4/13/23
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College softball enters a crucial juncture of its season, with eight games in the next four days. It starts with two doubleheaders on Thursday, April 13^th, and Friday, April 14^th.
 
On Thursday, the Falcons get back to Region XIX DII play with a doubleheader on the road at County College of Morris in Randolph, NJ. First pitch of the doubleheader will be at 3:30pm ET at Morris's softball field. There is no video livestream available for that doubleheader.
 
On Friday, the Falcons are back home and hosting Chesapeake College in non-region action. First pitch is at 3:00pm ET at Scranton HS softball field, and will be the first game of a doubleheader. There will be a video livestream available at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE.
 
About The Falcons
The Falcons (17-8, 3-1) are already 2-0 this week after sweeping past PSU Hazleton on Tuesday afternoon. In game one, Lackawanna held the Nittany Lions to just four hits over the course of seven innings, scoring just enough on offense to win comfortably at 5-1. In game two, the Falcons needed a rally after trailing 4-3 after four innings, scoring three runs to take the lead, then tacking on three more in the final two innings to pull away for the 9-4 win. You can read the recap HERE.
 
The Falcons are hitting .343 on the year, with a .963 OPS this season. Lackawanna College has 96 extra base hits, including 67 doubles and 19 homeruns on the year. The Falcons are slugging at .541, and have drawn 84 walks on the year. They have scored 212 runs in 25 games, at 8.5 runs per game this year. Lackawanna has a .422 on-base percentage this season, and is 41-for-45 on the base paths this season. In the circle, the Falcons have a 5.11 ERA, allowing 143 runs on 197 hits in 154.2 innings pitched so far this season, while striking out 106 batters and allowing 71 walks. Opponents are hitting .294 against Lackawanna College this year.  
 
Madison McVicar (Blakely, PA) leads the Falcons with 28 total hits this season, and has a .378 batting average so far this season. McVicar, a second team All-Region XIX selection last year, has a 1.121 OPS, and is third on the team with 21 runs scored this season. McVicar leads the Falcons with eleven doubles this year, and has a team-best 15 extra base hits in total this season. She's got a .459 OBP, drawing ten walks, tied for the team-high. She has driven in 21 RBI, second on the team this season, and has a .662 slugging percentage. She's also got seven steals, tied for first on the team this year. McVicar has eight multi-hit games this year, including the second game of the doubleheader against PSU Hazleton, where she was 2-for-3 with a run scored, a double, and two RBI. She went 0-for-3 with an RBI in the first game.
 
Catarena Sommers (Windham, OH), a second team All-Region XIX selection from last year, is hitting .415 so far this year, with 27 hits, second on the squad, and a team-high 28 runs scored through 22 appearances. Sommers has drawn eight walks this season, and has a 1.178 OPS. She's got 18 RBI, fourth on the team, and ten doubles and 13 extra base hits on the season. Cat has seven multi-hit game so far this season, and went 3-for-4 in game two against Hazleton, scoring two runs and driving in two more.
 
Gabby Wettig (Manheim, PA) has the third-most hits on the team this year, with 25 base-knocks and a team-high .431 batting average in 21 games. Wettig has a 1.045 OPS on the season, with 13 RBI and eight doubles this year. Wettig has a .476 on-base percentage, drawing five walks this season, and has 16 runs scored this year. Wettig has eight multi-hit games this season, and went a combined 2-for-5 with a run scored in a pair of games against PSU Hazleton on Tuesday.  
 
Madison Maloney (Scranton, PA) has 24 total hits this season, and has a .348 batting average so far this year. Maloney has scored 18 runs, tied for fourth on the team, and has five extra base hits. She's drawn nine walks, tied for fourth on the squad, and has a .858 OPS. She also is tied with McVicar for the team lead in steals with seven swipes on the season. Maloney has four doubles and a triple, and 13 RBI on the year. Madison has seven multi-hit games on the year. She did not appear for the Falcons against PSU Hazleton on Tuesday.
 
Krista Scoblick (Harvey's Lake, PA) has appeared in 19 games, and has put up an impressive .386 batting average, with a 1.277 OPS this year. She's got 17 hits, fifth on the team, and has driven in a team-high 23 RBI on the season, with ten extra base hits this season, including a team-high five homeruns. Scoblick has drawn two walks this year, and has a slugging percentage at .864, best on the team. Scoblick has 15 runs scored this season, and is 1-for-2 on steals this season. She has two multi-hit games, but missed both games against PSU Hazleton on Tuesday.
 
