5/3/23
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – A pair of positive results in its final Region XIX doubleheader could mean the difference between a whole host of playoff scenarios for Lackawanna College softball, as the Falcons get set for a road doubleheader at Salem CC on Friday, May 5th .
 
The series is set to start at 3:30pm ET at the Carneys Point Recreation Center softball field in Carneys Point, NJ. There is no video livestream available for the doubleheader.
 
As things stand in the Region XIX DII standings, Lackawanna College (4-4) is currently fourth, one game ahead of fifth place Salem CC (3-5). If the season were to end today, Lackawanna College would be hosting the Mighty Oaks in a first-round playoff three-game series, with a doubleheader on Tuesday, May 9^th and a single game on Wednesday, May 10^th, if necessary. The Falcons just need a split in today's doubleheader with Salem to guarantee at least the four-seed. If the Falcons sweep, and if third-seeded Morris is swept by Delaware Tech, Lackawanna would jump to the third-seed, which means the Falcons would avoid the first-round game and automatically qualify for the Region XIX tournament, which would be held at the top-seed on Friday, May 12^th and Saturday, May 13^th.
 
About The Falcons
The Falcons (24-17, 4-4) were 0-2 this past weekend, dropping a doubleheader on the road at nationally ranked WVU Potomac State College. The Catamounts hit eight homeruns in two games, holding Lackawanna scoreless in a 9-0 game one win in six innings, and then outscoring the Falcons 17-5 in five innings of game two. You can read the recap HERE.
 
The Falcons are hitting .312 on the year, with a .873 OPS this season. Lackawanna College has 132 extra base hits, including 96 doubles and 25 homeruns on the year. The Falcons are slugging at .477, and have drawn 136 walks on the year. They have scored 300 runs in 41 games, at 7.3 runs per game this year. Lackawanna has a ..396 on-base percentage this season, and is 60-for-67 on the base paths this season. The Falcons have struck out 227 times this year. In the circle, Lackawanna has a 5.27 ERA, allowing 244 runs on 340 hits in 257.2 innings pitched so far this season, while striking out 169 batters and allowing 116 walks. Opponents are hitting .307 against Lackawanna College this year.  
 
Right fielder Catarena Sommers (Windham, OH), a second team All-Region XIX selection from last year, is hitting .390 this year, with 46 hits, first on the team, and a team-high 40 runs scored through 38 appearances. Sommers has drawn 13 walks this season, and has a 1.065 OPS. She's got 35 RBI, second on the team, and 18 doubles and 21 extra base hits on the season. Cat has a .455 OBP this season, and has stolen three bases this season. Sommers has 12 multi-hit game so far this season, but went 0-for-5 with one RBI in the doubleheader against Potomac State over the weekend.
 
Left fielder Madison McVicar (Blakely, PA) is second on the team with 37 total hits this season, and has a .316 batting average on the year. McVicar, a second team All-Region XIX selection last year, has a .958 OPS, and is second on the team with 34 runs scored this season. McVicar is second on the team with 14 doubles this year, and has 18 extra base hits in total this season. She's got a .437 OBP, drawing 20 walks, tied for first on the squad. She has driven in 27 RBI, third on the team this season, and has a .521 slugging percentage. She's also got nine steals, first on the team this year. McVicar has nine multi-hit games this year, but was held hitless at 0-for-5 with a run scored in the doubleheader loss to Potomac State on Saturday. 
 
Outfielder Krista Scoblick (Harvey's Lake, PA) has appeared in 35 games, and has put up an impressive .379 batting average, with a 1.199 OPS this year. She's got 36 hits, second on the team, and has driven in a team-high 38 RBI on the season, with 20 extra base hits this season, including a team-high nine homeruns. Scoblick has drawn three walks this year, and has a slugging percentage at .789, best on the team. Scoblick has 31 runs scored this season, third on the squad, and is 6-for-7 on steals this season. She has seven multi-hit games, and went a combined 0-for-4 in two games against Potomac on Saturday. 
 
Shortstop Madison Maloney (Scranton, PA) has 35 total hits this season, and has a .318 batting average so far this year. Maloney has scored 29 runs, tied for fourth on the team, and has eight extra base hits. She's drawn 12 walks, third on the squad, and has a .794 OPS. Maloney has seven swipes on the season, second on the team, and has six doubles and two triples, driving in 15 RBI on the year. Madison has ten multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 1-for-5 with a run scored in the doubleheader loss to Potomac State on Saturday.
 
