3/14/25
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – After an eight-day layoff, the Lackawanna College softball squad is eager to get on the field and get back to work, and they'll do so with a doubleheader on the road this weekend at WVU Potomac State College.
 
On Saturday, March 15^th, the Falcons will take on the Catamounts from Potomac State for a doubleheader starting at 1:00pm ET in Keyser, WV. There will be a video livestream available via the WVU Potomac State Fan Zone Gameday Video, linked HERE.
 
Lackawanna was scheduled to play another doubleheader on Sunday, March 16^th, at Hagerstown CC, but the expected inclement weather and rain has wiped that doubleheader out.
 
About The Falcons
The Falcons (4-6) have not played since last Friday, where they split a doubleheader on their final day of action at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic in North Myrtle Beach, SC. Lackawanna dropped game one, 8-3, to Kaskaskia College, before recovering in game two for an impressive 9-4 win against Southern Maine CC. Against Kaskaskia, the Falcons put together ten hits, but committed four errors, and dug themselves into a 6-0 hole after 3.5 innings. Against Southern Maine CC, it was a different story, as Lackawanna scored seven runs in the fist inning to build a big lead and then coasted to victory the rest of the way. You can read the full recap HERE.
 
The Falcons have struggled at the plate this season, hitting just .261 through their first ten games. Lackawanna has scored 42 runs, averaging 4.2 per game on the year. The Falcons have eleven extra-base hits, including nine doubles, and they have a .635 OPS. Lackawanna has drawn 20 walks and struck out 51 times. They have also stolen eight bases.
 
Pitching-wise, the Falcons have been pretty good, posting a staff ERA of 3.98 through ten games this year. In 65 innings, the Falcons have allowed 67 runs, 37 earned, on 83 hits, while striking out 27 and walking 34. Opponents are hitting .297 against the Falcons this season and have been hit by six pitches.
 
Defensively, the Falcons have 29 errors and a .902 fielding percentage. They've turned two double plays and caught a pair of runners stealing this season.
 
Sophomore outfielder Emmalee Mowery (Mechanicsburg, PA) leads the team with 12 total hits and a .364 batting average this season. Mowery has a .887 OPS, first on the team, and she leads the Falcons in doubles (3), extra-base hits (3), and total bases (15). She has drawn three walks this season, but has also struck out seven times, tied for team worst this year. She has a .432 OBP, second on the team, and her slugging percentage (.455) is also second-best this year. Mowery has five multi-hit games during the season, including her last three contests. She was 3-for-4 with a run scored, a double, and two RBIs in the win against Southern Maine CC. In her last three games, she is 7-for-12 (.583 BA) and has two doubles and two RBIs. Mowery has 24 putouts and one assist on the year.
 
Sophomore utility player Jillian Heimberger (Unionville, PA) is second on the team with nine hits and is hitting .310 through ten games. She has a .804 OPS and has scored a team-high seven runs. She has five RBIs, tied for second on the team, and has a double this year. Heimberger has drawn seven walks, first on the team, but she has also struck out seven times, tied with Mowery. Heimberger has a .459 OBP, first on the team this season, and she has stolen a base. She has one multi-hit game on the season, collecting two hits and two RBIs in a loss to nationally ranked Danville Area CC back on March 2^nd. Heimberger was a combined 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI in the doubleheader last Friday. Heimberger has 16 putouts and ten assists this season.
 
First-year second base player Lindsey Tasker (Clarks Summit, PA) is tied for third on the team with eight hits this season, posting a .320 batting average through ten games. Tasker has scored five runs, tied for third on the team, and has a double and three RBIs this season. She has two walks and two stolen bases this season. Tasker also has a .730 OPS on the year. Tasker has three multi-hit games this season, including her last two games. She was as combined 5-for-7 in her two games last Friday, scoring two runs and driving in another. Tasker has 18 putouts and ten assists this season from second base.
 
First-year first base player Gracie Sokol (Belle Vernon, PA) is tied with Tasker for third on the team with eight hits on the year, posting a .286 batting average through ten games. Sokol has a .748 OPS and has three runs scored, and she is one of two Falcons with a triple this season. Sokol has five RBIs, tied with Heimberger for second on the team, and has two walks on the year. Sokol has recorded a hit in eight of her ten contests, including her last four games. Sokol was 2-for-8 with two runs scored last Friday in her two games. Sokol has 47 putouts and three assists this season.
 
