5/9/23
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Four days after a doubleheader on the road, Lackawanna softball is set to meet Salem CC in another crucial match-up, this time in a potential three-game series, in the opening round of the Region XIX DII softball tournament, starting on Tuesday, May 9^th.
 
The match-up on Tuesday is a doubleheader, set for a 2:00pm ET start, at Scranton HS softball field. If the doubleheader is split, there will be a decisive third game played on Wednesday, May 10^th, at a time to be determined, also at Scranton HS softball field. Both potential play-dates will have a video livestream available via the Lackawanna College Athletics Network (lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE) and the Region 19 Sports Network (region19sn.com).
 
The winner of the series between the Falcons and the Mighty Oaks will advance to the Region XIX tournament final four, set for Friday, May 12^th and Saturday, May 13^th in Georgetown, DE at the Owens campus of Delaware Tech CC. either Lackawanna or Salem will have to play top-seeded Delaware Tech at 10am ET on Friday to start the double-elimination tournament.
 
About The Falcons
The Falcons (26-17) clinched the fourth-seed and the home side of the first-round match-up with Salem after sweeping past the Mighty Oaks on the road last Friday in a doubleheader that had been delayed because of weather from earlier in the year, then was delayed a few more times because of rain and field conditions last week. Lackawanna looked sharp after a six-day layoff, holding Salem to just two hits in a 5-0 game on victory, then scoring eight runs in the third inning of game two to eventually pull away for a 12-3 win in five innings. You can read the recap from the doubleheader sweep HERE.
 
The Falcons are hitting .314 on the year, with a .881 OPS this season. Lackawanna College has 141 extra base hits, including 100 doubles and 29 homeruns on the year. The Falcons are slugging at .485, and have drawn 139 walks on the year. They have scored 317 runs in 43 games, at 7.4 runs per game this year. Lackawanna has a .396 on-base percentage this season, and is 60-for-68 on the base paths this season. The Falcons have struck out 239 times this year. In the circle, Lackawanna has a 5.09 ERA, allowing 247 runs on 346 hits in 269.2 innings pitched so far this season, while striking out 179 batters and allowing 119 walks. Opponents are hitting .301 against Lackawanna College this year, but the Falcons have thrown 22 wild pitches this season.  
 
Right fielder Catarena Sommers (Windham, OH), a second team All-Region XIX selection from last year, is hitting .374 this year, with 46 hits, first on the team, and a team-high 41 runs scored through 40 appearances. Sommers has drawn 14 walks this season, and has a 1.031 OPS. She's got 35 RBI, second on the team, and 18 doubles and 21 extra base hits on the season. Cat has a .446 OBP this season, and has stolen three bases this season. Sommers has 12 multi-hit game so far this season, but has hit a bit of a lull, going 0-for-her-last-10 with a run scored and an RBI in her last four games. She was a combined 0-for-5 with a run scored in the doubleheader win over Salem on Friday.  
 
Left fielder Madison McVicar (Blakely, PA) is second on the team with 39 total hits this season, and has a .347 batting average on the year. McVicar, a second team All-Region XIX selection last year, has a 1.053 OPS, and is second on the team with 39 runs scored this season. McVicar is second on the team with 15 doubles this year, and has 21 extra base hits in total this season. She's got a .456 OBP, drawing 20 walks, tied for first on the squad. She has driven in 30 RBI, third on the team this season, and has a .597 slugging percentage. She's also got nine steals, first on the team this year. McVicar has eleven multi-hit games this year, and broke out of a four-game hitless streak with a combined 6-for-7 showing against Salem on Friday, including a pair of homeruns, a double, and three RBI, while scoring five runs in two games.   
 
Outfielder Krista Scoblick (Harvey's Lake, PA) has appeared in 37 games, and has put up an impressive .386 batting average, with a 1.227 OPS this year. She's got 39 hits, third on the team, and has driven in a team-high 42 RBI on the season, with 22 extra base hits this season, including a team-high ten homeruns. Scoblick has drawn three walks this year, and has a slugging percentage at .812, best on the team. Scoblick has 33 runs scored this season, third on the squad, and is 6-for-7 on steals this season. She has eight multi-hit games, and was a combined 3-for-6 with two runs scored, a double, a homer, and four RBI in two games against Salem on Friday.  
 
