3/24/23
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The usually hard-to-predict spring weather has thrown the Lackawanna College softball schedule into disarray over the last two weeks, but the Falcons are finally scheduled to get back to work, with a weekend filled with doubleheaders on the road in New York and New Jersey.
 
On Friday, March 24^th, the Falcons will travel north on Interstate 81 to take on the SUNY Onondaga Lazers and the Hudson Valley CC Vikings in a doubleheader at Onondaga in Syracuse, NY, with the first game starting at 12:00pm ET, and the second following soon after at 2:30pm ET. Then, on Saturday March 25^th, they'll do it all again, this time facing Hudson Valley at 11:30am ET, before taking on the hosts at 2:00pm ET. Finally, on Sunday March 26^th, the Falcons will travel to Salem CC in Carneys Point, NJ to take on the Mighty Oaks for a pair of games, with the first starting at 12:00pm ET. There will be no livestream links for video to watch the games this weekend.
 
About The Falcons
The Falcons (4-5) have been idle for two weeks. The last two games of their spring break trip back on March 10^th were washed out because of rain, and then the home doubleheader against SUNY Corning that was scheduled for last Saturday was postponed due to field conditions at Scranton HS after snow and rain soaked the field in the week leading up. The last time Lackawanna College was in action, the Falcons won 14-5 in five innings, scoring eight runs in the fifth and then shutting down the Hawks in the bottom frame to grab the run-rule victory. Four Falcons had multiple hits, including shortstop Madison Maloney (Scranton, PA), who was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a team-best four RBI. You can read the recap HERE.
 
The Falcons are hitting .304 on the year, with an .845 OPS this season. Lackawanna College has 24 extra base hits, including 17 doubles and five homeruns on the year. The Falcons are slugging at .448, and have drawn 33 walks on the year. In the circle, the Falcons have a 5.28 ERA, allowing 52 runs on 69 hits so far this season, while striking out 32 batters and allowing 29 walks.
 
Madison McVicar (Blakely, PA) leads the Falcons with a .375 batting average so far this season. McVicar, a second team All-Region XIX selection last year, has a .983 OPS, and has a team-high nine hits on the year. She also has nine runs scored, tied for the team-lead this year. McVicar has a .483 OBP to lead the Falcons, and has three doubles and two RBI on the year. McVicar has three multi-hit games this year, with the most hits in a game coming against Delta College, where she was 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Against Henry Ford, she was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a double, and two RBI.  
 
Tess Ruschman (Easton, PA) is tied for second on the team with eight hits and holds a .308 batting average so far this season. Ruschman, a first-team All-Region XIX selection from a year ago, leads the Falcons RBI (10), and has three extra base hits, including a pair of homeruns this season. Tess is slugging at .615, and holds a .948 OPS on the year. She has two multi-hit games this year, and had a triple and a homerun in the 8-3 win over Bryant & Stratton two weeks ago, driving in five RBI in that game alone. Ruschman was 1-for-4 in the loss to Madonna University in her last appearance, back on March 9^th.
 
Madison Maloney (Scranton, PA) is tied with Ruschman for second on the team with eight hits this year, and has a .296 batting average so far on the campaign. Maloney has scored six runs and has a team-high 27 at-bats. She's drawn a team-high five walks, and has a .406 on-base percentage. She also leads the team in steals with six swipes on the season. Maloney has a double and seven RBI on the year. Madison has two multi-hit games, both coming in her last two appearances, and finished the Spring Break trip on a high-note, going 5-for-11 over her last three games. She was 2-for-3 with a season-high four RBI and a run scored in the win over Henry Ford.
 
Emilee Dickinson (Hillsboro, OR) is hitting .313 on the year, with five hits in seven appearances for the Falcons this season. Dickinson has compiled a 1.014 OPS, thanks to her team-high .625 slugging percentage. Dickinson has two doubles and a homerun for six RBI, and she has scored five runs on the year. Emilee has one multi-hit game on the season, coming in her last appearance against henry Ford college, going 2-for-4 with three runs scored, a double, and an RBI.
 
