4/28/24
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Potomac State scored nine runs in the middle three innings, and Lackawanna College softball couldn't mount the comeback, as the Falcons dropped a 10-4 decision to the Catamounts on warm and sunny Sunday afternoon at Scranton HS softball field.  
 
The Falcons (35-17) were neck-and-neck with the Catamounts (31-11) through two, but Potomac took advantage of some walks and a wild pitch to take a 2-0 lead in the third, added three in the fourth, then put up a four-spot in the fifth inning courtesy of a two-run homerun and a two-run double. Potomac held a 9-0 lead into the fifth, but the Falcons did manage to scratch some runs across courtesy of an Emmalee Mowery (First Year; Mechanicsburg, PA) RBI-single, plus a run-scoring single from Morgan McVicar (First Year; Blakely, PA). Two more scored in the bottom of the sixth to cut the deficit to 9-4, but it was too little, too late, as the Catamounts added another run in the seventh, then closed the game out with a strikeout.
 
Brianna Dinice (First Year; Terryville, CT) took the loss, her first of the year, giving up five runs on five hits and two walks in two innings. Alexis Semanek (Sophomore; Wilkes-Barre, PA) was 2-for-3 with a run driven in, and Mowery went 2-for-2 with a run scored and a run driven in. McVicar had a RBI, as did Madison Maloney (Sophomore; Scranton, PA).
 
Allyson Lemerise (Sophomore; Catonsville, MD) got the start in the circle for the Falcons, and Ally was hitting her spots early, striking out a pair to start the game and retiring the Catamounts in order. The Falcons had two runners on with two outs, but a third strike out of the inning ended the rally and stranded the runners.
 
Lemerise pitched around a two-out single to get her fourth strike out of the game in the top of the second, and the Falcons were retired in order in the bottom half. It was the third inning that saw the breakthrough.
 
Dinice took the circle for the Falcons, Potomac immediately singled. Dinice got a strike out, but a hit batter, followed by a walk, loaded the bases with one out. Dinice came back with another K to put two down, but then walked the bases loaded for the game's first run. A second run crossed on a wild pitch, but Dinice got her third strike out of the inning to leave two on the bases.
 
Mowery led the bottom of the third off with a double to right-center, but three straight strikeouts for the Falcons stranded her. Potomac added to its 2-0 lead in the fourth, using three straight singles to load the bases, then a fourth single, this one to right field, made it 3-0. Lackawanna did manage to get an out at second, as Aria Reyes (Sophomore; Allentown, PA) quickly got the ball to Maloney for the force out. A hit batter loaded the bases again, and a double would score two more runs. The Falcons wouldn't let a third score, catching the trailing runners in a run-down between third and home. Dinice got a ground out to get the Falcons out of further trouble, but Lackawanna was in a 5-0 hole.
 
Reyes doubled with one out in the bottom of the fourth, but back-to-back outs stranded her, and Potomac made Lackawanna pay in the fifth. Mazzie Musgrave (First Year; Old Forge, PA) came on to pitch and was rudely welcomed with a leadoff double. The next batter launched a two-run bomb to left-center field that made it 7-0, Catamounts. Later, two more runs scored on a double that pushed the lead to 9-0, and forced Lackawanna to have to respond.
 
A pitching change for Potomac proved to be what Lackawanna needed to get going. Semanek led the inning off with a single to left, a wild pitch put her at second, and Mowery delivered a single to left field that made it 9-1. Maloney singled, and McVicar hit a one-out single to score Mowery and push Lackawanna back under the run-rule at 9-2. The Falcons had something cooking, but a pair of outs ended the rally.
 
Audrey Cobb (First Year; Carbondale, PA) pitched a 1-2-3 top of the sixth, and Lackawanna got going in the bottom frame. An error, followed by a hit batter, put two on, and Semanek stayed hot, singling home a run to cut further into the deficit at 9-3. The Falcons loaded the bases with another hit batter, and Maloney drove one to center that was caught, but was deep enough to score the run and make it 9-4. But, a weak fly out to the pitcher, followed by a pop out to the catcher, ended the Falcons' potential big rally.
 
In the seventh, a one-out double scored a base runner, but Cobb got a pair of ground outs to get out of trouble, with Lackawanna now down 10-4. An error let the Falcons get a base runner, and a ground out put that runner at second, but the Falcons made the final two outs to end the game and hand the Catamounts the win.
 
Despite their record, the Falcons are stumbling heading into the playoffs, having dropped three in a row. Lackawanna will not be in action until Friday, May 3^rd, when the Falcons will take on Delaware Tech CC in a first round game in the Region XIX DII softball playoffs, hosted by Mercer County CC in West Windsor Twp., NJ. First pitch of the double-elimination tournament game is at 12:00pm ET, with the winner facing the winner of Mercer County CC/Salem CC, which is the first game of the day at 10:00am ET. The winners of the first two games will play a winner's bracket contest at 2:00pm ET, while the losers from the first two games will compete in an elimination game at 4:00pm ET.