3/25/25
 
SCRANTON, Pa. –SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College softball is set to begin another busy week, featuring five more doubleheaders in seven days, and it starts on Tuesday, March 25^th, when the Falcons travel to take on Penn State Hazleton in a pair of games.
 
First pitch of game one is set for 2:00pm ET on Tuesday at Theory Field at Freedom Park in Drums, PA. The second game is tentatively scheduled for a 4:00pm ET start. There will be a video livestream available via the Penn State Hazleton streaming platform, linked HERE.

About The Falcons
The Falcons (9-13) were 5-5 in ten games last week and are coming into the contests with PSU Hazleton after splitting a doubleheader with SUNY Corning CC this past Sunday. Lackawanna won a tight game one in walk-off fashion, 9-8, thanks to scoring four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. In game two, the Falcons tried again to mount a comeback, but fell one run short, 6-5, with the go-ahead run on base in the seventh. You can read the full recap HERE.
 
The Falcons started slow, but are now up to .284 at the plate through 22 games this season. Lackawanna has scored 90 runs, averaging 4.1 per game on the year. The Falcons have 27 extra-base hits, including 21 doubles and four triples, and they have a .708 OPS. Lackawanna has drawn 62 walks and struck out 100 times. They have also stolen 27 bases.
 
Pitching-wise, the Falcons have been pretty good, posting a staff ERA of 6.50 this year. In 139 innings, the Falcons have allowed 164 runs, 129 earned, on 204 hits, while striking out 80 and walking 93. Opponents are hitting .333 against the Falcons this season and have been hit by 19 pitches.
 
Defensively, the Falcons have 39 errors and a .934 fielding percentage. They've turned three double plays and caught six runners stealing this season.
 
Sophomore utility player Jillian Heimberger (Unionville, PA) is first on the team with 27 hits and is hitting .403 through 22 games. She has a .993 OPS and has scored 14 runs, second on the team. Heimberger leads the Falcons in extra-base hits (5), doubles (4), total bases (33), slugging (.493), and on-base percentage (.500). She has nine RBIs, third on the squad, and she has drawn 12 walks, second on the squad. Heimberger has also stolen three bases, tied for fourth on the squad. She has six multi-hit games 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 excellent against Corning on Sunday, combining for six hits in nine at-bats in the doubleheader split. She has 22 putouts and 19 assists this season.
 
Sophomore outfielder Emmalee Mowery (Mechanicsburg, PA) is second on the team with 23 total hits and a .348 batting average this season. Mowery has a .857 OPS, second on the team, boosted by a .463 OBP, and she leads the Falcons in runs (16) and walks (14), and she is tied for the team-high in RBIs (10). She has seven stolen bases this season. Mowery has nine multi-hit games during the season, including her last three games. She was 3-for-4 with a run scored, a double, and two RBIs in the win against Southern Maine CC on March 7^th. Mowery has gone a combined 6-for-12 (.500) with five runs scored and six RBIs in her last three games. She had four combined hits and five RBIs in the two games against Corning on Sunday. She has 53 putouts and one assist in the outfield this season.
 
First-year corner infielder and catcher Laniah Tasker (Chambersburg, PA) is third on the team with 19 hits this season, and she has a .297 batting average through 21 games. Laniah has seven runs scored this year and has driven in ten RBIs, tied with Mowery for first on the team. She has one of the only two home runs for the Falcons this season, hitting a three-run homer against Moris to tie game two and eventually help Lackawanna win on March 18^th. Laniah has two doubles, and has drawn a walk and been hit by two pitches this season. Laniah has six multi-hit games, including two of her last three games. Tasker was 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI in the 8-3 loss to Kaskaskia on March 7^th. She has gone a combined 5-for-11 in her last three games, driving in four runs and hitting a double, which came in the 9-8 win against Corning on Sunday. She was a combined 3-for-8 with two runs and three RBIs, which included her three-run homer, in two games against Morris. She has 54 putouts and 15 assists this season, helping turn one of the three double plays for the Falcons this season.
 
