4/7/23
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Some offensive firepower helped Lackawanna College salvage a doubleheader split against Harford CC on Friday afternoon, as the Falcons dropped game one 4-2, but roared back for a 10-7 win in game two at Scranton HS.
 
The Falcons (14-7) managed just four hits in game one on a blustery afternoon, but held their opponents to just five hits. The problem was that one of those hits was a two-run homerun that staked Harford to an early lead, one that was challenged, but was ultimately never surrendered. Lackawanna College cut the lead twice, using an RBI groundout in the second to cut it to 2-1, then an RBI single in the fifth to cut it to 3-2, but Harford answered each time. Madison McVicar (Blakely, PA) was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, while Catarena Sommers (Windham, OH) went 1-for-3 with a run scored, and Skylar Borthwick (Pittston, PA) went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Allyson Lemerise (Catonsville, MD) pitched a strong seven innings, giving up five hits and four runs, while striking out three, but still got hit with the loss.
 
The first baserunner of the game came in the second inning, when McVicar doubled to left to climb aboard to start the bottom of the inning. The Falcons wouldn't get anywhere, though, making the next three outs to strand the runner.
 
Lemerise retired the first eight batters she faced, but a two-out bunt single form the nine-hole hitter gave the Fighting Owls their first baserunner. A hit-by-pitch put two on, but Lemerise got the pop out to end the threat and strand the pair.
 
Harford opened the scoring in the top of the fourth. A one-out walk put a runner on, and shortstop Tonya Marks launched a two-run homer to right-center field to give the Owls the 2-0 advantage. Lemerise recovered to get a pair of groundouts to get out of trouble.
 
Lackawanna answered in the bottom frame, using a single from Sommers, and another double from McVicar, to put two on with one-out. Gwen Balavage (Avoca, PA) cashed in one run, grounding out to short to score Sommers and get the Falcons on the board at 2-1, heading into the fifth.
 
The Owls got the run back in the fifth, using a one-out double to get a baserunner, then a single to put runners at the corners, before a double-steal attempt got the runner at third in, while the runner trying to steal second was thrown out by Savannah Glover (Susquehanna, PA). Lemerise got a line out to end the inning.
 
In the bottom frame, Lemerise led the inning off by getting hit by a pitch, immediately giving the Falcons a baserunner. It looked like it might not matter, as the Falcons popped up and struck out, but a two-out walk from Madison Maloney (Scranton, PA) kept the inning rolling. Borthwick delivered with a single to left field that just stayed fair, scoring Lemerise and putting Maloney on second. Sommers came up in a big spot, but popped out to third to end the threat and strand the runners.
 
Harford got a leadoff runner on a walk, and advanced to second on a passed ball with nobody out, but Lemerise got a pop out, a line out, and a swinging strikeout to end the inning and keep the Owls off the board. The Falcons couldn't take advantage, however, going down in order in the bottom half.
 
In the top of the seventh, Lemerise walked the leadoff batter, but got two outs on a strikeout and a ground out. So, with a runner on second and two outs, Harford got a huge RBI double to center to stretch the lead out to 4-2. Lemerise got a ground out to third to end the top. In the bottom frame, Lemerise got hit by another pitch to give the Falcons some life, but a pinch hitter fouled out, and the Falcons went down on strikes to end the game and hand the Owls the 4-2 win in game one.
 
In game two, the offense arrived for both teams, with the Falcons using a six-run second and a four-run fourth to build a 10-3 advantage, and then hanging on when Harford (17-4) scored four runs in the final three innings to make things interesting. The Falcons had six extra base hits on the day, three from McVicar, who was 3-for-4 with a run scored and four RBI. McVicar hit a two-run homerun in the fourth inning that made it 10-3, her 1,000^th hit of her Falcons career. Sommers went 3-for-4 with  two RBI and two runs scored, Madison Maloney (Scranton, PA) was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, and Emilee Dickinson (Hillsboro, OR) was 1-for-3 with two RBI coming on a two-run double. Alivia Graber (North Syracuse, NY) recovered from a rough first inning to pitch a solid seven innings for her fifth win of the year.
 
It took 1.5 innings to get the first hit in game one, but Harford got game two's first hit on the first batter, starting with a single to center. A perfectly placed bunt put two on with nobody out, but Graber battled back to get a strikeout and a pop up. That's when Tonya Marks stepped up and cranked her second homer of the day, this one a three-run bomb to immediately give the Fighting Owls the 3-0 advantage into the bottom of the first.  
 
The Falcons got back-to-back one-out singles in the bottom frame to get baserunners, but Marks scooped up a hotshot through the middle of the infield to step on second and flip to first four a double-play to end the inning.
 
Harford got a leadoff walk, followed by a single, to put two on with nobody out in the top of the second, but Graber got three straight outs to dance out of trouble and strand a pair of runners. The bottom of the second was where the Falcons got themselves up and running, starting with a Balavage single to right on a laser to the outfield. Krista Scoblick (Harvey's Lake, PA) doubled to right to put runners at second and third with nobody out, and Dickinson cashed them in with a two-run double to left, then advancing to third on the throw, making it 3-2, Harford. Aria Reyes (Allentown, PA) tied it up with an RBI single to left, still with nobody out, before Lemerise hit a fielder's choice that retired Reyes at second for the first out. A Maloney single to short put two on, and another fielder's choice, this time eliminating the lead runner at third, put two away. In stepped Sommers, who singled up the middle to score Maloney from second and give the Falcons their first lead of the afternoon at 4-3. McVicar really broke it open, tripling to right field to score a pair of runs and push the Falcon lead out to 6-3 after two innings.
 
Both teams were quiet until the bottom of the fourth, when the Falcons struck for more. Lemerise led the inning off with a double, and Maloney immediately brought her home with an RBI single, advancing to second on the throw to make it 7-3, Falcons. A ground out pushed Maloney to third, and Sommers singled, advancing to second on an error in the outfield, that scored Maloney and made it 8-3, Falcons. Up stepped Madison McVicar, who swung at the first pitch and launched an opposite field homerun to right center, pushing the Falcon lead out to 10-3 and briefly stopping the action to celebrate her 100^th hit in her career at Lackawanna College. Later, an error at short gave the Falcons a baserunner with two out, but Marks made up for it with a nifty catch on a pop up at short to end the inning.
 
Harford got one back in the top of the fifth, courtesy an RBI double with one-out. A walk put two on, but Graber recovered for back-to-back strikeouts to strand the runners.
 
Flash forward to the top of the seventh, with the Owls trying to keep things going, trialing 10-4. A leadoff single got a runner on, a sac bunt attempt advanced that runner to second, and a fly out to right put two away. A passed ball put the runner at third, and a two-out walk put runners on the corner. Marks delivered with a two-run double that scored a pair, and another RBI double scored marks and made it 10-7, Falcons, still with two outs. Graber managed to buckle down and get a ground out to short to end the game, giving the Falcons a hard-earned doubleheader split against the Division I opponent from Maryland.
 
Lackawanna College now turns its attention back to Region XIX DII play, as the Falcons travel out to Mercer County CC to take on the Vikings on Saturday, April 8^th, for a 12pm doubleheader start in West Windsor, NJ.