First base player Gabby Wettig (Manheim, PA) has 31 total hits this season, posting a .360 batting average in 32 games. Wettig has a .867 OPS on the season, with 14 RBI and nine doubles this year. Wettig has a .402 on-base percentage, drawing five walks this season, and has 21 runs scored this year. Wettig has eight multi-hit games this season, and went a combined 0-for-3 in two appearances against Potomac State on Saturday.   
 
Catcher Gwen Balavage (Avoca, PA) has 28 total hits in 32 games, hitting .346 on the season. Balavage has scored 13 runs and driven in 24 RBI this year, fourth on the team. Gwen has five doubles, a triple, and two homeruns for the Falcons. Balavage has a .892 OPS, with a .386 slugging percentage, with six drawn walks and three stolen bases this season. Balavage has seven multi-hit games on the year, and went 2-for-4 with a run scored in two games against Potomac on Saturday.  
 
Third base player Skylar Borthwick (Pittston, PA) has 28 total hits and is hitting .326 this season. Borthwick has a .985 OPS, and has scored 29 runs, tied with Maloney for fourth on the team this year. Borthwick has 23 RBI this year, fifth on the team, and has five doubles and three homeruns, tied for second on the team. Borthwick has drawn 20 walks, tied with McVicar for first on the Falcons, and has a .473 on-base percentage. She also has five stolen bases on the season. Borthwick has eight multi-hit games this season, and was a combined 0-for-2 with a pair of walks against Potomac State on Saturday in a pair of games.
 
Pitcher Allyson Lemerise (Catonsville, MD), who also doubles at third base when she's not pitching, has a 3.98 ERA in a team-high 93.1 innings with a 9-6 record this year. Lemerise has given up 66 runs, 53 earned, on 99 hits, striking out 64 and walking 44. Lemerise is holding opponents to a .270 batting average, and has lost her last two starts after throwing a no-hitter on the road at Hagerstown, including giving up nine runs on ten hits in five innings against Potomac in a 9-0 loss in game one this past weekend.   
 
Pitcher Alivia Graber (North Syracuse, NY) has thrown 79.1 innings so far this season, going 7-6 with a 6.88 ERA on the year. Graber has allowed 105 runs, 78 earned, on 125 hits, striking out 53 and walking 44 this year. Graber's opponents are hitting .340 against her this season. Graber lost in her last appearance, giving up nine runs, four earned, in just two innings of what eventually became a 17-5 loss to Potomac State on Saturday.  
 
Tess Ruschman (Easton, PA), normally at second base for the Falcons, also doubles as a pitcher, going 4-3 with a 5.53 ERA in 14 appearances this year. In 49.1 innings of work, she's given up 47 runs, 39 earned, on 75 hits, striking out 30 and walking 12. Opponents are hitting .330 against Tess this year. Ruschman pitched won her last start, back on April 21^st against Hagerstown, giving up four runs on ten hits in seven innings of an 11-4 victory. She's made relief appearances in her last two times in the circle, giving up eight runs on eight hits in two innings against Potomac this past Saturday.  
 
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 223-190 in his career at Lackawanna, with a Region XIX championship and two 30+ win seasons to his credit.
 
About the Opponents
Salem CC (16-12, 3-5) comes into the doubleheader with wins in four of its last five games. The Mighty Oaks split their last doubleheader, last week on the road at RCSJ Cumberland. In game one, Salem scored two runs in the seventh inning to tie the game and send it to extras, and then scored five runs in two extra innings of work to win a wild 15-12 game in nine innings. Game two was almost another rally for the Oaks, as they turned a 6-0 deficit into a 6-4 ballgame after the top of the sixth, but Salem couldn't close the gap and fell 6-4 to the host Dukes.   
 
The Mighty Oaks have a collective .402 batting average, and have a 1`.051 OPS as a team this year. They are also slugging at .556 on the year, hitting 52 doubles, 12 triples, and 13 homers as a team. Salem averages 8.1 runs per game on the year, striking out 100 times as a team and drawing 110 walks, while putting up 69 stolen bases. In the pitching circle, the Mighty Oaks have a collective 5.28 ERA, with 124 strikeouts and 29 walks.  
 
Karyn Trice leads the Oaks with 47 hits and a .490 batting average this year. Trice has a 1.181 OPS, with a .546 on-base percentage and a .635 slugging percentage. Trice has 37 runs scored, first on the team, and has 15 RBI and a team-high 27 stolen bases this year. Trice has drawn eleven walks, tied for second on the squad, and has just eight strikeouts on the year. Trice has 17 multi-hit games this year, and was a combined 4-for-10 with two runs scored in two games against Cumberland last week.   
 
