Women’s Softball

A mid-day deluge and lightning storm couldn’t stop the FLC women’s softball team from playing their scheduled game at Sacramento City College on Tuesday afternoon, although the Panthers came out on top 7-3. Falcon shortstop McKenna Rickles continued her hot hitting as she became the first Falcon softball player to hit two home runs in one game, accounting for all three FLC runs. The Falcons took a 2-1 lead on the first of Rickles’ homers in the third inning, but the Panthers quickly responded with four runs in their half of the inning. Rickles’ solo homer in the seventh - her third hit of the day – raised her team-leading batting average to .392.  Two Big 8 teams desperate for a win - each with just one conference victory thus far in 2017 - squared off in Santa Rosa on last Saturday as the Falcons visited the Bear Cubs for an afternoon doubleheader. It couldn’t have started out worse for the Falcons as they gave up seven runs in each of the first two innings, ultimately losing the opener 15-6. The Falcon bats finally came to life in the fourth and fifth innings as they scored six runs, but the early 14 run deficit was too much to overcome. McKenna Rickles had two hits, collected two RBI, and stole a base as the Falcons’ offensive star of the game.

Rickles took the mound for the Falcons in the late game, and after the Falcons took a 1-0 lead in the first, things were looking positive for the visitors. But as has been the case, one error led to more mistakes and the Bear Cubs took full advantage, scoring five runs in the second inning. Rickles settled down and shut them out the rest of the way, but despite her second multi-hit offensive game of the day, the Falcons only tallied one more run as they lost 5-2. The Falcons hope to right the ship on Tuesday, when they’re scheduled to visit Sacramento City at 3:00 pm.

Men’s Baseball

The Saturday afternoon finale of the three-game series with Santa Rosa started out well for the Falcons as they took a first-inning 2-0 lead. But things quickly turned ugly as the Bear Cubs capitalized on five doubles, three singles, three hit batters, and a passed ball to score 10 runs – all in the second inning. To their credit, the Falcons didn’t fold as they rallied to score six more runs over the next five innings. Carson McCusker smashed his eighth home run of the season in the sixth inning, a two-run shot that landed on the middle of the track, having completely cleared the protective screen in left field. The 15-8 final score was reflective of the type of season it has been thus far for the Falcons: lots of hitting and decent run support, but the pitching has been far from reliable. The team ERA in nine conference games is 7.96, meaning they’re allowing nearly 8 earned runs per game. With three games against Modesto (7-11 overall, 3-3 in Big 8) this week, the Falcons hope to turn things around.

Upcoming Sports Schedule

Fri March 24      M/W Tennis – Big 8 Playoffs TBD

Sat March 25     Softball vs Sierra at FLC, 12:00 and 2:00 pm

                Baseball at Modesto, 1:00 pm