4/24/26
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The offense was consistent, the pitching was on point, and Lackawanna College played some of its best brand of softball all season long to stun Mercer County CC, 8-0 and 12-4, in a pair of run-rule victories in Region XIX Division II action on a sunny Friday afternoon at Scranton HS.
 
The Falcons (38-13, 19-5) were aggressive at the plate, combining for 26 hits and 20 runs across both games, while pitchers Mekenzie Revere (Ansonia, CT) and Ayahna Fleisher (Duncannon, PA) combined to hold down the high-powered Mustangs (37-5, 18-4).
 
In game one, Lackawanna steadily built a four-run lead after four innings, then struck for four more runs in the sixth inning to push the lead to eight runs and trigger an early ending. Mia Scalese (Moscow, PA) stayed hot, going 3-for-3 with a run and an RBI, while Kyleah Edwards (Taylor, PA), Riley Knott (Clarks Summit, PA), and Mackenzie Adolfson (Throop, PA) each had two hits, with Edwards scoring two runs, Knott scoring a run and driving in another, and Adolfson scoring and collecting an RBI. Revere went six innings, surrendering just five hits and striking out four in a shutout victory for her 14^th win of the season.
 
The Falcons got out of trouble in the first inning, when Mercer got runners on first and second with one out. An infield fly rule went to third base, and the Falcons picked the lead runner off in the chaos. In the home half, however, Lackawanna also came up empty, getting the first two runners on but grounding into a 4-6-3 double play and making another out to strand a runner at third.
 
In the bottom of the second, Lackawanna finally broke through. Adolfson launched a ball to dead center field that bounced off the top of the fence for a leadoff double. Two batters later, Scalese singled to center to score Adolfson and put the Falcons on top. Another double play ended the inning early for the Falcons, but they lead 1-0 after two.
 
Revere struck out the side in the third, and Lackawanna added a second run in the home half, using a two-out single from Edwards to get a baserunner, and then bringing her home on a single from Knott to right field.
 
Mercer had its best chance in the fourth, loading the bases with two outs in the fourth on a pair of singles and a walk, but Revere got a huge ground out back to herself to get out of trouble and strand the runners. Lackawanna made Mercer pay in the home half, using a sac fly to put runners in scoring position with two outs, and then getting an RBI single from Fleisher to left, followed by a stolen base and an error on the throw that let a second run score, making it 4-0, Falcons.
 
A single to center with two outs, followed by an error at short, put two runners on for the Mustangs, but a ground out to first stranded the pair and kept Mercer off the board. Lackawanna loaded the bases in the fifth, but came up empty on a strikeout.
 
Revere pitched around a two-out single in the top of the sixth to keep Mercer off the board, and the Falcons came through in the bottom half. A leadoff single from Haleigh Mazol (Stroudsburg, PA), followed by a wild pitch, put the lead runner on second. A ground ball to short from Fleisher nearly put Mazol in trouble, but she beat the tag at third with a great hook slide to get the Falcons runners on the corners. Fleisher stole second, and a walk loaded the bases, still with nobody out. A grounder to third led to a force out at home, but Laniah Tasker (Chambersburg, PA) had the big hit with a two-run single to center that made it 6-0, Falcons. A wild pitch put runners on second and third, and Adolfson singled back up the middle to make it 7-0. One run away from run-rule win, Gracie Sokol (Belle Vernon, PA) delivered with a single up the middle to score Tasker and give the Falcons the victory.
 
In game two, Lackawanna scored nine runs in the first inning to build a big lead, then survived the rally from Mercer to score the final three runs and get another run-rule victory in six innings. Lackawanna had six extra-base hits, including three triples, and Fleisher struck out eleven batters in six innings for the victory. Scalese was 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, while Edwards added three hits, including a triple, and had two RBIs. Fleisher scored three runs, while Sokol had two RBIs. Adolfson had two hits and two runs, and Tasker had two hits.
 
Fleisher got out of trouble in the first, getting around an error to lead the game off with a pair of ground outs and a strike out. In the home half, she led the game off and got hit by a pitch. A single to left from Edwards put two on, and a wild pitch gave the Falcons runners on second and third, still with nobody out. Another wild pitch scored a run, then a walk, followed by a double from Tasker, made it 2-0. Adolfson singled to left for a third run, and Sokol smacked a double down the left field line that made it 5-0, Falcons. Scalese followed with a double to left of her own that scored Sokol and pushed it to 6-0, all before the first out was recorded. With two away, Fleisher reached on an error at short, allowing her to get on and letting Scalese come home for another run, then Edwards singled to center and Knott tripled to right to drive two more runs in and give Lackawanna a massive 9-0 lead after just one inning of play.
 
Mercer finally found its first run of the day, getting a one-out double to score its first run. The Mustangs got a runner to third, but couldn't score another in the second, but it seemed to light a fire. After the Falcons went down in order in the home half, Mercer led the third off with a triple to center and scored on a missed ball on the relay, getting the Mustangs a second run. A batter reached on an error by Fleisher, but she bounced back with three-straight strikeouts to strand the runner.
 
Things were quiet for both sides until the top of the fifth inning. With two outs, an error on the infield let a runner on, and Mercer immediately cashed in with a long fly ball double to left to get within 9-3. Another run scored on a hard-hit triple to right field that made it 9-4, and it seemed like the Mustangs had some momentum heading into the bottom frame.
 
Scalese led the home half off with a single to right field, and she moved to second on a wild pitch. Back-to-back strikeouts put two outs on the board, but Fleisher singled to center to bring Scalese home and make it 10-4. Edwards stepped in and smacked a fly ball into center field, scoring Fleisher and motoring around to third for a triple. Knott couldn't come up with the game-winner in the fifth, but the Falcons now led 11-4 and seemed to have righted the ship.
 
After Fleisher retired Mercer in order in the top of the sixth, Adolfson hit a one-out double to left field to get into scoring position. Sokol grounded out but advanced Adolfson to third. Scalese stepped in and hit a 1-2 pitch to left field, scoring Adolfson and securing the home doubleheader sweep for Lackawanna College.
 
The Falcons have now won 38 games, setting a program record for the most wins in a single season, breaking the 2001 squad's mark of 36 wins. Lackawanna College can try for a program-first 40 wins with a doubleheader on Sunday, April 26^th, against SUNY Onondaga CC. The non-region doubleheader is set for an 11:00am ET start in Syracuse NY at the Onondaga CC Softball Complex. It will also serve as the regular season finale for Lackawanna, which begins Region XIX Division II playoff action next weekend.