Haylee Pickrell has 43 total hits this year, and has a .537 batting average for the Oaks. Pickrell has posted a 1.459 OPS, slugging at a team-high .875 this year. Pickrell has 29 runs scored and has driven in a team-best 31 RBI, while posting eleven doubles, five triples, and two homeruns. Pickrell has seven walks and four stolen bases this year. Pickrell has 14 multi-hit games this year, including her last five games. Pickrell was a combined 6-for-9 with five runs scored, a double, a triple, and an RBI in two games against Cumberland last week.
 
Vaye Savage has 39 total hits this season, and has a .424 batting average on the year. Savage has a 1.250 OPS, with a .500 OBP and a .750 slugging percentage. Savage is second on the team with 36 runs this year, and has ten doubles, four triples, and a team-high four homers to drive home 29 RBI, second on the team. Savage has ten walks this season, and has stolen seven bases. She has 14 multi-hit games on the year, and went a combined 4-for-10 with two runs scored and an RBI in two games against Cumberland.  
 
Faith Penn has 32 total hits and is hitting .395 on the year for Salem. Penn has a .993 OPS, with a .462 OBP this season. Penn has scored 22 runs, and has five doubles and two homers for 21 RBI, fourth on the team. Penn has drawn nine walks and struck out eleven times, while stealing three bases this year. Penn has nine multi-hit games on the year, three in her last four, and was a combined 3-for-10 with two runs scored and an RBI in two games against Cumberland.
 
Emilie Hamm has 30 total hits and a .492 batting average in 25 games this year. Hamm has a 1.088 OPS this year, boosted by a .563 OBP. Hamm has scored 16 runs on the year, and has hit two doubles for 17 RBI this year. Hamm has drawn eight walks and stolen a pair of bases on the year. She has eleven multi-hit games this year, including her last five games. She has been on a team as of late, going a combined 13-for-19 with two runs scored and nine RBI in five games, a .684 average. She was a combined 6-for-9 with two runs scored and three RBI against Cumberland.
 
Lanae Ben has 27 total hits and a .365 batting average this season, putting up a 1.074 OPS on the year. Ben has 29 runs scored, tied for third on the team, and has eleven doubles and 24 RBI on the year. Ben leads the Oaks with 23 walks this year, and is second on the team with nine stolen bases. She's got nine multi-hit games on the season, and was a combined 2-for-6 with three runs scored, a double, and two RBI in two games against Cumberland last week.
 
Kayla Dudley is hitting .288 on the year, with 21 total hits in 28 games. Dudley has 13 runs scored and a pair of doubles for nine RBI this year. Dudley has drawn nine walks and struck out 12 times, while stealing a pair of bases. Dudley has five multi-hit games this year, and was a combined 3-for-8 with a run scored, a double, and an RBI in two games against Cumberland.
 
There are two main pitchers for the Mighty Oaks this season. Morgan Mecham is 10-4 in 16 appearances, posting a 4.13 ERA in 78 innings of work. Mecham has given up 57 runs, 46 earned, on 114 hits, striking out 67 batters and walking eleven. Mecham set her season-high with eleven strikeouts in a 14-0 win over Ocean County College back on April 20^th, and has struck out 17 batters in her last three starts, all wins. She had a shut-out victory over Morris back in April 23^rd, allowing ten hits and striking out eight, then gave up just four hits in five innings to Camden in a 10-0 win on April 25^th. In her last start, she was tagged for 12 runs on 20 hits, but still got the win, pitching nine innings in the 15-12 win over Cumberland last week.
 
Caitlyn LaGreca is 6-8 in 15 appearances this year with a 6.22 ERA. In 68.2 innings pitched, LaGreca has given up 85 runs, 61 earned, on 117 hits, striking out 48 and walking 16. LaGreca set her season-high with nine strikeouts in a 6-1 win over Raritan back on April 8^th, but has gone 1-3 in her last four starts. Her lone win came against Camden, giving up one run on four hits in five innings of a 10-1 win. In her last start, she gave up six runs on eight hits in the 6-4 loss to Cumberland in game two last Thursday.
 
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
The Region XIX doubleheader is set to start at 3:30pm ET at the Carneys Point Recreation Center softball field in Carneys Point, NJ, on Friday, May 5th. There is no video livestream available for the doubleheader.
 
The Falcons will then await how the rest of the Region XIX standings shake out to determine where they stand in the Region XIX playoffs, and what their seed would be for the upcoming tournament.