First-year corner infielder and catcher Laniah Tasker (Chambersburg, PA) is tied with Sokol and Lindsey Tasker for third with eight hits this season, and she has a .286 batting average through nine games. Laniah has four runs scored this year and has driven in one run. Laniah has drawn a walk and was hit by a pitch this season. Laniah has two multi-hit games, both against Kaskaskia last week. Tasker was 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI in the 8-3 loss to the Blue Angels on Friday. She was 3-for-5 in two games on Friday. She has 22 putouts and a team-high eleven assists this season, helping turn one of the two double plays for the Falcons this season.
 
Sophomore pitcher Brianna Dinice (Terryville, CT) has thrown the most innings for the Falcons this season, appearing in five games and throwing 31.2 innings this season. Dinice is 3-2 with a 4.20 ERA on the year, starting in every one of her appearances. Dinice has allowed 25 runs, 19 earned, on 37 hits, while striking out a team-best 13 batters and walking 16. Batters are hitting .276 against Dinice this season. Dinice has thrown four complete games on the season. Her best game came in the first one, throwing seven innings, striking out five, and allowing just one unearned run in the win against Fayetteville Tech. Against Southern Maine, she went all seven innings and gave up four runs, three earned, to pick up the win.
 
Heimberger has pitched the second-most innings, throwing 16 so far this season. She is 1-1 in three appearances with a 2.19 ERA, making two starts. Heimberger has given up 13 runs, five earned, on 15 hits, with eight strikeouts and seven walks. Batters are hitting .246 against Heimberger so far this season. Jill's win came against Olney Central on March 3^rd, pitching all seven innings and striking out a season-high five batters for the win. She gave up nine runs, but only three were earned. Her last appearance came against Kaskaskia last Thursday, where she gave up three runs, just two earned, on four hits in six innings, a good outing, but she took the loss as Lackawanna fell, 3-1.
 
First-year pitcher Mia Scalese (Moscow, PA) has pitched in 15.1 innings this season, making four appearances, three of which have been starts. Scalese is 0-3 with a 5.93 ERA. Scalese has given up 28 runs, only 13 earned, on 31 hits, striking out five and walking nine. Opposition is hitting .397 against Scalese this year, and she has hit four batters with pitches this season. Mia's last appearance came against Kaskaskia on Friday, giving up eight runs, five earned, on 13 hits in seven innings.
 
The head coach for the Falcons is Jeff Pittsman, entering his 14^th season in charge of the Falcons. Pittsman has 268 wins in his career, the most in program history. He won a region championship in 2017, and he has helped the Falcons get to the Region XIX playoffs in eight straight seasons. Pittsman took over the program in 2012, having to piece together a roster from non-scholarship athletes and limited numbers. The team saw massive improvement in year two, winning 13 more games, and Pittsman steadily built the Falcons into a winner, winning 25 games by 2016. Lackawanna hasn't been below .500 since. Before coming to the Falcons, coach Pitt coached travel softball from 2006 to 2013 in Northeast PA, helming the Impact Panthers and Northeast Stars in his time. Before that, he was an assistant football coach with his alma mater, Mid Valley HS, from 1989 through 2001, and then Riverside HS from 2003 through 2004.
 
About Potomac State
The Catamounts (9-3) have won six-in-a-row coming into Saturday's action, with wins over PSU Fayette, CCBC Catonsville, and Frederick CC, all in doubleheader sweeps. The latest doubleheader victory for WVU Potomac State was on Wednesday, March 12^th, at home against Frederick. The Catamounts won both games but scoring double-digit runs, winning 12-4 and 13-2. Potomac had six combined home runs in the two games, pounding out 27 total hits and scoring at least a run in eight of the eleven total innings played.
 
The Catamounts, as usual, are a hard-hitting, rugged offensive team, averaging .435 at the plate through 12 games. They have 134 runs scored, an 11.2 runs per game average. The Catamounts have 60 extra-base hits, including 28 doubles and an astounding 29 home runs this season. Potomac has a team OPS of 1.299, which includes a team slugging percentage of .799. The Catamounts have 42 walks and 32 strikeouts, and they have stolen 60 bases already this season.
 
As a pitching staff, the Catamounts have a collective 3.14 ERA. In 69 innings pitched, Potomac has given up 42 runs, 31 earned, on 47 hits, while striking out 61 batters and walking 33. The opposition has hit eight homers against Potomac this season.
 
Defensively, the Catamounts have .944 fielding percentage, with 14 errors through 12 games.
 
Lindsay Mowry leads the team with 20 total hits in 12 games, posting a .526 batting average. She has 21 runs scored, first on the team, and also has a 1.552 OPS, boosted by a .578 OBP this season. She has five doubles, tied for the team-high, and she has four homers and 13 RBIs. Mowry has six walks on the season and stole six bases this season. On the year, Mowry has seven multi-hit games, and she has recorded a hit in the last seven contests. Mowry was a combined 3-for-7 with a homer, two RBIs, and three runs scored in two games against Frederick on Wednesday. She has 16 putouts, 12 assists, and four errors for a .875 fielding percentage this season.
 