Shortstop Madison Maloney (Scranton, PA) has 37 total hits this season, and has a .316 batting average so far this year. Maloney has scored 31 runs, fourth on the team, and has nine extra base hits, including a team-best three triples. She's drawn 12 walks, sixth on the squad, and has a .799 OPS. Maloney has seven swipes on the season, second on the team, and has driven in 19 RBI on the year. Madison has eleven multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 2-for-7 with two runs scored, a triple, and three RBI in two games against Salem on Friday.
 
First base player Gabby Wettig (Manheim, PA) has 33 total hits this season, posting a .371 batting average in 33 games. Wettig has a .894 OPS on the season, with 14 RBI and ten doubles this year. Wettig has a .411 on-base percentage, drawing five walks this season, and has 22 runs scored this year. Wettig has nine multi-hit games this season, and went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a double in one game against Salem on Friday.
 
Catcher Gwen Balavage (Avoca, PA) has 30 total hits in 34 games, hitting .349 on the season. Balavage has scored 14 runs and driven in 27 RBI this year, fourth on the team. Gwen has five doubles, a triple, and two homeruns for the Falcons. Balavage has a .894 OPS, with a .500 slugging percentage, with seven drawn walks and three stolen bases this season. Balavage has seven multi-hit games on the year, and went a combined 2-for-5 with a run scored and three RBI in two games against Salem on Friday.  
 
Third base player Skylar Borthwick (Pittston, PA) has 28 total hits and is hitting .315 this season. Borthwick has a .954 OPS, and has scored 29 runs, fifth on the team this year. Borthwick has 23 RBI this year, fifth on the team, and has five doubles and three homeruns, third on the team in long balls. Borthwick has drawn 20 walks, tied with McVicar for first on the Falcons, and has a .460 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-3 in two appearances against Salem CC on Friday.  
 
Pitcher Allyson Lemerise (Catonsville, MD), who also doubles at third base when she's not pitching, has a 3.70 ERA in a team-high 100.1 innings with a 10-6 record this year. Lemerise has given up 66 runs, 53 earned, on 101 hits, striking out 71 and walking 44. Lemerise is holding opponents to a .260 batting average, and won her last start, the first game against Salem CC on Friday, where she took a perfect game into the sixth inning, and held the Mighty Oaks to just two hits on the day in the 5-0 shutout win, where she struck out seven batters, the third time this year she has achieved her season-high.   
 
Pitcher Alivia Graber (North Syracuse, NY) has thrown 84.1 innings so far this season, going 8-6 with a 6.64 ERA on the year. Graber has allowed 108 runs, 80 earned, on 129 hits, striking out 56 and walking 47 this year. Graber's opponents are hitting .334 against her this season. Graber won in her last appearance, giving up three runs, two earned, on four hits in five innings of work as part of a 12-3 victory for Lackawanna College.  
 
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 225-190 in his career at Lackawanna, with a Region XIX championship and two 30+ win seasons to his credit.
 
About the Opponents
Salem CC (16-16) comes into the doubleheader as the fifth-seed in the Region tournament this season, and had won four of its last five before dropping the doubleheader to Lackawanna College on Friday, and then a doubleheader at home vs. Brookdale on Saturday. In game one against the Jersey Blues on Saturday, Salem mustered just four hits and a run, while Brookdale posted 13 hits and scored nine runs in the 9-1 win in six innings. In game two, the Oaks held a 4-3 leading heading into the sixth, but Brookdale got a crucial pair of runs in the sixth to re-take the lead, and Salem wasn't able to answer the bell in the final two innings, dropping the 5-4 decision for its fifth straight defeat.
 
The Mighty Oaks have a collective .388 batting average, and have a 1.018 OPS as a team this year. They are also slugging at .536 on the year, hitting 53 doubles, 12 triples, and 13 homers as a team. Salem averages 7.4 runs per game on the year, striking out 110 times as a team and drawing 113 walks, while putting up 70 stolen bases. In the pitching circle, the Mighty Oaks have a collective 5.37 ERA, with 136 strikeouts and 32 walks.  
 
