5/9/23
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College softball didn't wait long to take any of the drama out of their Region XIX DII play-in series, winning both games of a doubleheader in convincing fashion to beat Salem CC on Tuesday afternoon at Scranton HS by scores of 6-1 and 8-0.
 
The fourth-seed Falcons (28-17) beat the fifth-seed Mighty Oaks (16-18) in a doubleheader for the second time in four days, scoring six runs in the second inning of game one to ride out a complete game victory from Allyson Lemerise (Catonsville, MD), before scoring four runs in the second inning of game two and adding four more runs in the final two innings to help bolster a stellar outing from Alivia Graber (North Syracuse, NY), who gave up just two hits in six innings for her best win of the year.
 
In game one, the top of the order delivered for Lackawanna, as Gabby Wettig (Manheim, PA) cleared the bases loaded with a two-out double down the line to left that made it 3-0. Skylar Borthwick (Pittston, PA) singled home another run, and then Madison McVicar (Blakely, PA) ripped a two-run double to right that pushed the Falcons' lead out to 6-0. Salem got some two-out magic working of its own with three-straight singles that resulted in a run scored in the top of the third, but Lemerise settled down to get the out and kept it clean from there to earn her eleventh victory of the season. Catarena Sommers (Windham, OH) was 3-for-3 with a run scored, while Wettig and McVicar each went 1-for-3 with a combined five RBI. Emilee Dickinson (Hillsboro, OR) was 2-for-2 with a run scored.
 
Last Friday, Lemerise carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning against Salem in game one, but the Mighty Oaks got their first hit with two outs in the first on Tuesday. Lemerise managed to avoid trouble with a fielder's choice to end the inning. A two-out single from Sommers in the first was wasted for Lackawanna, and a leadoff single from the Mighty Oaks in the top of the second was similarly wasted, keeping things scoreless after 1.5 innings and setting up the Falcons big bottom frame.
 
Gwen Balavage (Avoca, PA) led the inning off with a bloop single just beyond second, and she was followed by Dickinson with a single to put two on. After a foul out, a single from Tess Ruschman (Easton, PA) loaded the bases. A strikeout put two down, but Wettig delivered with a clutch two-out double down the left field line to clear the bases and get the Falcons on the board. Borthwick immediately followed with an RBI single to right that scored a hustling Wetting, and, after Sommers singled to put two on, McVicar blasted a double into the left-center gap that scored two more runs, pushing the Falcons' lead out to 6-0 after two.
 
Three straight two-out singles from Salem clawed the Mighty Oaks a run back in the top of the third, but a fielder's choice forced the lead runner out at third and ended the rally before more damage came.
 
Later, in the top of the fourth, a single, followed by a one-out error on the infield, had two runners on with just one out for Salem, trailing 6-1. A fielder's choice forced an out at second and put runners on the corners, and a ground out back to Lemerise stranded the runners and kept the Falcons comfortably in front.
 
Lackawanna seemed to have something going in the fifth, after some quiet half-innings, thanks to a Sommers single, followed by a one-out walk from Balavage. A pinch-hit pop out put two away, and a strikeout stranded the runners and kept the Falcons from increasing their advantage.
 
In Salem's last licks in the top of the seventh, the Oaks drew a leadoff walk to get a baserunner, but the Falcons' defense answered the bell when a soft pop up to short was snagged by Savannah Glover (Susquehanna, PA) and flipped quickly to first to double off the runner and put two away. Lemerise got the complete game victory on a foul out down the right field line to give the Falcons the game one victory.
 