First-year outfielder and pitcher Mia Scalese (Moscow, PA) is fourth on the team with 17 total hits, hitting .283 so far this season. Scalese has appeared in 20 games this year and has ten runs and six RBIs. Scalese has drawn two walks, been hit by a pitch, and has stolen three bases this season. She has a pair of doubles on the season. Scalese has three multi-hit games this season, with a standout 4-for-4 showing in game two on March 19^th against Hudson Valley CC. She was a combined 5-for-9 in three games against HVCC, scoring a pair of runs. Scalese went a combined 2-for-7 with a run scored, an RBI, and a double in the two games against Corning. Scalese has a six-game hitting streak going right now. She has 15 putouts and ten assists on the year.
 
First-year second base player Lindsey Tasker (Clarks Summit, PA) has 16 total hits this season, posting a .327 batting average through 22 games. Tasker has scored eight runs and has two doubles and seven RBIs this season. She has ten walks and five stolen bases this season. Tasker also has a .808 OPS on the year. Tasker has five multi-hit games this season and is on a four-game hitting streak. She was a combined 3-for-5 with two runs and a double in two games against Corning. She has 38 putouts and 19 assists this season from second base.
 
First-year first base player Gracie Sokol (Belle Vernon, PA) has 16 hits on the year, posting a .291 batting average through 22 games. Sokol has a .755 OPS and has five runs scored, while driving in eight runs. Sokol has seven walks this season and has been hit by a pair of pitches, and she has two doubles on the year. Sokol has three multi-hit games this season, all coming in the last week. She went 2-for-3 in a 6-4 win against Morris on March 18^th. Then hit twice in a loss to Mercer on March 22^nd. She was 2-for-3 with a double in the win against Corning on Sunday in game one. Sokol has 95 putouts and five assists this season.
 
Sophomore pitcher Brianna Dinice (Terryville, CT) has thrown the most innings for the Falcons this season, appearing in ten games and throwing 46.2 innings this season. Dinice is 3-6 with a 7.05 ERA on the year, starting in all but one of her appearances. Dinice has allowed 55 runs, 47 earned, on 58 hits, while striking out 27 batters and walking 45. Batters are hitting .293 against Dinice this season, and she has thrown a team-high 23 wild pitches. 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. Dinice has struggled with walks and wild pitches as of late, walking a combined 22 batters in four games last week, while giving up 24 runs in 13 combined innings. She surrendered six runs on four hits and seven walks in four innings on Sunday to Corning in an eventual 6-5 loss for the Falcons.
 
Scalese has pitched in 39.2 innings this season, making ten appearances, six of which have been starts. Scalese is 2-5 with a 5.65 ERA. Scalese has given up 48 runs, only 32 earned, on 62 hits, striking out 28 and walking 20. Opposition is hitting .346 against Scalese this year, and she has hit nine batters with pitches this season. Mia has picked up a pair of wins in her last five appearances. She threw four innings of relief against Morris on March 18^th, giving up just an unearned run on four hits, while striking out six. She had a brief relief outing where she gave up three runs on one hit in just a third of an inning against Hudson Valley, then came back the next day and twirled a gem, striking out seven and allowing just three hits in a 1-0 complete game victory. Scalese was roughed up against Mercer, giving up eight runs on 13 hits in six innings this past Saturday, but she came on to pitch well in relief on Sunday against Corning, allowing just two hits and striking out three in three innings against the Red Barons.
 
Heimberger has pitched the third-most innings, throwing 37.1 so far this season. She is 4-1 in eight appearances with a 5.06 ERA, making four starts. Heimberger has given up 36 runs, 27 earned, on 51 hits, with 16 strikeouts and 16 walks. Batters are hitting .321 against Heimberger so far this season. Jill has picked up three of those wins in her last five appearances. She set her season-high in strikeouts with five after pitching all seven innings against Olney Central back on March 3^rd. She gave up nine runs, but only three were earned. She picked up a complete game win against Morris on March 18^th, giving up four runs on eleven hits in a 6-4 Lackawanna victory. She pitched three scoreless innings of relief against Hudson Valley CC on March 20^th to pick up the win, giving up just one hit and striking out a batter. She went seven innings against Corning in her last outing on Sunday in game one, giving up eight runs on eleven hits and striking out four for the win.
 
The head coach for the Falcons is Jeff Pittsman, entering his 14^th season in charge of the Falcons. Pittsman has 273 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 Penn State Hazleton
The Nittany Lions (0-4) have not played since March 11^th, after dropping a pair of games at the Fast Pitch Dreams Classic in Myrtle Beach. The rest of their schedule was rained out that week, and then they had a cancellation against Bucks County CC last week. In their last pair of games, the Lions fell 16-3 to Keystone College and 9-1 to the University of Pikeville.
 