Gwen Balavage (Avoca, PA) has 17 total hits in 18 games, hitting .386 on the season. Balavage has scored nine runs and driven in 12 RBI this year. Gwen has three doubles, a triple, and a homerun for the Falcons. Balavage has a .985 OPS, with a .568 slugging percentage, with three drawn walks and three stolen bases this season. Balavage has three multi-hit games on the year, and went a combined 1-for-6 on Tuesday against PSU Hazleton, driving in a run and smacking a double in two games.
 
Skylar Borthwick (Pittston, PA) has 17 total hits and is hitting .362 this season. Borthwick has a 1.168 OPS, and has scored 22 runs, second on the team this year. Borthwick has 19 RBI this year, third on the team, and has three doubles and three homeruns, second on the team. Borthwick has drawn ten walks, tied with McVicar for first on the team, and has a .508 on-base percentage. She also has three stolen bases on the season. Borthwick has six multi-hit games this season, and was a combined 3-for-6 with two runs scored, two RBI, and a double against the Nittany Lions on Tuesday.
 
Aria Reyes (Allentown, PA) has 16 total hits on the year and it hitting .364 in 21 games this year. Reyes has a .891 OPS, and has scored ten runs this year. She's got six doubles and eleven RBI, and is slugging at .500 this season. Reyes has three multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 1-for-5 with a run scored in two games against PSU Hazleton on Tuesday.  
 
Alivia Graber (North Syracuse, NY) has been the pitcher with the most innings so far for the Falcons. Graber is 6-2 with a 6.54 ERA, allowing 65 runs, 47 earned, on 76 hits in 50.1 innings of work. She's got a team-best 38 strikeouts, but has walked 28 batters this season, and thrown six wild pitches. Graber's opponents are hitting .326 against her this season. Her last start came against Mercer, allowing nine runs, six earned, on eleven hits, while striking out five in seven innings. Seven of those nine runs came in the last three innings of the 10-9 win. Graber has won her last two starts, despite allowing a combined 16 runs.  
 
Allyson Lemerise (Catonsville, MD), who also doubles at third base when she's not pitching, has a 4.44 ERA in 47.1 innings with a 4-4 record this year. Lemerise has given up 35 runs, 30 earned, on 57 hits, striking out 32 and walking 21. Lemerise had lost her last two starts coming into the PSU Hazleton game, despite pitching well in both games. She managed to get off the slide on Tuesday against the Nittany Lions, giving up one run on four hits in seven innings of a 5-1 game one victory.  
 
Tess Ruschman (Easton, PA), normally at second base for the Falcons, also doubles as a pitcher, going 3-1 with a 4.45 ERA in seven appearances this year. In 28.1 innings of work, she's given up 23 runs, 18 earned, on 35 hits, striking out 21 and walking seven. Opponents are hitting .276 against Tess this year. Tess won her last start, going three innings and giving up two runs on four hits, striking out six in what became a 24-2 win for the Falcons over Raritan Valley last week. Her last appearance was three innings of relief in game two against PSU Hazleton on Tuesday, holding the Nittany Lions scoreless and giving up three hits, while striking out four batters, to help the Falcons rally from a 4-3 deficit to win 9-4.   
 
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 216-181 in his career at Lackawanna, with a Region XIX championship and two 30+ win seasons to his credit.
 
About Morris
The Titans (13-11, 2-2) had a rough start to the year, going just 3-9, before rattling off ten straight wins. That streak was snapped this past Tuesday, when they dropped a pair of home games against Mercer County CC by scores of 4-2 and 6-3. In game one, Morris had a 2-0 lead after three innings, but Mercer rallied for four runs in the fourth to take a lead they'd never surrender. In game two, Morris once again held a lead, this time 3-2, after three innings. It stayed that way until the fifth, when Mercer scored three runs to rally for the lead, then added another to give itself a three-run advantage, and Morris wouldn't be able to respond.
 
There are a few game stats missing, but the Titans are hitting around .382 on the year, with a .997 OPS on the year. They average just shy of eight runs per game on the year, and have 58 extra base hits on the year, with 40 doubles and eight homers. The Titans have drawn 80 walks, and have only struck out 70 times this year, while stealing 32 bases. Pitching-wise, the Titans have a collective team ERA at 5.72, giving up 126 runs, 95 earned, on 154 hits this year. They have struck their opponents out 140 times, and surrendered 56 walks this season.
 
