Agape Freedom Sports LLC

WRITTEN BY: JERIC YURKANIN

Lackawanna College came out hot and swinging today against Salem Community College (NJ) — and they did it on one of those miserable softball days where you’re basically playing the weather as much as the opponent. Dark skies. Steady damp rain popping in and out. A wet field. Not exactly “perfect conditions.” But the Falcons weren’t interested in excuses. They were interested in runs.

After a 1–2 start, they were due to snap back. The year opened with a 0–7 loss to Louisburg, then a 4–12 loss to Gaston on February 28 — but later that same day they responded with an 11–6 win over Wake Tech, and you could feel the bats starting to wake up.

And today? They didn’t just wake up. They caught fire.

The tone was set in the top of the 2nd. Mid Valley alum Mackenzie Adolfson stayed calm and worked a walk. Two batters later, with one out, Riverside alum Kyleah Edwards jumped on one and ripped a fly-ball double to center, bringing Adolfson home for the first run of the game.

Then Ayahna Fleisher basically kicked the door in.

She hammered a shot to center field, clearing the bases and driving in Edwards and Madison Pirolli to make it 3–0 in a hurry. Holy Cross alum Mia Scalese struck out to end the inning, but the message was already loud and clear: Lackawanna wasn’t playing around.

Salem managed just one hit in the bottom of the 2nd — a fly-ball double to center — and that was basically it. The Falcons were locked in defensively and slammed the door with three outs.

Then came the top of the 3rd… and that’s where the game got flipped upside down.

Laniah Tasker drew a walk — and spoiler: she walked three times on the day. Gracie Sokol worked a walk too. Then Adolfson stepped up and smoked a double to bring Tasker home for 4–0, and that spark turned into a full-blown explosion.

Haleigh Mazol followed with a ground-ball single that brought in Sokol and Adolfson to make it 6–0. After an out, Edwards walked, Mackenzie Dineen walked, and Fleisher kept the line moving with a grounder that plated Mazol and Edwards for 8–0.

Then Scalese ripped a double to drive in another run — 9–0. Tasker walked again. Fleisher stole home — 10–0. Adolfson took another walk that forced in Scalese — 11–0.

And then Mazol unloaded.

A home run to center that cleared the bases, and before you could even catch your breath it was 15–0 — all in the 3rd inning. Edwards later singled, Dineen grounded out, and the inning finally ended… but Salem had already been buried.

“Honestly, today’s games were tougher than the scores show. The rain and field conditions made it hard for pitchers to grip and throw the ball, and tough for fielders to make plays. For me, being selective at the plate and attacking the strikes I did get helped me have success. I try to stay confident, loose, and grounded in every at-bat — that’s what allows me to perform. “Said Lackawanna Colleges, Haleigh Mazol

She continued: “Our coaches hold us to a high standard and expect a lot from us, and because of that, we expect a lot from ourselves. We give everything we have every time we step on the field and play to the best of our ability. We support each other on and off the dirt — we’ve always got each other’s backs. Our dugout is electric, and that energy gets us through adversity. We’re all excited for this season, and I can’t wait to see what we do this year.”

Bottom of the 3rd? Three quick outs. The Lackawanna defense made it look easy.

And the Falcons still weren’t done.

Top of the 4th, they kept piling it on. Fleisher was hit by a pitch, Mackenzie Revere came in and drew a walk, Tasker walked again, and Sokol doubled to bring in a run for 16–0.

Adolfson — a true freshman who looked way beyond her years at the plate — stayed patient and drew yet another walk. Mazol got hit by a pitch and Tasker scored. Then Caitlynn Schereck came in, hit a ground ball, and reached on a shortstop error as Adolfson and Sokol crossed to make it 19–0.

And Lackawanna finished the job the way they started it — relentless — rolling to a 21–0 win in five innings. Rain, cold, darkness… none of it mattered.

The Falcons’ bats were wide awake, and Salem felt every swing.

Mazol finished 2-for-4 with 3 runs scored and 7 RBIs. Catcher Mackenzie Adolfson went 2-for-2, drew three walks, drove in two, and crossed the plate a team-high five times. Edwards went 2-for-2 with a walk and scored twice.

And the day didn’t end there — Lackawanna capped the doubleheader by holding off Salem CC 7–6 in Game 2.

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