5/2/25
 
WEST WINDSOR TWP., NJ – With the Falcons backed into a corner and their season on the line, sophomore Jillian Heimberger did all she could to keep Lackawanna softball going for one more day, as the Falcons beat Salem CC in an elimination game, 9-0 in five innings, to split their pair of games at the Region XIX Division II tournament on Friday afternoon at Mercer County CC. The Falcons lost to the hosts, Mercer, by a 5-1 margin in their opening game.
 
Heimberger (Unionville, PA) took over game two, driving in five RBIs and pitching five shutout innings to help drive the Falcons (29-25) into the second day of action. She hit a two-run homer in the first inning to give Lackawanna the initial lead, then doubled home another run in the third to make it 3-0, then drove in two more RBIs when she reached on a fielder's choice in the fourth inning.
 
It was all a part of an excellent bounce back game for Lackawanna, which looked flat in its opener. In game two, the Falcons had nine hits, including three doubles and Heimberger's homer, while limiting a potent Salem attack to just two hits all game. Lackawanna used a five-run fourth inning to break the game wide open and push it into run-rule territory, then Heimberger pitched around a two-out double I the top of the fifth to send the Mighty Oaks home.
 
Salem (19-25) had its chances, particularly in the top of the third. With the Falcons ahead 2-0, the Oaks got a two-base error to start the inning. Two hit batters, along with two pop outs, loaded the bases with two away. A sliced fly ball was diving to the infield turf and threatened to drop for a hit, but Lindsey Tasker (Clarks Summit, PA) flashed some leather and laid out to make a sensational grab, keeping the Oaks off the board and stranding the bases loaded.
 
Heimberger rewarded her play in the bottom frame with a two-out double to right that scored Emmalee Mowery (Mechanicsburg, PA). Heimberger later scored on a single to left from Laniah Tasker (Chambersburg, PA), which made it 4-0, Falcons.
 
After Salem went quietly in the fourth, the Falcons struck hard in the bottom half. Tori May (New Castle, PA) singled to start the inning, while Mia Scalese (Moscow, PA) singled to put two on. Kizbelth Ortiz (New Britain, CT) placed a bunt down the third-base line, and she beat the throw to reach. Meanwhile, a bobble by second base, covering first on the bunt, let the Falcons get a run home and put a runner at third, making it 5-0. Abigail Yenalevitch (Kingston, PA) hustled to beat a potential double play ball that ended up being bobbled and dropped at first, while a run crossed to push the Falcons ahead 6-0. Back-to-back walks loaded the bases, still with one out, and Salem had to make a pitching change. Heimberger hit a hard grounder to second and hustled down the line to beat another potential double play. Speaking of hustle, Yenalevitch scored easy, but Mowery sprinted around third and beat the throw home to make it a two-run hit and put the Falcons ahead 8-0. Laniah Tasker doubled to center to score Heimberger and pushed the margin to nine, before a fielder's choice finally ended the inning for the Falcons.
 
Heimberger had no issues, apart from a two-out double, and got the final out on a fly ball to shallow center-right field to end the game and keep the Falcons and their 2025 season alive.
 
Mowery had two runs and two walks, while Heimberger had three runs and five RBIs. Laniah Tasker had two hits and two RBIs, while Scalese and Isabella Rodriguez (Lancaster, PA) each scored a run. Heimberger, despite not recording a strikeout, pitched five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and stranding five batters.
 
It was just the game Lackawanna College needed, after a struggle in game one against the Vikings from Mercer.
 
Mercer (39-3), the host and two-seed for the playoffs this weekend, hit a two-run home run in the first inning to take the early lead, then slowly suffocated the Falcons on defense. Scalese ended up with the loss, despite pitching pretty well, giving up five runs, three earned, on five hits in six innings. Lackawanna outhit Mercer, 6-5, but the Falcons stranded six runners, drew no walks, and had just one extra-base hit, a double from Heimberger.
 
Trialing 2-0 in the top of the fourth, Heimberger doubled to get on base, followed by a single from Laniah Tasker that put runners on the corners. A quick pop out put two outs up, but Paige Pieper (Middleton, ID) kept the inning going with a bloop single to right, which dropped right in front of the fielder and let Heimberger get home to get the Falcons on the board. Lackawanna stranded the baserunners, however, on a strikeout.
 
Lackawanna wasted a two-out baserunner in the top of the fifth, and the Vikings jumped on the opportunity in the bottom half. A one-out single, followed by a sac bunt, put a runner in scoring position with one away. A walk, followed by a hit batter, loaded the bases, and another walk, this time with the bases loaded, forced an important insurance run in to make it 3-1, Vikings. Scalese got a pop out to first to strand the bases loaded and keep the Falcons within striking distance.
 
But, the offense stalled out in the top of the sixth, and Mercer tacked on two more in the bottom half, using a one-out walk, a two-out hit batter, and then a two-run single to center to push their lead out to 5-1.
 
In the top of the seventh, back-to-back one-out singles gave the Falcons some life, but a pop out, followed by fielder's choice to short, ended the inning and the game, sending the Falcons to the elimination game against Salem.
 
Mowery had a hit, while Heimberger had a double and a run scored. Pieper had the lone RBI, while Scalese, Ortiz, and Laniah Tasker all had hits.
 
Thanks to the split, Lackawanna College stays alive in region play and is now one win away from a potential Atlantic District berth. The Falcons will have to get that win against top-seed Delaware Tech CC, which lost 9-3 to Mercer in the winner's bracket final late on Friday afternoon. The Falcons are 1-3 against Del Tech this season, with their lone win coming in the last contest between the two, which happened two weekends ago in Scranton.
 
First pitch of the elimination game is set for a 10:00am ET start at Mercer County CC. The winner advances to the Region XIX DII championship series against Mercer, with the first game at 12:00pm ET. If Mercer wins that game, the Vikings are champions for the first time since 2018. If either Lackawanna or Del Tech beats Mercer, a winner-take-all game would happen at 2:00pm ET to determine the champion.