4/6/23
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Weather permitting, Lackawanna College is set to start its Region XIX DII schedule this weekend, with a pair of doubleheaders on the docket, plus, a non-region doubleheader against a NJCAA Division I opponent sandwiched in between to round out a six-game schedule.
 
It all starts on Thursday, April 6^th, when the Falcons travel to Raritan Valley CC for their Region XIX DII opener, taking on the Lions in doubleheader action starting at 1:00pm ET in Branchburg, NJ.
 
On Friday, April 7^th, the Falcons are set to host Division I opponent Harford CC for a doubleheader starting at 1:00pm ET at Scranton HS. That game will have a video livestream available via the Lackawanna College Athletics Network at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE.
 
Then, on Saturday, April 8^th, Lackawanna College will travel to Mercer County CC for a crucial Region XIX DII doubleheader against the Vikings, with first pitch scheduled for 12:00pm ET. There will be a video livestream available via the Mercer County CC Athletics livestream HERE.
 
About The Falcons
The Falcons (11-6, 0-0) went 4-2 last week, sweeping past Orange and earning splits against Brookdale and Monroe College. The Falcons struggled in game one against the Mustangs this past Sunday, but managed a split in game two thanks to a leadoff inside-the-park homerun from Madison McVicar (Blakely, PA) in the top of the seventh inning, breaking a 9-9 deadlock and giving Lackawanna College a much-needed win. You can read the doubleheader recap HERE.
 
The Falcons are hitting .327 on the year, with a .929 OPS this season. Lackawanna College has 60 extra base hits, including 43 doubles and eleven homeruns on the year. The Falcons are slugging at .510, and have drawn 68 walks on the year. They have scored 137 runs in 17 games, just over eight runs per game this year. Lackawanna has a .419 on-base percentage this season, and is 32-for-35 on the base paths this season. In the circle, the Falcons have a 5.74 ERA, allowing 110 runs on 144 hits in 103.2 innings pitched so far this season, while striking out 59 batters and allowing 53 walks. Opponents are hitting .312 against Lackawanna College this year.  
 
Madison Maloney (Scranton, PA) is tied for the team lead with 19 hits this season, and has a .352 batting average so far this year. Maloney has scored 15 runs, third on the team, and has a team-high 54 at-bats. She's drawn eight walks, also tied for the team lead, and has a .435 on-base percentage. She also leads the team in steals with six swipes on the season. Maloney has four doubles and a triple, and eleven RBI on the year. Madison has five multi-hit games, and was a combined 1-for-8 in two games against Monroe, scoring a run and driving in another. She had a ten-game hitting streak snapped after going 0-for-4 against Monroe in game one on Sunday.  
 
Madison McVicar (Blakely, PA) is tied with Maloney for the team lead in hits with 19, and has a .380 batting average so far this season. McVicar, a second team All-Region XIX selection last year, has a 1.075 OPS, and is tied for the team lead with 16 runs scored, and is second on the team with six doubles this season. McVicar has a .475, drawing eight walks, tied with Maloney for the team-high. She has eight extra base hits, tied for the team lead, and has driven in eleven runs, tied with Maloney and another Falcon for third on the team. She has five multi-hit games this year, and was an impressive 4-for-7 with a run scored, a double, and her solo, go-ahead homerun against Monroe in two games on Sunday. McVicar is currently on a nine-game hitting streak.    
 
Gabby Wettig (Manheim, PA) has the third-most hits on the team this year, with 15 base-knocks and a .417 batting average in 13 games. Wettig has a 1.044 OPS on the season, with eleven RBI, tied for third with McVicar and Maloney this year. Wettig has five doubles this season, and is slugging at .556. She's also scored ten runs on the season. Wettig has drawn five walks and has a .488 OBP on the year. Wettig has five multi-hit games this season, and was a combined 1-for-6 with two RBI in two games against Monroe on Sunday.  
 