Lackawanna hit the front in the second inning of game two, as well, getting a two-out RBI single from Madison Maloney (Scranton, PA), and a subsequent error on a throw to third, that scored a pair of runs to put the Falcons ahead. Borthwick had another RBI single, and Sommers launched a deep double to the left-center gap that made it 4-0 after the bottom frame. Three more runs scored in the bottom of the fifth, after a two-out single from Sommers plated a pair, and McVicar launched a double to center that scored Sommers. The final Falcons run scored in the bottom of the sixth, when Tess Ruschman (Easton, PA) walked things off with another clutch two-out hit, this one a single up the middle to make it 8-0 and activate the run-rule victory for the Falcons. Graber was sensational in the circle for Lackawanna, giving up just two hits and hitting a batter, but still facing just the minimum batters in six innings of work for her first shutout of the season. Sommers stayed hot, going 3-for-4 with a run scored and three RBI, while McVicar was 2-for-3, Borthwick went 2-for-4, and Maloney went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI.
 
Salem got a leadoff single to get the game started, but Balavage combined with Maloney on a big caught stealing to negate the baserunner. Graber got a strikeout, followed by a ground out to Maloney, to keep Salem from getting anything else started. In the bottom frame, a pair of singles from Sommers and McVicar gave the Falcons two baserunners with two outs, but a big strikeout kept Lackawanna off the scoreboard in the first.
 
After Graber hit a batter to lead off the second, a fielder's choice got the lead runner out and left a baserunner on first with one away. The next batter hit a ground ball to third where Borthwick fired to Ruschman at second, who then flipped over to Wettig at first to just beat the batter to the bag for a sensational double play.
 
That fired up the Falcons for the bottom half, with the game still tied, as a leadoff single, followed by a fielder's choice and a ground out, eventually led to a two-out single from Ruschman that put runners on the corners. Maloney stepped in and punched a single through to right field to score the lead runner, but Ruschman was able to come around and score when the subsequent relay throw sailed past third base, giving the Falcons a 2-0 lead with a runner on second in Maloney. She'd come home to score when Borthwick singled to right, and Borthwick scored the game's fourth run when Sommers smoked a double to the outfield to make it 4-0, Flacons. The Falcons had more cooking, when a walk, followed by a single, loaded the bases, still with two down, before a ground out ended the inning before Lackawanna could blow things wide open.
 
In the bottom of the third, the Falcons had two baserunners with one out, but an infield fly put two away, and a big strikeout kept Lackawanna from adding to its lead. Salem countered in the top of the fourth with a one-out single, but the next batter lined a hot shot right at Wettig at first, who gloved it for the out and stepped on first for the unassisted double play, ending the top of the fourth.
 
Sommers doubled to left to lead off the bottom of the fourth, and a one-out walk put runners on the corners, but a fly out, followed by a ground out, kept Lackawanna, once again, from adding to its lead.
 
After Graber retired the side in order in the top of the fifth, the Falcons finally cashed in some runners. A leadoff walk, followed by a fielder's choice and a single, put two on with one out for Lackawanna. A passed ball put those runners on second and third, but a strikeout threatened to end the Falcons' rally early. That's when Sommers delivered with a single to short, beating out a throw to first to score one run. The player on first dropped the ball, which gave the Falcons a second run in the inning, and McVicar scored Sommers with a double to left center that rolled to the fence, making it 7-0, Lackawanna, after five innings.
 
The top of the sixth ended in order, and the bottom frame saw the Falcons score a crucial final run to clinch the run-rule victory, using a leadoff single from Glover to eventually cash in with an RBI single from Ruschman with two outs to make it 8-0 and end things early, giving the Falcons the needed two wins to advance in the Region XIX tournament.
 
The win advances Lackawanna College in the Region XIX DII softball playoffs, getting the Falcons into the final four this weekend. Lackawanna is set to get the day started against top-seeded Delaware Tech CC, the hosts for the tournament, on Friday, May 12^th at 10:00am ET in Georgetown, DE. The Falcons, who split the season series with Del Tech a few weeks ago at home, will play at least one more game on Friday, win or lose, as the tournament is double-elimination. The other first round match-up for the weekend pits second-seeded Mercer County CC against third-seeded County College of Morris in a game that will immediately follow the conclusion of the Lackawanna/Del Tech clash.