Catarena Sommers (Windham, OH), a second team All-Region XIX selection from last year, is hitting .263 so far this year, with five hits and six runs scored through seven appearances. Sommers has scored six runs on the year, and has drawn four walks this season. She is tied with McVicar for the team lead in doubles (3), and she holds a .812 OPS. Cat has one multi-hit game so far this season, a 2-for-4 showing against Bryant & Stratton of Ohio, but she had been quiet over her last three games, going 0-for-8 with a pair of runs scored. She did not play against either Madonna University or Henry Ford College back on March 9^th.  
 
Freshman Skylar Borthwick (Pittston, PA) is hitting .250 on the year, with a .923 OPS. Borthwick has six RBI on the season, with a pair of doubles and a homerun to her credit. Borthwick is tied with McVicar for the team lead in runs scored with nine on the year, and has reached base six times on walks and hit-by-pitches. Borthwick has a .423 on-base percentage, and also has a stolen base so far this season. Skylar has one multi-hit game this year, going 3-for-3 in her Falcon debut against Frederick CC. She struggled through the middle part of the Spring Break trip, but was 1-for-2 with two runs scored and an RBI in the win against Henry Ford back on March 9^th.   
 
Krista Scoblick (Harvey's Lake, PA) has appeared in six games, and has put up an impressive .455 batting average, with a 1.136 OPS this year. In eleven at-bats on the year, she has five hits, and has driven in five RBI on the season, with just one extra base hit, a triple, to her credit this year. Scoblick has one multi-hit game, a 3-for-3 showing against Frederick CC, then also struggled through the middle part of the trip, but broke out against Henry Ford, going 1-for-4 with a run scored, two RBI, and a triple in the win.
 
Alivia Graber (North Syracuse, NY) has been the pitcher with the most innings so far for the Falcons. Graber is 2-2 with a 3.85 ERA, allowing 15 runs, eleven earned, on 26 hits in 20 innings of work. After dropping her first two games of the year, Graber has been better in her last two starts, pitching a gem against Olney Central where she gave up one unearned run on three hits and struck out six in a win, then going five innings, giving up five runs on eight hits, but striking out five in the win over Henry Ford. Graber missed almost all of last season due to injury.
 
The aforementioned Tess Ruschman also doubles as starting pitcher for the Falcons, going 1-1 with a 5.73 ERA in three appearances this year. In 14.2 innings of work, she's given up 16 runs, 12 earned, on 18 hits, striking out ten and walking six. Opponents are hitting .265 against Tess this year. Tess got the win against Bryant & Stratton (OH), going seven innings strong and scattering three runs on five hits while striking out five, but she dropped her last pitching appearance, giving up nine runs, five earned, on eleven hits in seven innings in a loss to William Peace JV.
 
Allyson Lemerise (Catonsville, MD), who also doubles at third base when she's not pitching, has a 6.79 ERA in 11.1 innings with a 1-1 record this year. Lemerise has given up 12 runs, eleven earned, on 16 hits, striking out eight and walking seven. Lemerise had a decent enough outing early against Madonna University in her last start, but the Crusaders eventually wore her down and posted eight runs, seven earned, on ten hits, while drawing five walks from Lemerise.    
 
The Falcons are coached by Jeff Pittsman, entering his 12th season at the helm for the Lackawanna softball. Coach Pitt was hired as the head coach in 2012, and was tasked with rebuilding the program from the ground up. Low in enthusiasm and overall numbers, coach Pitt got the Falcons through a tough first year to become immediately competitive in year two, improving by 13 wins in just one season. The next year, the Falcons finished .500, and by 2016, the Falcons won 20+ games for the first time in a while, and made the Region XIX playoffs, getting coach Pittsman the EPAC Coach of the Year. he won it again in 2017, when Lackawanna went 24-14 and won the Region XIX championship, their first since 2002. The Falcons won 29 games in 2018, making the Region XIX playoffs once again, and won 34 games in 2019, once again qualifying for the Region XIX tournament. In 2022, Pittsman got the Falcons to a 31-22 overall record and once again making the Region XIX tournament. Pittsman is 204-177 in his career at Lackawanna, with a Region XIX championship and two 30+ win seasons to his credit.
 