Krista Scoblick (Harvey's Lake, PA) has appeared in 13 games, and has put up an impressive .438 batting average, with a 1.346 OPS this year. She's got 14 hits, tied for fourth on the team, and has driven in a team-high 18 RBI on the season, with seven extra base hits this season, including a team-high three homeruns. Scoblick has drawn two walks this year, and has a slugging percentage at .875, best on the team. Scoblick has two multi-hit games, and she was a combined 2-for-6 with three runs scored against Monroe on Sunday in two games. Scoblick has an eight-game hitting streak coming into the weekend.
 
Catarena Sommers (Windham, OH), a second team All-Region XIX selection from last year, is hitting .350 so far this year, with 14 hits (tied with Scoblick for fourth on the team) and 16 runs scored (tied with McVicar for 1^st) through 14 appearances. Sommers has drawn seven walks this season, and has a 1.058 OPS. She's got nine RBI, and leads the Falcons with seven doubles this year, and has eight extra base hits on the season. Cat has four multi-hit game so far this season, three in her last five games, and was 0-for-4 in the 7-1 loss to Monroe on Sunday afternoon.
 
Tess Ruschman (Easton, PA) has ten hits and holds a .227 batting average so far this season. Ruschman, a first-team All-Region XIX selection from a year ago, is second on the Falcons in RBI (12), and has three extra base hits, including a pair of homeruns this season. Tess has three multi-hit games this year, and had a triple and a homerun in the 8-3 win over Bryant & Stratton on the Spring Break trip, driving in five RBI in that game alone. Ruschman has struggled as of late, going 0-for-7 in her last three games, including an 0-for-2 outing in the game one loss to Monroe on Sunday.  
 
Sophia Mandarano (Dunmore, PA) has nine hits in 13 games this season, hitting .375 for the Falcons on the year. Mandarano has a 1.191 OPS, buoyed by a .708 OPS. She's got five doubles with five RBI, and has scored 12 runs, tied for fourth on the team this season. Mandarano has drawn three walks and been hit by a pair of pitches this season. She's got four multi-hit games on the year, including her most recent outing, going 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and two RBI in the 10-9 win over Monroe this past Sunday.
 
Alivia Graber (North Syracuse, NY) has been the pitcher with the most innings so far for the Falcons. Graber is 4-2 with a 6.55 ERA, allowing 49 runs, 34 earned, on 56 hits in 36.1 innings of work. She's got a team-best 26 strikeouts, but has walked 22 batters this season, and throw six wild pitches. Graber's opponents are hitting .331 against her this season. Her last start came against Monroe on Sunday, where she gave up nine runs, seven earned, on ten hits in seven innings, but still got the win as the Falcons rallied late. Graber missed almost all of last season due to injury.
 
Allyson Lemerise (Catonsville, MD), who also doubles at third base when she's not pitching, has a 5.38 ERA in 27.1 innings with a 3-2 record this year. Lemerise has given up 26 runs, 21 earned, on 41 hits, striking out 16 and walking 15. Lemerise has won two of her last three starts, but lost her last one, where she lasted just four innings against Monroe in game one on Sunday, giving up five runs, two earned, on nine hits in what became a 7-1 loss on Sunday.  
 
The aforementioned Tess Ruschman also doubles as a starting pitcher for the Falcons, going 2-1 with a 5.33 ERA in five appearances this year. In 22.1 innings of work, she's given up 21 runs, 17 earned, on 28 hits, striking out eleven and walking six. Opponents are hitting .277 against Tess this year. Tess won her last start, where she went five innings and gave up just two hits in an 11-0 win over SUNY Orange last week. Her last appearance that wasn't a start was last Friday at Brookdale, where she came on in relief of Graber and gave up five runs, all earned, on eight hits in 2.2 innings.   
 
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 210-179 in his career at Lackawanna, with a Region XIX championship and two 30+ win seasons to his credit.
 
