3/17/26
 
LITTLE RIVER, SC – On a cold, breezy morning in South Carolina, Lackawanna College softball was just as extreme as the temperature in the Palmetto State, dominating in game one for a five-inning victory before falling quiet in a five-inning loss in game two on Tuesday at the Fastpitch Dreams Classic. The Falcons beat Wake Tech, 13-2, in five innings to start the day, then fell 9-0 to Metropolitan CC out of Kansas City in game two, also a shortened five innings.
 
The Falcons (9-4) used an eleven-run fourth inning to blow things wide open against the Eagles (4-15) from North Carolina, stringing together eight singles, plus an RBI ground out, an error, and a passed ball, to blow open what had been a 2-2 contest to that point.
 
Wake took the lead on a fly ball and an error on the infield in the bottom of the first inning, but Lackawanna had responded to go ahead with two runs in the top of the second, courtesy of an RBI double form Mekenzie Dineen (Wilmington, DE) and an RBI single from Ayahna Fleisher (Duncannon, PA). However, the Eagles responded in the bottom of the third, hitting three-straight one-out singles to drive in a tying run at 2-2. Pitcher Mia Scalese (Moscow, PA) looked like she was in trouble with the bases loaded and two away, but induced a pop-up on the first base side, where Gracie Sokol (Belle Vernon, PA) squeezed for the out to strand the runners and keep things knotted at 2-2 heading into the consequential fourth.
 
After a ground out started the inning, two-straight singles from Haleigh Mazol (Stroudsburg, PA) and Dineen put two on and chased the starting pitcher. Fleisher singled to load the bases, and Kyleah Edwards (Taylor, PA) singled to left to give the Falcons the 3-2 advantage. Still with the bases loaded, Laniah Tasker (Chambersburg, PA) drilled a hard single to center, scoring a pair of runners to make it 5-3, Falcons. A walk loaded the bases, and a passed ball let Edwards score to make it 6-3. Sokol singled to center to score two more, then a ground out, followed by a walk, let Mazol come back up. She singled to right to score Sokol, then Dineen drew a walk to load the bases and forced a pitching change back to the original starter for Wake. Fleisher reached on an error at third, allowing another run to score, then a single from Edwards on the infield scored another run, followed by a two-run single from Tasker that made it 13-2.
 
Scalese got around a single in the bottom of the fourth to avoid damage, then shut the door in the bottom of the fifth, pitching around a leadoff single with back-to-back fielder's choices and then a ground out to third to finish the deal.
 
Fleisher had three hits and an RBI, while Tasker was 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Edwards had two hits and two RBIs, while Mazol had two hits and three runs, and Dineen had two hits and three runs. Scalese went five innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on eight hits. She picked up her third victory of the season, and the win was Lackawanna's eighth in nine games.
 
For all the good that happened in game one, none of it carried over to game two, as the Falcons ran up against a Division I opponent in Metropolitan that scored five runs in the third and then added four more in the fifth to walk things off via run-rule, 9-0.
 
The Falcons committed an error on the first play of the bottom of the first, but pitcher Fleisher danced out of trouble to retire the side. Lackawanna got a baserunner in the top of the second on a leadoff walk from Riley Knott (Clarks Summit, PA), but the Wolves got back-to-back strikeouts and then a ground out to strand Knott.
 
Metropolitan stranded two more in the bottom of the second, but wouldn't waste their chances in the bottom half of the third.
 
With a runner on second and one out, an error at first allowed a batter to reach and the run to score, pushing the Wolves in front at 1-0. Later, with the bases loaded and just one away, a sharply hit ball down the left field line just squeaked inside the paint and skittered away into left, clearing the bases with a three-run triple to make it 4-0. A single to center pushed another run across before Fleisher was able to regain control, stranding a pair of runners with a fielder's choice and a strikeout, but the damage was done.
 
Lackawanna faced just five pitches in the top of the fourth, making two quick outs, getting a first-pitch swinging single from Knott, and then making another quick out to strand her once again.
 
Fleisher put up a zero in the bottom of the fourth, but the Falcons were unable to capitalize in the top half of the fifth, setting up Metropolitan to strike again in the bottom frame.
 
A one-out double to left gave the Wolves a base runner, and then a 3-2 pitch was smoked down the right field side, bouncing past the right fielder and hitting the fence in foul territory. That detour was just enough time for the Wolves to motor around the bases for a two-run inside-the-park homer, making it 7-0, Metropolitan.
 
Fleisher was lifted for Mekenzie Revere (Ansonia, CT), who got a ground out to get to two outs, but a walk, followed by an error on the infield, placed runners on the corners with two outs. Needing just one run to win the game, Metropolitan got two on a two-run double to center, icing the contest at 9-0 via the run-rule.
 
Knott was the only Falcon to record a hit and draw a walk, reaching base twice. Lackawanna committed four fielding errors. Fleisher gave up seven runs, five earned, on nine hits in 4.1 innings pitched, taking her second loss of the season.
 
The Falcons are back to action on Wednesday, March 18^th, with another pair of games at the Fastpitch Dreams Classic in South Carolina. It will start at 9:00am ET against another Division I opponent from Region XVI, State Fair CC, followed by a game against South Suburban College at 1:00pm ET.