4/15/24
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College softball's offense finally came alive, helping the Falcons earn a doubleheader split with Delaware Tech CC in a Region XIX DII clash on a sunny Monday afternoon at Scranton HS softball field. The Falcons dropped game one, 8-0, before snagging a 12-7 victory in game two.
 
Lackawanna (24-11, 3-3) took advantage of four errors from Delaware Tech (17-7, 6-2) in game two, scoring five of their 12 runs as unearned throughout the contest. After Del Tech had plated a pair of runs in the top frame, Madison Maloney (Sophomore; Scranton, PA) got the Falcons going in the bottom of the first with a leadoff triple, then scored a run on an error at third as the ball was thrown in, cutting the early deficit to 2-1. The Falcons tied the game in the third on a run-scoring single from Mazzie Musgrave (First Year; Old Forge, PA), then took the lead at 4-2 on a sac fly and another run-scoring single in the third.
 
Del Tech would not go quietly, scoring four runs in the fourth, behind a two-run double and a one-run triple, as well as a sac fly.
 
Down 6-4 into the bottom of the fourth, Aria Reyes (Sophomore; Allentown, PA) reached on a double to right field, stole third, then came home on an error on the throw. Later in the fourth, Maloney singled home the tying run, eventually setting up a bases-loaded at-bat with two outs for Morgan McVicar (First Year; Blakely, PA). She delivered with a back-breaking, bases-clearing triple to right, launching the Falcons in front at 9-6 in the fourth.
 
Another RBI-triple, this time in the sixth, came off the bat of Allyson Lemerise (Sophomore; Catonsville, MD), and she scored one batter later when Paige Pieper (First Year; Middleton, ID) doubled to left, pushing the Falcon advantage to 12-6. Del Tech did load the bases with one out in the top of the seventh, but all the visitors could muster was a fielder's choice, trading an out for a run, and a soft pop-up on the infield was caught by Lemerise to secure the win and the split for the Falcons.
 
Alivia Graber (Sophomore; North Syracuse, NY) pitched all seven innings, giving up seven runs on 12 hits, striking out four to pick up her fifth win of the season. Reyes was 3-for-4 with a run scored, while McVicar and Lemerise were each 2-for-3, with McVicar driving in four runs and Lemerise driving in three. Maloney and Jillian Heimberger (First Year; Unionville, PA) each scored three runs.
 
The Falcons needed that offense in game two, because game one was a much more frustrating affair. Del Tech held a 4-0 lead after two innings, but Lemerise settled in and retired 12 straight batters. The problem for Lackawanna was that the Falcons couldn't capitalize.
 
Pieper doubled with two outs in the bottom of the second, and Reyes singled to keep the inning going, but Pieper was thrown out trying to score, ending the potential rally early. In the third, still down 4-0, the Falcons got a leadoff single from Musgrave, but she was thrown out trying to steal second base with two outs later in the inning, again leaving the Falcons with nothing to show. The absolute best chance for Lackawanna came in the fifth, where they had a one-out single from Reyes, followed by a walk to put two on with one out. A subsequent pop up and ground out stranded the runners and kept the Falcons down 4-0.
 
Lemerise got the first two batters of the sixth, but things came undone from there, when a two-out solo homer put a run on the board. Del Tech then drew a walk and put back-to-back singles on the board to load the bases, before a ground out stranded the runners.
 
The Falcons got a two-out single from Lemerise in the bottom of the sixth, but couldn't do anything with it, and the visitors pounced in the top of the seventh. A walk started the inning, and then a two-run blast to left field extended the deficit to 7-0. Another walk, followed by a double, put runners at second and third with nobody out, chasing Lemerise from the game. Brianna Dinice (First Year; Terryville, CT) came on and minimized the damage, striking out the next batter for the first out, trading an out for a run, then getting a line out with runners on the corners to end the inning.
 
Musgrave singled with two outs in the bottom frame to put a runner on, but a pop out to second ended the first game. Lemerise was hit with the loss, giving up eight runs on ten hits and four walks in six innings pitched. Reyes and Musgrave each had two hits at the bottom of the order, but the Falcons struggled up-and-down the lineup in game one.
 
The crucial split puts Lackawanna at 3-3 in Region XIX play. The Falcons are currently fourth, with doubleheaders against Salem CC, CC of Morris, and Raritan Valley CC still to come. The next contests for the Falcons are set to be Tuesday, April 16^th, when the Falcons are ready to hit the road to take on the Monroe College Mustangs in non-region doubleheader action. First pitch of game one is set for a 3:00pm ET start in New Rochelle, NY.