About Raritan Valley
The Lions (0-4, 0-4) have only played in Region XIX contests on the year, only just starting their season on March 28^th. They have not been in action since last Thursday, March 30^th, when they lost a doubleheader to County College Of Morris by scores of 21-0 and 19-6. In game one, Raritan committed 18 errors, allowing the Titans to build an early 15-0 lead after just two innings and coast to the lead, thanks to a strong offensive performance and a dominant pitching performance. The Lions were much more crisp in game two, scoring five runs in the first inning to challenge Morris early, but the Titans scored all 19 of their runs in the first three innings, and held Raritan to just one run the rest of the way.
 
Raritan Valley is hitting .205 as a team this season, with a .704 OPS combined this season. The Lions are averaging 2.3 runs per game, with the six against Morris as their best output of the year. They have eight extra base hits this year, with four doubles and three homers. The Lions have drawn nine walks this season, and have 30 strikeouts this year. As a staff, the pitchers for Raritan have a collective 15.40 ERA, giving up 74 runs, 44 earned, on 58 hits in 20 innings pitched. They have walked 25 batters and struck out ten on the year.
 
Katherine Nee leads the Lions with five hits this year in eleven at-bats, a .455 batting average in four games. Nee has a 1.500 OPS, and has three extra base hits, a double, a triple, and a homerun, with two RBI and three runs scored, tops on the team. Nee has recorded a hit in all four games this season, and was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and a homer in the 19-6 loss to Morris last week.
 
Olivia Mele has four total hits in six at-bats this season, a .667 average. Mele has a double and a homerun this season for two RBI, drawing three walks and scoring a pair of runs this year. She has a .778 OBP and a 2.111 OPS through her first four games. Mele has one hit in every game this year, and was a combined 2-for-2 with a run scored, a homer, and three walks in the two games against Morris last week.
 
Kylie McKevitt has two hits in four games this year, going .250 on the year in her eight at-bats. McKevitt has a run scored, and has drawn a walk and struck out once this season. She's got one multi-hit game, a 2-for-2 showing against Mercer in the season-opener, and was a combined 0-for-4 with a run scored, a walk, and a strikeout in two games against Morris last week.
 
Shannon Russo has two hits this season, hitting .222 in her nine at-bats this season. She's got a double and an RBI, and has one strikeout this season. Russo was a combined 1-for-5 with a double and an RBI in two games against Morris last week.
 
Nya Baker has one hit in four at-bats, drawing four walks, a team-high, this season. Baker has a .625 OBP, and has a double and a run scored this season. Baker was 1-for-1 with a double and a run scored, along with two walks, in her last game against Morris.
 
Vicki Beyfuss is the only other Lion with a hit so far this young season. Beyfuss is hitting .111 in her nine at-bats, and has a run score, courtesy a two-run homerun this year. She's got six strikeouts this season. Beyfuss hit her two-run homer in the 19-6 loss to Morris last week. She has recorded two strikeouts in three of her four games this season.
 
The aforementioned Russo has the most innings pitched on the year, throwing 13 innings for the Lions this season. She's 0-2 with an 8.62 ERA this season. She's allowed 40 runs, just 16 earned, on 35 hits, while striking out seven and walking six. Russo gave up 21 runs, just six earned, in her last start, the 21-0 loss to Morris last week where the Lions had 18 errors. She pitched three innings of relief in game two, allowing three runs on six hits in the 19-6 loss to Morris.
 
Olivia Mele has pitched seven innings so far this season, going 0-2 with a 28.00 ERA. She's given up 34 runs, 28 earned, on 23 hits, while walking 19 batters and striking out just three. Mele lasted just two innings in her last game, giving up 16 runs, eleven earned, on nine hits in two innings against Morris, surrendering eight walks.
 
The head coach for Raritan Valley is Sara Gebert, now in her first official season leading the Lions after being interim head coach last year. Gebert played for the Lions back in 2016-2017, and has been an assistant with the program before getting promoted to the interim role. Gebert also coaches U10 and U14 travel at Skylands Pride, and has done so for six years. She is also an instructor at Diamond Nation, a baseball and softball instruction facility based in Flemington, NJ. She is 6-20 in her short time at Raritan Valley CC. 
 