Sophomore Braylee Corbin is second on the team with 19 total hits and a .500 batting average. Corbin has scored 15 runs, fifth on the team this season, and she has ten extra-base hits, including five home runs. Her 25 RBIs are first on the squad. She has a 1.553 OPS this season, which includes a 1.053 slugging percentage. Corbin has six multi-hit games this season, and she has two separate games where she drove in five RBIs. In two games against Frederick, she was 5-for-6 with four runs scored, seven RBIs, and two homers. Corbin has 29 putouts this season.
 
Sophomore Jamie Kelly has 18 total hits this season, hitting .419 on the year in 12 contests. Kelly has scored 18 runs on the year, tied for third on the team. Kelly leads the Catamounts with eight homers this season, driving in 19 RBIs, second on the team. Her 12 extra-base hits are first on the team. Kelly has two walks this season and has stolen seven bases. Kelley's OPS was 1.514 on the season, posting a 1.070 slugging percentage this season. Kelly has six multi-hit games on the season, including four of her last six games. She was a combined 4-for-6 with three runs scored, four RBIs, and a home run against Frederick. She has had three multi-homer games this season. Kelly has eleven putouts, eight assists, and one error in the field this season.
 
First-year player Sklar Compton has 16 total hits and a .500 batting average through eleven games this season. Compton has scored 12 runs this year and has 12 RBIs. She has four doubles on the year, and she has drawn three walks this year. Her OPS is at 1.262 this season, which includes a .543 OBP. Skyla has seven multi-hit games this season. She was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI I the 13-2 win against Frederick this past Wednesday. She has ten putouts and six assists this season.
 
Sophomore Ashton Spiker also has 16 total hits this season, posting a .471 batting average in 12 games. Spiker has scored 20 runs, second on the Catamounts, and she has nine extra-base hits, which includes six home runs. She has 16 RBIs, third on the team, and she has drawn a team-best nine walks this season. Her OPS sits at 1.722 this season, boosted by both her OBP (.604) and her team-high slugging percentage (1.118). Spiker has three multi-hit games this year, and she has a 12-game hitting streak on the season. Spiker was 3-for-6 with four runs scored, a homer, and four RBIs in the doubleheader on Wednesday.
 
Sophomore Chloe Greise is the top hurler for the Catamounts, pitching 47 innings and going 8-1 with a 1.19 ERA. Greise has struck out 49 batters in her nine appearances, allowing 17 runs, just eight earned, on 22 hits. She has walked 19 batters this season. Greise has won five straight starts this season, and she has struck out at least six batters six times this season. She struck out a season-high eight batters twice this season, fanning eight in a 13-0 win against Surry CC back on February 28^th, and then matching that with eight more strikeouts in a 4-2 win against CCBC Catonsville back on March 11^th. She allowed two runs, both unearned, on three hits and three strikeouts in five innings. Greise is a returning All-American pitcher from a year ago.
 
First-year pitcher Lacie Miller is second on the squad with 21 innings pitched, going 1-2 with a 7.33 ERA in six appearances. Miller has allowed 24 runs, 22 earned, on 24 hits, striking out eleven and walking 13. She picked up her first win in her last start, giving up four runs, all earned, on seven hits in six innings, striking out five in the 12-4 win against Frederick.
 
The head coach for the Catamounts is Chris Greise, Chloe's father. He's in his first season at the helm for Potomac. Greise has been in the regional softball scene for over a decade, which includes a stint at Bishop Walsh HS, where he established the softball program in 2019 and had a successful 60-8 record in his time there. He was also the head coach of the Potomac Valley Elite U18 team, coaching regional players. He spent a lot of time with local travel ball programs and has coached a lot at the high school level. Greise is a graduate of Bishop Walsh HS.
 
The Match-Up
The Falcons are 1-9 through ten games since 2021 against WVU Potomac. Lackawanna beat Potomac 8-5 back on April 2^nd, 2021, but has lost the last nine to the Catamounts. Five of those games ended early via run rule, and five of their contests saw the Catamounts scored ten or more runs.
 
The doubleheader on Saturday, March 15^th, will start at 1:00pm ET between the Falcons and the Catamounts in Keyser, WV. There will be a video livestream available via the WVU Potomac State Fan Zone Gameday Video, linked HERE.
 
Lackawanna is scheduled to open Region XIX DII play at County College of Morris on Tuesday, March 18^th. First pitch is at 3:30pm ET in Randolph, NJ.