About SUNY Onondaga
The Lazers of Onondaga (4-6) enter the weekend for their first set of games outside of the state of Florida, having played their first ten in the Sunshine State as part of their Spring Break trip. After dropping its first five, Onondaga had won four in a row before dropping a 12-4 decision to Suffolk County CC in the second game of a doubleheader. The Lazers won the first game, 6-5, after rallying from a 4-2 deficit in the top of the seventh with four runs to pull out the win. In game two, the Sharks scored seven runs in the first, then plated five more in the fourth to build a 12-0 advantage. Onondaga rallied for four runs in the bottom of the fifth, but couldn't get inside of the eight-run deficit, triggering the run-rule victory for Suffolk after five innings.
 
Onondaga averages .351 at the dish so far this season, and has a team OPS of .873 on the year. The Lazers have scored 62 runs in ten games, and have 87 hits, with a .438 on-base percentage. The Lazers have 13 extra base hits, including eight doubles and three homeruns. Onondaga has struck out 42 times and has drawn 32 walks, and the Lazers have stolen 28 bases on the year.
 
In the pitcher's circle, the Lazers have a 5.02 combined ERA, pitching 53 innings and giving up 81 runs, 38 earned, on 85 hits. Onondaga has struck out 33 batters, while walking 31.
 
Sophia D'Arcangelis leads the Lazers with 15 total hits this season, averaging .469 at the plate. D'Arcangelis has a 1.091 OPS in nine games, scoring a team-high 12 runs this year. Sophia has a double and a triple, along with two RBI, and is slugging at .563 on the year. Her .528 on-base percentage is second on the team, and she has drawn four walks, tied for third on the team. She also leads the team with nine stolen bases this year. D'Arcangelis has four multi-hit games, all in her last four. D'Arcangelis is 11-for-her-last-16, hitting .687 in those four games, scoring nine runs for the Lazers. D'Arcangelis was 4-for-7 with three runs scored in two games against Suffolk.
 
Bianca DeSellems is second on the team with 12 total hits this season, and a .400 batting average. DeSellems has a .938 OPS, scoring seven runs so far this year. DeSellems is fourth on the team with six RBI, and has a .471 on-base percentage, drawing four walks on the year, tied with D'Arcangelis for third on the team. DeSellems has four multi-hit games, including three in a row at one point, before going 0-for-4 in the first game against Suffolk on Tuesday. In two games against the Sharks, was 1-for-7 with two RBI and a run scored.  
 
Jenna Mills has eleven total hits this season, and is hitting at .379 on the campaign. In nine games, Mills has a .954 OPS, boosted by her .483 slugging percentage. Mills has seven RBI, third on the team, and has one of the three homeruns for the Lazers this year. She's drawn four walks and been hit by a pitch as well. Mills has two multi-hit games this year, and was a combined 2-for-6 with a pair of RBI against Suffolk on Tuesday.
 
Aubrey Fraher has ten total hits on the year, and is hitting at .417 this season. Fraher leads the lazers with a 1.273 OPS, boosted by a .792 slugging percentage. Fraher has four extra base hits, with a double, a triple, and two homeruns, and has nine RBI, tied for first on the team. Fraher has scored seven runs, in a four-way tie for second on the team, and has two walks and a hit-by-pitch so far this season. Fraher has three multi-hit games, all in her last three appearances, where she is a combined 7-for-13 (.538), driving in eight runs and hitting all her extra base knocks for the year. Fraher was a combined 3-for-6 with a triple, three RBI, and a walk against Suffolk on Tuesday.  
 
Zoe White has ten total hits, and is a .385 hitter on the year. White, who is tied with Fraher for the team lead at nine RBI, has a pair of doubles and has scored seven runs this year. She has an OPS at .931, and has drawn five walks, second on the team. White is the second-most dangerous baserunner for the Lazers, with seven steals this year. She has four multi-hit games on the season, and was a combined 3-for-6 with two runs scored, a double, and two RBI in two games against Suffolk on Tuesday.
 