About Harford CC
The Fighting Owls (16-3) have gotten off to a great start, but enter the contest with the Falcons after splitting a doubleheader with Mercer County on Wednesday at home. Harford won a pitcher's duel in game one, riding Mackenzie Burton's five-hitter to the victory. The only run came from a sac fly in the third inning, which came as a result of an error that put a runner in scoring position for the Owls in the third. Unfortunately, for the Owls, game two was still a struggle on offense, as the Vikings blanked Harford, 9-0, behind a two-hit shutout. Caroline Hilyard got the game two start, and gave up nine runs on 17 hits in 6.1 innings pitched.
 
The Fighting Owls have won nine games where they've only given up a run or less, and have six shutouts on the year. As a team, they are hitting .323 on the season, with a .819 OPS. They've scored 122 runs this season, 6.4 runs per game on the year. The Owls have 41 doubles and 47 extra base hits in all, with three homers and three triples this year. Harford has 78 strikeouts and 54 walks this season, and has stolen 24 bases on the year. Pitching is a strong point for the Owls, with a combined team ERA at 2.35. In 122 combined innings, the Owls have given up 58 runs, 41 earned, on 126 hits, while striking out 83 batters and walking 34. Their opponents have five homers on the year.
 
Emily Curry leads the Owls with 28 total hits this season, putting up a team-best .467 batting average this season. She's got a 1.143 OPS, with a .600 slugging percentage. Curry has 21 runs scored, tops on the team, and has eight doubles and eleven RBI this year. She's drawn a team-high ten walks this season, and has three strikeouts on the year, while stealing a pair of bases this season. Curry has nine multi-hit games this season, with two in her last three. She was a combined 3-for-5 in two games against Mercer on Wednesday, with a double and a walk.
 
Caroline Hilyard has 25 total hits this year, second on the team, and has a .410 batting average in 17 games this season. Hilyard has scored 13 runs, and is second on the team with nine extra base hits, which includes eight doubles and a triple this year. She's got a 1.013 OPS, has driven in 12 RBI, and has drawn four walks this season. She's also stolen three bases on the year. She's got eight multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 2-for-7 with a run scored and a strikeout in two games against Mercer on Wednesday.
 
Brooke Hasegawa has 21 hits in 19 games, averaging .350 at the plate this season. Hasegawa has 15 runs scored, tied for third on the team this year, and has five doubles and 12 RBI on the season. She's drawn five walks this season, and has a pair of stolen bases, while putting up a .845 OPS. Hasegawa has six multi-hit games on the year, but has struggled as of late, going just 1-for-13 in her last four games. Hasegawa was a combined 1-for-5 in the two games against Mercer this week.
 
Tonya Marks has 20 total hits and a team-high 17 RBI this year, hitting .370 at the plate and putting up 15 runs, tied with Hasegawa for third on the team this season. Marks has a .990 OPS, and has six doubles and a homer this year. She's drawn seven walks and stolen a pair of bases, but also has a team-worst 13 strikeouts this year. She has four multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 1-for-5 with a walk and a strikeout in a pair of games against Mercer. Her homer on the year was a three-run jack against Hagerstown back on April 3^rd.
 
Lena Wondolowski has 17 total hits this season, putting up a .333 batting average and scoring nine runs on the year. Wondolowski has 14 RBI, second on the team, and has two doubles and a triple on the year, putting up a .829 OPS this season. She has eight walks and a pair of steals, as well as nine strikeouts. She's got three multi-hit games on the season, and was a combined 0-for-4 with two walks and two strikeouts in two games against Mercer earlier this week.
 
Jess Bouthet leads the Owls with ten extra base hits, including a team-high nine doubles, this season. She's hitting .281 and has 16 total hits on the campaign, scoring 16 runs, second on the team this year. She's driven in nine RBI, and has drawn four walks this year in 17 games. She has six multi-hit games this season, but has not recorded a hit in her last five appearances, going 0-for-14 in that span. She was 0-for-5 with an RBI, a sac fly, against Mercer in two games on Wednesday.
 