Karyn Trice leads the Oaks with 47 hits and a .461 batting average this year. Trice has a 1.116 OPS, with a .518 on-base percentage and a .598 slugging percentage. Trice has 37 runs scored, tied for 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 ten strikeouts on the year. Trice has 17 multi-hit games this year, and was a combined 0-for-6 with a pair of strikeouts in two games against Lackawanna on Friday.   
 
Haylee Pickrell has 44 total hits this year, and has a .524 batting average for the Oaks. Pickrell has posted a 1.431 OPS, slugging at a team-high .857 this year. Pickrell has 29 runs scored and has driven in a team-best 31 RBI, while posting 12 doubles, five triples, and two homeruns. Pickrell has eight walks and five stolen bases this year. Pickrell has 14 multi-hit games this year, including her last five games entering the Lackawanna doubleheader. Pickrell was a combined 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, and a stolen base against the Falcons in two games on Friday.
 
Vaye Savage has 40 total hits this season, and has a .408 batting average on the year. Savage has a 1.196 OPS, with a .4820 OBP and a .714 slugging percentage. Savage is tied with Trice for first on the team with 37 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 1-for-6 with a run scored in two games against Lackawanna on Friday.   
 
Faith Penn has 32 total hits and is hitting .372 on the year for Salem. Penn has a .938 OPS, with a .438 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, but was 0-for-5 in two games against Lackawanna on Friday.  
 
Emilie Hamm has 30 total hits and a .462 batting average in 27 games this year. Hamm has a 1.025 OPS this year, boosted by a .533 OBP. Hamm has scored 17 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 entering the doubleheader with Lackawanna. She had been on a tear as of late, going a combined 13-for-19 with two runs scored and nine RBI in five games, a .684 average. She was held in check by the Falcons on Friday, however, going 0-for-4 with a run scored in both games on Friday.  
 
Lanae Ben has 28 total hits and a .354 batting average this season, putting up a 1.037 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 1-for-5 with four strikeouts in two games against Lackawanna on Friday.  
 
Kayla Dudley is hitting .289 on the year, with 22 total hits in 30 games. Dudley has 13 runs scored and a pair of doubles for eleven RBI this year. Dudley has drawn ten walks and struck out 12 times, while stealing a pair of bases. Dudley has five multi-hit games this year, and was a combined 1-for-3 with two RBI coming on a single in two games against Lackawanna on Friday.  
 
There are two main pitchers for the Mighty Oaks this season. Morgan Mecham is 10-5 in 17 appearances, posting a 4.93 ERA in 83 innings of work, heading into the doubleheader with Brookdale. Mecham has given up 69 runs, 52 earned, on 126 hits, striking out 73 batters and walking 14. Mecham set her season-high with eleven strikeouts in a 14-0 win over Ocean County College back on April 20^th, and had 17 strikeouts in her last three starts entering the Lackawanna series. She got six more against the Falcons, but she gave up 12 runs on 12 hits in a 12-3 loss in five innings on Friday.  
 
Caitlyn LaGreca is 6-9 in 16 appearances this year with a 6.11 ERA. In 75.2 innings pitched, LaGreca has given up 90 runs, 66 earned, on 125 hits, striking out 54 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 1-4 in her last five starts before the Brookdale CC doubleheader. 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 was decent enough, giving up five runs on eight hits in seven innings with six strikeouts and no walks, but got no run support in a 5-0 loss to Lackawanna in game one on Friday.
 
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 first round series is set to begin on Tuesday, May 9^th, at 2:00pm ET with a doubleheader at Scranton HS. If each team wins a game of the doubleheader, then a third, winner-take-all game will be played on Wednesday, May 10^th, at Scranton HS, at a time TBD. Both potential play-dates will have a video livestream available via the Lackawanna College Athletics Network (lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE) and the Region 19 Sports Network (region19sn.com).
 
The winner of the series will advance into the final four of the Region XIX DII tournament, facing top-seeded Delaware Tech at 10:00am ET on Friday, May 12^th, in Georgetown, DE.