Emma Kelly has eight hits in 16 at-bats, a .500 batting average and a 1.056 OPS this year. Kelly has a team-best .556 on-base percentage, and has four RBI and four runs scored this year, while stealing five bases on the year. Kelly has two multi-hit games on the season, and was 2-for-5 with a run scored in two games against Suffolk.
 
Trista DeLong is the pitcher with the most innings pitched, making three starts in eight appearances, with a 2.85 ERA in 27 innings pitched. DeLong has given up 32 runs, just eleven earned, on 39 hits, with a team-high 22 strikeouts and 14 walks on the year. She got the win in her last appearance, going seven strong and giving up five runs, three earned, on seven hits, while striking out six and walking six against Suffolk in the 6-5 win on Tuesday.
 
Aubrey Fraher is second on the team with 16 innings pitched, posting a 9.56 ERA on the year. She's given up 24 runs, 17 earned, on 25 hits, while striking out seven and walking 14 on the year. Fraher came on in relief in her last appearance, the second game against Suffolk, giving up four runs on six hits, with three strikeouts and two walks.
 
Olivia Colgan is third on the team in innings pitched, going eight innings so far this season with a 10.13 ERA on the year. She has given up 16 runs, nine earned, on 17 hits, walking five and striking out five on the year. She didn't get out of the first inning in her last start, giving up six runs, all earned, on five hits in the second game against Suffolk on Tuesday.
 
Robert Bates is the head coach for Onondaga, now in his 7^th season as the man in charge. Bates was an assistant with the 2016 squad before being named head coach in August 2016, and helped the Lazers win a second straight Region III championship and send them to the NJCAA DIII National Tournament for the second straight year. As a head coach, he's got a pair of Region III championships and a pair of national tournament appearances. He has an extensive background of travel and AAU softball, as well as coaching experience at the junior college level (Assistant at Cayuga CC) and HS level (Assistant at Waterloo Central HS). In his time at Onondaga, he has a 105-76 career record.
 
About Hudson Valley CC
The Vikings (2-6) come into the contest after splitting a pair of games a week ago in South Carolina at Myrtle Beach, beating Sussex County CC and dropping a 5-0 game to County College of Morris. In the game one win over Sussex, the Vikings rallied with three runs in the final three innings, getting a game-tying single in the fifth and then a pair of runs on a two-run homer with two outs to leap into the lead. In game two, the Vikings were limited to just three hits and had three errors, as the Titans plated two runs in the fourth and three more in the bottom of the sixth to secure the win.
 
On the year, Hudson Valley is averaging .276 at the plate, with a .769 OPS. The Vikings have scored 28 rns in eight games, and have 53 combined hits. Hudson Valley has eleven doubles and five homeruns, driving in 26 runs. They have 24 walks and 59 strikeouts this year, with three stolen bases.
 
Pitching-wise, the Vikings have a combined ERA of 8.24, through 45 innings of work. They have allowed 81 runs, 53 earned, on 81 hits, with 44 strikeouts and 37 walks, averaging just under seven strikeouts per game, and giving up four homeruns on the year.
 
Hannah Taylor has a team-high eight hits on the year, hitting .364 on the season. She has an .826 OPS on the year, scoring three runs and driving in a pair, with three walks on the season, tied with four players for second on the team. Taylor has one multi-hit game this year, and was a combined 1-for-5 during their doubleheader split with Sussex and County College of Morris last week.
 
Abigayle Campbell has seven hits, second on the team, and is hitting .389 on the year, second on the squad. Campbell has two runs scored, and is tied for the team lead with two other players at five RBI. She has a team-best five doubles this year, and has drawn three walks. Her OPS is at 1.143 on the season, with a .667 slugging percentage. Campbell has one multi-hit game this year, a perfect 4-for-4 showing against North Central Missour College, hitting four doubles and driving in two runs in a 13-6 win. Campbell was a combined 1-for-4 with two walks in the doubleheader against Sussex and Morris.
 
