Penn State Scranton Softball Falls in Doubleheader to Hazleton

By Ross Turetsky, Penn State Scranton Athletics

On a picturesque spring day on the Penn State Scranton campus, the hometown Nittany Lions dropped both games of their softball doubleheader against conference foe Hazleton, 19-0 and 11-1 respectively, both in five inning contests. Head coach Mar Tsakonas and her Scranton squad, who sees their overall record fall to 0-8, will now look to capture their first win of the 2021 season this weekend, when they travel on the road to face off against Penn State Schuylkill in an afternoon twin bill on Friday and wrap up the series with two more matinee contests back at home this Saturday.

In game one, Hazleton jumped out to an early insurmountable lead in the very first inning, when they plated nine runs, and never looked back. From there, the visiting Lions would tack on two more runs in the top half of the second inning, two more in the fourth, and six more in the fifth and final frame, highlighted by a mammoth solo home run by starting catcher Linsey Fisk, to account for their 19 run, 13 hit, awe-inspiring offensive attack. Hazleton's true star of the game was definitely their starting pitcher Rebecca Baum. Baum earned the win on the mound with her dominant, complete game five inning shutout performance, where she surrendered only one hit and one walk, and fanned 15 batters, as she recorded every out in the ball game via the strike out.

Two bright spots for Scranton were junior left fielder Lucy Adams and sophomore starting pitcher Rachel Kranick. Adams belted her team's lone hit of the game in the bottom of the third inning, as she hammered a towering double to deep center field. Meanwhile, Kranick, who pitched all five innings for her club, was the only other base runner in the early game for Scranton, as she worked a quality, full count walk in the fourth frame.

In the nightcap, Scranton jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, as freshman first baseman Brooke Kloss hit a single up the middle and would come around to score her team's lone run of the contest, when sophomore catcher and team captain Kathryn Lahey, pummeled an opposite field RBI double to right field. From there, junior right-handed hurler Emily Scarfo, who threw all five innings for her team, kept Scranton in the ball game and going into the top half of the fourth inning, her team only trailed by a mere run, at 2-1, deep into the contest. However, in the final two frames, Hazleton came roaring back and scored a combined nine runs, five in the fourth and four more in the fifth, to put the game out of reach and to its eventual final score of 11-1. The highlight of the fifth and final inning came from the bat and dynamic speed of Hazleton starting second baseman Sky Esterly. Esterly crushed a ball deep into center field and would show off her lightning quick wheels by coming all the way around the bases on a thrilling two run inside the park home run.

Hazleton's south paw starting pitcher Mackenzie Joy picked up the win on the mound, as she threw a complete game, five inning effort, only allowing one earned run, walking three, striking out two batters, and scattering just five hits on the day.

Meanwhile, in game two, Scranton was led offensively once again by Adams, who recorded her team's only multi-hit game on the day, as she was a perfect 2-2 at the plate, picking up an infield

single and a hard base hit up the middle. Senior second baseman and co-captain, Lauren Sciabbarrasi, stroked a nice single to center as well, and Rachel Butler, Abby Torres, and Kloss would also reach base for the Lions via the walk.

Overall, Scranton head coach Tsakonas was very proud of her team's gritty effort and gradual improvement she sees her team making with each passing game. "I definitely say today was one of our better days on the field so far on the season. We've changed some pieces around, we've added some new pieces to the puzzle, and we are starting to find what fits. They're starting to mesh out there, the pitchers are starting to settle down, get comfortable in the circle. We just added another pitcher to our roster, so when she's up to speed, we will have her in the circle, that will help us there. We are starting to see the ball better. So offensively we are starting to make more contact, starting to make things a little more interesting. In the first game, that first inning got away from us but then we settled down and at this point we will be at practice tomorrow working on little things so we are ready for Friday and Saturday against Schuylkill, who we've also already faced this year. This is the second time we've faced Hazleton and they knocked us out in three innings both games we went down there. So there is seriously drastic improvements that we have already made. That second game today was so competitive. They were working together and at this point it's just making sure that the pieces are starting to mesh and I think we are starting to click at the right time. I couldn't ask for them to give more effort than they've been given, they've given everything. They are walking around with ice on every body part that they can possibly put it on. As coach, I'm so proud of the effort that they have been given us. They are fighting and that is what we need from them, to continue to fight, and I think that if they keep pushing themselves, we will be in good shape to get a win sometime this season," said their always inspirational coach Tsakonas.