As a team this season, PSU Hazleton is hitting .213, with a collective .596 OPS through their four games. The Lions are averaging 3.5 runs per game, and have just one extra-base hit, a triple, this season. They have drawn 20 walks, but struck out 23 times this year.
 
The pitching staff has a 9.19 ERA this season, and opponents are hitting .437 against the Nittany Lions. The staff has given up 53 runs, 28 earned, on 55 hits in 21.1 innings pitched. They've struck out ten batters and walked 19 so far this season.
 
Defensively, the Lions have made 15 errors this season and have a .858 fielding percentage. They've caught two baserunners stealing on the year.
 
First-year player Ella Thuringer is hitting .444 and has four hits in four games this season. Thuringer has a .989 OPS, helped by a .545 OBP through her first four contests. Thuringer has a run scored, was hit by a pitch, and has drawn a walk this year. She had three hits in a 19-10 loss to Cairn back on March 9^th.
 
Senior Jess Lepore is a .375 hitter this season, compiling three hits in four games. Lepore leads the Lions with four runs scored and five walks, helping give her a team-high .615 OBP this season. Lepore had four of those five walks in the loss to Cairn on March 9^th, turning those into three runs. She had a pair of hits against Keystone on March 11^th.
 
Sophomore Amy Dwojeski has four total hits and is hitting .364 through her first four games this season. Dwojeski has two runs, the lone extra-base hit for the Lions (A triple), and she has two RBIs this season. She had two hits and an RBI in the loss to Keystone on March 11th and then had another RBI and a walk in the loss to Pikeville later that day.
 
Senior Ashley Wilson has three hits and is a .300 hitter through four games this year. Wilson has three runs on the year, has driven in another, and she has drawn a pair of walks. Wilson had two hits in the loss to Keystone, and had a hit, an RBI, two walks, and two runs in the loss to Cairn.
 
Senior Paige Parisi leads the team in total innings thrown, pitching in 10.1 innings on the year in two appearances. Parisi is 0-2 with an 8.13 ERA. She has given up 18 runs, 12 earned, on 25 hits, striking out one and walking three. Opponents are hitting .417 against her this season. In both her outings, she gave up nine runs. Against Pikeville, seven of those nine were earned on 13 hits in 5.2 innings for Parisi.
 
Junior Tiffany Brogan, who also leads the Lions with six RBIs at the plate, is second on the team with eight innings pitched in two outings. Brogan is 0-2 with a 10.50 ERA. She has given up 31 runs on 26 hits, but only 12 of those runs are earned. She has struck out a team-high eight batters, while walking eleven. Opponents are hitting .491 against her this season. Brogan has been hit hard in her two appearances. She gave up 17 runs, six earned, on 16 hits in six innings in the loss to Cairn, striking out six and walking seven. Against Keystone, she lasted only two innings, surrendering 14 runs, six earned, on ten hits, while striking out two and walking four.
 
The head coach for the Nittany Lions is Gabrielle Vuocolo, now in her second season in charge of the Nittany Lions. Vuocolo will be familiar to Lackawanna softball fans, as she spent two seasons with the Falcons, twice being named to the All-Region XIX squad. She finished her career with a .371 batting average and 75 runs scored, then went on to play at Millersville University, where she started 26 times in her career. Vuocolo is a Jersey Shore HS graduate in central PA, winning a pair of district championships with the Bulldogs. She's 10-22 in her time at PSU Hazleton.
 
The Match-Up
Lackawanna is 6-0 against PSU Hazleton since 2022, winning each doubleheader the two teams have played. The Falcons were victorious in a sweep last year, winning 14-5 and 8-0 in five innings of both games. The Falcons won a pair of games in Hazleton in 2023.
 
First pitch of game one is set for 2:00pm ET on Tuesday at Theory Field at Freedom Park in Drums, PA. The second game is tentatively scheduled for a 4:00pm ET start. There will be a video livestream available via the Penn State Hazleton streaming platform, linked HERE.
 
Lackawanna is back on the road this Thursday, March 27^th, as the Falcons travel to take on D3 #5 Brookdale CC in doubleheader action starting at 3:30pm ET in Lincroft, NJ.