Olivia DiDuiseppi leads the Titans with a team-best 28 hits and a .509 batting average this year. DiDuiseppi has a 1.189 OPS, and is slugging at .655. She has 19 runs scored, fourth on the team, and has five extra base hits to drive in 13 RBI in 16 games this year. DiDuiseppi has drawn three walks this season, and has four stolen bases. She has nine multi-hit games this year.
 
Christie Puglis has 26 total hits, second on the team, and a .510 batting average this season. Puglis has a 1.242 OPS, boosted by a team-best .615 OBP this year. Puglis has scored 20 runs, tied for second on the team, and has four doubles and a triple to drive in 15 runs this year. She has a team-high 13 walks, and has a pair of stolen bases this season. Puglis has eight multi-hit games on the year.
 
Madison Paseler has 25 total hits, tied for third on the team, and is hitting .446 this season. She's got a 1.289 OPS on the year, and has a team-high 30 runs scored. Paseler has a team-best ten doubles and has driven in 18 RBI, third on the team. She's also got a pair of homers, second on the Titans this year. She's drawn eleven walks, second on the team, and is tied for the team-lead in stolen bases with six swipes this year. Paseler has eight multi-hit games this season.
 
Megan Tinger has 25 total hits, tied with Paseler for third on the team, and is also hitting .446 on the season. Paseler has a team-best 1.320 OPS, boosted by her team-high .804 slugging percentage. Tinger has 29 RBI, first on the Titans, and has seven doubles and three homeruns, plus two triples, this year. Tinger has scored 20 runs, tied with Puglis for third on the team, and has drawn seven walks on the year. She has ten multi-hit games this year.
 
Julie Vervaet has 24 total hits and is hitting .471 on the year. Vervaet has scored 13 runs and has a 1.117 OPS this season. Vervaet has five doubles and a triple to drive in 19 RBI, second on the Titans this year, and has stolen six bases, tied with Paseler for first on the team. She's also drawn four walks. She has seven multi-hit games on the year.
 
Vervaet is also the team-leader in innings pitched this year. According to the available stats, she has a 1.83 ERA in 61.1 innings pitched, giving up 27 runs, 16 earned, on 42 hits, while striking out 112 batters this season. Vervaet has given up 35 walks this year. While she most likely picked up a loss to Mercer on Tuesday, her last start with statistics available came on April 8^th against Monroe Bronx, where she gave up just one hit in five innings and struck out eleven in an 8-0 victory. She has seven games where she has gone over ten strikeouts, with a season-high 15 coming against Hudson Valley back on March 16^th. Vervaet also had a no-hitter back on March 17^th against Sussex, striking out 12 in seven innings of hitless action to beat the Skylanders 7-0.
 
Kelly Sesnick is second on the team in innings pitched, having thrown 31.2 innings according to the available stats. She has a 9.73 ERA, and has given up 60 runs, 44 earned, on 74 hits, while striking out 15 and walking five. While also most likely suffering defeat against Mercer on Tuesday, her last game start with stats came against Orange back on April 6^th, giving up four runs on nine hits in six innings of a 12-4 victory for the Titans.
 
The head coach for the Titans is Mike Borozan, in his first season at the helm for County College of Morris.
 
About Chesapeake
The Skipjacks (10-8) have been hot as of late, winning nine of their last ten after a tough 1-7 start to the year. Most recently, Chesapeake won a pair of games on the road in a doubleheader at Howard CC, winning 12-4 and 19-1. In game one Chesapeake scored early and often to build a 6-0 advantage, then added to that in the third and fifth innings to extend the lead out to run-rule territory. Game two got even more lopsided, as the Skipjacks held a 7-1 lead into the sixth, then scored 12 runs, hitting a three-run homerun, a pair of RBI triples, and two RBI doubles to blow the game wide open.
 
As a team, Chesapeake is hitting .417 on the year, with a team OPS at 1.161, boosted by a slugging percentage at .682. The Skipjacks average 9.1 runs per game this year, and have 74 extra base hits, including 41 doubles and 26 homeruns. They have struck out 66 times as a squad, while drawing 50 walks and stealing 26 bases this year. Chesapeake has nine different players with ten or more RBI on the year. The Skipjacks pitching staff has a combined ERA of 6.16 this season, giving up 99 runs, 85 earned, on 119 hits in 96.2 innings pitched, striking out 88 batters and giving up 57 walks this season.
 