Maryssa Sano has six total hits this season, and is a .353 hitter on the year. She's got a .824 OPS on the season, and has scored three runs, with a pair of doubles and two RBI on the season. Sano has a pair of multi-hit games, and played in just the Sussex contest last week, going 0-for-2 in the 3-1 win.
 
Jody Rogers also has six total hits on the year, averaging .400 at the dish this season. She's got a .905 OPS, and has scored three runs, with a double, a walk, and a pair of stolen bases so far this season. Rogers has two multi-hit games on the year, and went a combined 1-for-4 in the doubleheader against Sussex and Morris last week.
 
Katie Mannis has five total hits and is hitting .294 on the season this year. Mannis has a 1.135 OPS on the year, with a .706 slugging percentage. Mannis has scored a team-high four runs, and has a double and two homers for five RBI. She's also drawn a team-best four walks this season. Mannis has one multi-hit game, coming against North Central Missouri College, where she was 3-for-4 with five RBI and a pair of homeruns in the 13-6 win. She has been held hitless in her last three games, and went a combined 0-for-4 with a pair of walks and three strikeouts in the doubleheader with Sussex and Morris.
 
Abby Taylor has five total hits, and is hitting .263 on the season. Taylor leads the Vikings with a .737 slugging percentage, and has a .900 OPS this year. Taylor leads the Vikings with three homeruns, driving in five runs this year. Taylor has one multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with a homerun in a 12-3 loss to Highland CC. She was a combined 1-for-6 with a run scored, and a two-run homerun against Sussex and Morris.
 
Carly Gemmett leads the Vikings in the circle, going 2-2 in five appearances, with a 4.60 ERA in 24.1 innings pitched. Gemmett has given up 25 runs, 16 earned, on 36 hits, while striking out a team-high 33 batters and walking 16. Gemmett got the win in her last start, a seven-inning gem against Sussex last week, where she allowed just one run on six hits, while striking out a season-high eleven batters. Her last appearance was for two outs against Morris, where she gave up a hit and had a strikeout.
 
Katie Mannis is second on the Vikings in pitching, going 0-3 in four appearances, with a 7.15 ERA in 15.2 innings. She's given up 30 runs, 16 earned, on 28 hits, with 16 walks and seven strikeouts. Mannis got tagged with the loss in her last outing, giving up five runs, two earned, on nine hits in 5.1 innings to Morris, while giving u peight walks.
 
Rick Tedisco is the Vikings head coach, now in his third year with the program, and his second year in competition. Tedisco was hired in September 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and had over a year to get his team ready for competition in the spring 2022 semester, where the Vikings made the Region III playoffs and were 21-13 overall. Tedisco has been coaching softball for over 15 years in the travel softball and AAU circuits in the Hudson Valley. He's won multiple state and national titles in his softball coaching career. He's got an overall mark of 23-19 in his time at Hudson Valley CC.
 
About Salem CC
The Mighty Oaks (3-5) come into the weekend doubleheader after splitting a doubleheader on Thursday against Howard CC on the road in Maryland. In game one, Salem scored five runs in the first four innings to take a 5-1 lead, then added a pair of runs in the top of the seventh to lengthen the lead out to 7-1. The Dragons added one more run in the bottom frame. Salem took advantage of four Howard errors to come away with the victory. Salem hit a pair of homeruns and three doubles, and got a strong outing from Morgan Mecham, who went seven innings and struck out five for the win. In game two, the Dragons snagged a 3-1 lead after one, added two more in the bottom of the third, and then walked it off with four runs in the fifth to end things early. Salem had three errors in the contest, and were held to just four hits in the loss.
 
The Mighty Oaks have a collective .316 batting average, and have a .930 OPS as a team this year. They are also slugging at .495 on the year, hitting nine doubles, five triples, and five homers as a team this season. Salem has scored 57 runs in eight games, striking out 39 times as a team and drawing 29 walks, while putting up 19 stolen bases. In the pitching circle, the Mighty Oaks have a collective 7.95 ERA, giving up 56 runs, 50 earned, on 81 hits in 44 innings pitched. Salem has struck out 20 batters this year, while walking only nine so far this year.
 