The previously mentioned Mackenzie Burton leads the Owls on the bump, pitching 66 innings this year for Harford, going 9-1 on the year with a 1.38 ERA. Burton has given up 20 runs, 13 earned, on 53 hits, striking out 49 and walking 24 on the year. She's only had one game where she got touched up hard, giving up 13 runs in her only loss of the year against Lincoln Trial on March 9^th. Burton has won her last six starts, and has twice thrown nine strikeouts on the year, her season-best. She threw a complete game five-hitter against Mercer in her last start, going seven innings and striking out three in the 1-0 win. Technically, her last appearance came in game two against Mercer, pitching 0.2 innings of relief at the end of the game.
 
Caroline Hilyard is 7-2 in nine starts, posting a 3.50 ERA in 56 innings of work, giving up 38 runs, 28 earned, on 73 hits, while striking out 34 and walking ten. After winning her first six, Hilyard has been a bit uneven in her last three starts. She earned the win over Hagerstown back on April 3^rd, where she pitched nine innings and gave up just two runs on eight hits in the win. In her last start, she lasted 6.1 innings, but gave up nine runs on 17 hits, the most hits she's given up all year, losing 9-0 to Mercer.
 
The head softball coach for Harford Community College is Dan Ashby, in his first season as the head coach for the Fighting Owls.
 
About Mercer County CC
The Vikings (20-4, 2-0) have had a great start to the year, and had won 15 in a row before dropping the first game of the doubleheader against Harford. That was the first loss for the Vikings since march 14^th, when the y lost to North Central Missouri back on March 14^th in Myrtle Beach, SC. The Vikings were held scoreless in the loss to Harford, but won game two easily, 9-0, putting up 17 hits on the way to the win. The Vikings had seven of their nine batters with multi-hit games, and had five extra base hits on the day, while getting a dominant pitching performance from Shea Krebs, who threw a complete game two-hitter, striking out three and walking three in the win.
 
The Vikings are hitting .373 on the season as a team, and have a collective OPS around 1.060 this season. Mercer has ten games this season where it has scored ten or more runs, and averages around 9.5 runs per contest this year. The Vikings have 31 homeruns, and have hit 86 extra base hits already this season. They have drawn 82 walks and struck out 70 times this season. In the pitching circle, they have a great 2.59 ERA, allowing just 77 runs, 53 earned, on 151 hits in 143 innings this season. They have 142 strikeouts, and have only surrendered 42 walks this year.
 
Bella Truelove has been one of the best players in the country, let alone in Region XIX. Truelove has a .557 batting average and 44 total hits in 24 games, tops on the team. She leads the Vikings in several categories, including runs (36), hits (44), doubles (10), homeruns (13), extra base hits (23), RBI (45), batting average (.557), OPS (1.766), OBP (.589), and slugging (1.177). She has 93 total bases this season. She has 16 multi-hit games on the season, including seven of her last eight. She had a twelve-game hit streak snapped in the 1-0 loss to Harford CC back on Wednesday. She was a combined 3-for-7 with two runs scored and a two-run homer in the doubleheader with the Fighting Owls.
 
Julia Hannawacker is second on the team with 35 total hits this season, posting a .422 batting average and a .966 OPS. Hannawacker has scored 31 runs, third on the team, and has five doubles and 13 RBI this year. She's drawn seven walks, and has struck out three times this season. She has nine multi-hit games this season, including her last five, and has a 15-game hitting streak going. In two games against Harford on Wednesday, Hannawacker was a combined 4-for-7 with a run scored and an RBI, plus a walk.
 
 Maya Patel has 34 total hits and has a .430 batting average this season, as well as an impressive 1.408 OPS, boosted by a .937 slugging percentage. Patel is second on the team in runs scored (32), doubles (8), homeruns (10), extra base hits (19), and RBI (36). She's got 12 multi-hit games on the season, and was a combined 2-for-7 with a run scored and two RBI, with a double and a homer against Harford in two games on Wednesday.
 
