After a strikeout put one away, Sommers drew a walk to put runners on the corners, and a wild pitch brought Maloney in to tie the game at 7-all. McVicar drew a walk, which forced a pitching change. A strikeout made it two outs, but another wild pitch put two runners in scoring position. Wettig delivered with a big two-run double to put the Falcons in front at 9-7.
 
Onondaga made sure that lead didn't stand up, using back-to-back two-out singles, followed by a walk, to load the bases. A double to right field scored a pair, tying things back up at 9-9. After a single with two on failed to advance the runners home, Graber managed to get out of trouble with a strikeout to end the threat and strand the bases loaded.
 
Still tied in the bottom of the fifth, Lackawanna lifted Graber for Reyes in the circle, but Onondaga managed to draw a leadoff walk, then advanced the runner to third on a wild pitch and a passed ball. An RBI double to center scored the go-ahead run, but a fielder's choice, followed by a pair of ground outs, kept the Lazers from adding.
 
Both teams had a quiet sixth inning, which meant the Falcons came up for their last at-bats in the top of the seventh, trailing 10-9. A one-out single from Wetting got the Falcons a baserunner, setting the stage for Scoblick, who pinch hit for Lemerise. Scoblick made the decision pay off, smashing a two-run homer to center field to give the Falcons an 11-10 lead, which they held heading into the bottom frame.
 
A leadoff double put the tying run in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh, but Reyes rallied to retire the next three batters, securing her first win of the season, and the big win for Lackawanna College.
 
In game two, things were a little less nervy for Lackawanna College, as the Falcons scored eleven first inning runs on their way to a dominant 12-4 win over the Hudson Valley CC Vikings in five innings on Friday afternoon at SUNY Onondaga.
 
The Falcons were led by Gabby Wettig (Manheim, PA), who was 2-for-2 with three RBI and one run scored, while Krista Scoblick (Harvey's Lake, PA) smashed a grand slam in the first inning. Allyson Lemerise (Catonsville, MD) got the win, pitching five innings, giving up four runs on eight hits, while striking out three for the Falcons to get her second victory of the year.
 
The game started with a Madison Maloney (Scranton, PA) triple, and she'd score on a passed ball to make it 1-0. Back-to-back walks set the table for Madison McVicar (Blakely, PA) to blast an RBI double to right, putting runners on second and third with nobody out. A Wettig walk loaded the bases, and Scoblick cleared them with a grand slam to right field, putting the Falcons up 6-0 before the first out was recorded. Later in the inning, the bases were loaded with two outs, when Catarena Sommers (Windham, OH) drew a walk to force in a run, also forcing the Vikings to make a pitching change. Another walk brought home the eighth run of the inning, and Wettig delivered with an RBI single to left field, driving in three runs, two thanks to an error on the relay from the outfield. Mercifully, Hudson Valley got the third out soon after, but found itself in an 11-0 hole.
 
The Vikings (2-7) stranded two in the bottom of the first, and the Falcons added another run when Maloney hit a two-out RBI double to make it 12-0, Falcons, after the top of the second.
 
The Vikings used some two-out magic in the bottom of the third to try to start making a game out of it, getting an RBI single that brought home a pair of runs, courtesy of an error on the infield for the Falcons. A walk added another runner, but Lemerise got a strikeout to end the threat.
 
Hudson Valley added another pair in the bottom of the fourth, taking advantage of a leadoff double, followed by a single, that led to a two-run double to cut he Falcon lead down to 12-4. Lemerise got a fielder's choice, followed by a pop up to put two away, but a single, followed by a passed ball, put runners on second and third. She'd get a big strikeout looking to end the scoring threat and keep the Falcons up by eight heading into the fifth.
 
Facing a run-rule loss in the bottom of the fifth, Hudson Valley got a one-out double to put a runner in scoring position, but Lemerise got a ground out, followed by a pop up to first to end the inning, end the game, and give the Falcons the sweep on Friday afternoon.
 
The Falcons were scheduled to play both Onondaga and Hudson Valley again on Saturday afternoon, but forecasted rain has scuttled those plans. The next game for Lackawanna College softball will be a doubleheader, scheduled for a 12:00pm ET start on Sunday, March 26^th, against Region XIX DII opponent Salem Community College in Carneys Point, NJ.