Karyn Trice leads the Oaks with a .480 average and 12 hits so far this campaign. Trice has a 1.272 OPS, with a .552 on-base percentage and a .720 slugging percentage. Trice has nine runs scored, second on the team, and has three RBI and a team-high six stolen bases this year. Trice has six multi-hit games this year, all of them in a row leading into the Howard doubleheader. Against the Dragons, however, her streak was broken, as she went a combined 0-for-5 with three runs scored and a pair of walks.
 
Vaye Savage has ten total hits this season, and has a .455 batting average on the year. Savage leads the Oaks in slugging percentage at 1.000, even, and has a 1.538 OPS on the year. Savage has scored a team-high 12 runs this year, and has two doubles, two triples, and two homers to drive home ten RBI, second on the team. Savage has four multi-hit games on the year, including the first game against Howard on Thursday, going 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI, and a run scored in the 7-2 win. In two games against Howard, Savage was a combined 3-for-6.
 
Haylee Pickrell has ten total hits this year, and has a .476 batting average for the Oaks. Pickrell has posted a 1.482 OPS, slugging at .905 this year. Pickrell has six runs scored on the season, and has driven in a team-best 12 RBI, while posting two doubles, two triples, and a homer. Pickrell has three walks and a pair of stolen bases this year. Pickrell has three multi-hit games this year, including going 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI, with a homerun in the game one win over Howard. In two games against the Dragons, Pickrell was a combined 2-for-6.
 
Kayla Dudley is hitting .261 on the year, with six total hits in eight games. Dudley has a double and an RBI on the season, with a walk drawn and a stolen base this year. Dudley has two multi-hit games this year, and was a combined 1-for-6 with a pair of strikeouts against Howard on Thursday.
 
There are two main pitchers for the Mighty Oaks this season. Caitlyn LaGreca is 1-3 in five appearances this year with an 8.27 ERA. In 22 innings pitched, LaGreca has given up 30 runs, 26 earned, on 46 hits, striking out eight and walking seven. LaGreca has lost her last two starts, getting tagged with the loss in game two against Howard, giving up nine runs, six earned, on ten hits with a pair of strikeouts in 4.2 innings pitched.
 
Morgan Mecham is 2-2 in six appearances, posting a 7.32 ERA in 22 innings of work. Mecham has given up 25 runs, 23 earned, on 35 hits, striking out 12 batters and walking two. Mecham got the win in game one against Howard, pitching her best game of the year, giving up two runs on seven hits and striking out a season-high five in seven innings.
 
Angel Rodriguez is the man in charge of the Salem Mighty Oaks, now in his first official season with the program. Hired in February 2022, Rodriguez had to rebuild a program that had been dormant for a number of years. Rodriguez has plenty of coaching experience in softball, having coached at several prep and high schools in New Jersey. He's also served as the head coach for several AAU and travel softball programs.
 
Game Details
On Friday, March 24^th, the Falcons will travel north on Interstate 81 to take on the SUNY Onondaga Lazers and the Hudson Valley CC Vikings in a doubleheader at Onondaga in Syracuse, NY, with the first game starting at 12:00pm ET, and the second following soon after at 2:30pm ET. Then, on Saturday March 25^th, they'll do it all again, this time facing Hudson Valley at 11:30am ET, before taking on the hosts at 2:00pm ET. Finally, on Sunday March 26^th, the Falcons will travel to Salem CC in Carneys Point, NJ to take on the Mighty Oaks for a pair of games, with the first starting at 12:00pm ET. There will be no livestream links for video to watch the games this weekend.
 
Lackawanna College has a few days off, then it's back to action with some non-region action, starting on Thursday, March 30^th, when the Falcons will (hopefully) be home against SUNY Orange CC for a doubleheader at Scranton HS, with first pitch starting at 3:00pm ET.