Olivia Windsor leads the Skipjacks with 34 total hits and a .523 batting average on the year. Windsor has a 1.249 OPS, and has 19 runs scored, third on the team, while hitting a team-best eight doubles. She's also got a homerun and 15 RBI, while drawing five walks this season and stealing four bases. Her .557 OBP is second on the team. Windsor has eleven multi-hit games, and was a sizzling 7-for-10 against Howard on Tuesday, scoring three runs and driving in two more. She also had a game against Garrett back on March 29^th where she was 5-for-5 with five runs scored and five doubles hit.
 
Megan Stubbs is second on Chesapeake with 30 total hits this season, but is hitting a team-high .526 this year. Stubbs has an impressive 1.631 OPS, with a killer 1.053 slugging percentage. She's scored a team-high 28 runs this season, and has 15 extra base hits this year, including a team-high seven homers, to drive in 20 RBI, second on the team. She's drawn four walks, and has 12 stolen bases this season, first on the Skipjacks. Stubbs has nine multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 2-for-7 with three runs scored, one RBI, and a double in two games against Howard earlier this week.
 
Emily Gunther has 29 total hits, third on the team, and is hitting .483 on the year. Gunther has a 1.220 OPS, and is tied with Stubbs for second on the team with seven doubles this year. Gunther has 24 runs scored, second on the team, and has a team-high 25 RBI. She has six walks and has stolen four bases this year. She has seven multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 3-for-8 with two runs scored, a pair of doubles, and four RBI in the two wins against Howard CC earlier this week.
 
Madison Gentry has 23 total hits this season and a .434 batting average for the Skipjacks. She's got a 1.116 OPS, and has scored 17 runs so far this season. Gentry has four homeruns, tied for second on the team, and has 17 RBI, tied for fourth this year. She's got three walks on the season. Gentry has seven multi-hit games this season, and was a perfect 5-for-5 in game two against Howard on Tuesday, scoring three runs and driving in another in the 19-1 win.
 
Shyra Jones has 22 total hits on the year, and is hitting at .400 this season. Jones has a 1.113 OPS, and has driven in 18 runs, third on the squad this season. She has 15 runs scored, and has four homers, tied with Gentry for second on the team. She has struck out eleven times this season, second-worst on the team, but she shares the team-lead in walks drawn with eight this year. She also has three stolen bases this season. Jones has six multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 4-for-8 with three runs scored and two RBI in the two games against Howard CC on Tuesday.
 
Cassidy Stubbs has 20 total hits and a .426 batting average on the year. Stubbs holds a 1.193 OPS and has scored 14 runs this season, hitting five doubles and driving in 13 RBI this year. She has drawn eight walks, tied with Jones for first on the team, and has one stolen base this year. Stubbs has six multi-hit games this year, two coming against Howard CC on Tuesday.
 
Olivia Wheel is the pitcher with the most miles this season, having pitched a team-high 43.1 innings, going 6-1 in ten appearances with a 2.58 ERA. She has given up 20 runs, 16 earned, on 44 hits, while striking out 31 and walking 12 so far this season. Wheel has won her last four starts, including the first game of the doubleheader against Howard CC on Tuesday, giving up four runs on nine hits in a 12-4 victory. She had a season-high eight strikeouts in the win over Hagerstown CC back on April 5^th, giving up five hits in seven innings of the 3-0 victory.
 
Hannah Schmitz is second on the team, throwing 33.2 innings so far this season, and going 3-3 in eleven appearances. She has a 5.61 ERA, and has given up 34 runs, 27 earned, on 39 hits, while striking out a team-best 32 batters, but walking a team-high 24. After not getting a decision in her last two appearances, she got the win against Howard CC in game two, giving up one run on four hits, while striking out three in five innings. She had a season-high seven strikeouts on March 29^th against Garrett College.
 
The head softball coach for Chesapeake is Matt Elzey, now in his second season at the helm for the Skipjacks. Last season, he guided Chesapeake to a 27-11 record and into the fifth game of the Region 20 DII tournament, where they fell to Hagerstown CC, 7-1. 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. He has a 37-19 record at Chesapeake.
 
Game Details
The doubleheader on Thursday between Lackawanna and Morris set for a 3:30pm ET first pitch at Morris's softball field in Randolph, NJ. There is no video livestream available.
 
The doubleheader on Friday between Lackawanna and Chesapeake is set for a 3:00pm ET first pitch at Scranton HS softball field in Scranton, PA. There will be a video livestream available at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE.
 
The Falcons have two more doubleheaders scheduled for the weekend, hosting NJCAA DI opponent Monroe on Saturday, April 15^th, and then Region XIX foe Delaware Tech CC on Sunday, April 16^th, with both games at the Scranton HS softball field.