Cierra Acevedo has 29 total hits and is a .377 hitter on the year, posting a 1.042 OPS. She's scored 25 runs on th season, and has a team-high four triples and eleven extra base hits this season. Acevedo has driven in 20 runs this year, and has drawn seven walks, while stealing a team-high four bases this year. She's got ten multi-hit games this season, and had a streak of five in a row late last month. Against Harford, she was a combined 1-for-7 with a run scored and a double in two games.
 
Abby Bell has 24 total hits, scoring eleven runs and posting a .436 batting average in 20 games this season. Bell has four doubles and three homers for 18 RBI this year, and has posted a 1.165 OPS, boosted by a .673 slugging percentage this season. Bell has drawn six walks and has one stolen base this season. She has eight multi-hit games this season, but hasn't recorded a hit in her last three games. She was a combined 0-for-4 with a strikeout in two games against Harford on Wednesday.
 
Lillian Torres-Perez has 21 total hits and is hitting .304 for the Vikings this season, scoring 17 runs on the year and posting a .850 OPS this season. Torres-Perez has six doubles and 15 RBI this year, drawing 12 walks, but striking out 12 times this season. She's got three multi-hit games this season, and was a combined 2-for-7 with a run scored, a double, and an RBI in the two games against Harford on Wednesday.
 
Shea Krebs leads the Vikings in innings pitched, throwing 51.1 on the year and going 9-1 with a 1.50 ERA this season. Krebs has given up 18 runs, eleven earned, on 38 hits, while striking out a team-high 72 this season, and walking just 19. Krebs has won her last three starts, and has three outings where she's thrown ten strikeouts. She won her last start and appearance, throwing a two-hitter in the win over Harford on Wednesday.
 
Gianna DeMatteo is 7-1 with a 4.79 ERA so far this season, pitching 45.1 innings on the year. She's allowed 38 runs, 31 earned, on 67 hits, while striking out just 17 and surrendering 14 walks. DeMatteo has been the usual #2 for the Vikings, and has won her last five starts, including her last one against RCSJ Cumberland, where she gave up seven runs on nine hits in a complete game, but an 11-7 win for the Vikings.
 
Delaney Misier has a 1.70 ERA in 45.1 innings, with three wins and four saves this season. She's given up 21 runs, eleven earned, on 46 hits, striking out 53 and walking eight this year. Misier had won her last two starts before dropping game one against Harford on Wednesday. She went six innings, giving up just the one run, unearned, on six hits, while striking out four. She has twice struck out her season-high of eight on the year.
 
The head softball coach for Mercer County is Ryan Zegarski, now in his 19^th season at the helm. Zegarski, a 2001 graduate of MCCC, has been the head softball coach since the fall of 2004, and he has enjoyed significant success at Mercer. Zegarski has taken the Vikings to three NJCAA World Series appearances, the latest in 2018. He's won three GSAC championships, and has three Region XIX championships, along with three Region XIX Coach of the Year awards. Zegarski played baseball at Mercer, helping the 2000 squad win a Region XIX and Northeast District Championship, while making an appearance in the NJCAA World Series.  Zegarski went on to play baseball at Richard Stockton University in New Jersey, where he led the NJAC in batting average during his junior year. Zegarski is 538-206-1 in his career at Mercer.   
 
Game Details
It all starts on Thursday, April 6^th, when the Falcons travel to Raritan Valley CC for their Region XIX DII opener, taking on the Lions in doubleheader action starting at 1:00pm ET in Branchburg, NJ.
 
On Friday, April 7^th, the Falcons are set to host Division I opponent Harford CC for a doubleheader starting at 1:00pm ET at Scranton HS. That game will have a video livestream available via the Lackawanna College Athletics Network at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE.
 
Then, on Saturday, April 8^th, Lackawanna College will travel to Mercer County CC for a crucial Region XIX DII doubleheader against the Vikings, with first pitch scheduled for 12:00pm ET. There will be a video livestream available via the Mercer County CC Athletics livestream HERE.
 
Lackawanna College is back in action on Tuesday, April 11^th, when the Falcons are scheduled to travel to Penn State Hazleton for a doubleheader on the road. First pitch is set for 2:00pm ET.