STAC SOFTBALL: ROUGH INNING COSTLY TO OWEGO (2023-04-10)

By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
OWEGO — With the exception of one rough inning, the Owego softball team held its own against defending Section IV Class B champion Chenango Valley in a 13-5 STAC loss Monday.

Neither team could push a run across in the first two innings despite putting multiple runners on, but in the third the Warriors took advantage of doubles by Hope and Maddie Trisket to grab a 1-0 edge.

CV pushed its advantage to 4-0 on a walk, single, passed ball and two-run error with Trisket, Icey Jones and Kaylee Watson reaching home.

Makenzi Reinhard’s base hit plated Amelia Paske, Megan Butch walked and Reinhard scored on a Kate Hope single to make it 6-0.

The Indians switched pitchers and Colsten Beers doubled to score Butch and Hope, giving CV an 8-run cushion.

The outcome shows that first-year head coach Elise Fortier’s group needs time to adjust to both new players and new positions

“I think that even though we have a lot of returning players we have a lot of new players in key positions for us,” she said. “So, new coach, we have new players in key positions and that's just from growing pains.

“I think we're a way better team than what we showed in the top of the third, but overall I did like pretty much every inning for us. We showed a little bit of some young in us in some of those innings, and the best time to go through them, experience them, is now, not the end of the season.”

Owego would regroup and get back in the game with a 5-run fourth.

Maddie Bennett and Carsten Crawford led off with back-to-back single, then Sarah Terry drew a walk to load the bases. Jordan Greeno was hit by a pitch to score Bennett, Maia Smith singled, scoring Crawford and Natalie Donovan singled, scoring Terry, closing the gap to 8-4.

Trisket would strike out the next two batters, but Smith would score on a passed ball before the final out of the inning.

“I'm proud of them for coming back and I really, really love that bottom of the fourth where we put up five runs just an inning after they put up the eight, and we earned them, we earned them,” Fortier said. “We had great base running, so I'm proud of them in how they came back. We’ve just got to get rid of that top of the third.”

The Warriors would parlay two singles and two walks into another run in the fifth, then add runs on a fly out and a fielder’s choice to push their advantage to 11-5.

CV tacked on two more runs on a trio of errors in the top of the seventh and Trisket retired three of four batters to end the game.

The Warriors finished with 11 hits to Owego’s six and committed just one error. The Indians had five miscues.

Donovan paced Owego at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Smith was 1-for-3 with a run and RBI; Crawford went 1-for-3 with a run; Bennett went 1-for-4 with w run;

Greeno added a run and an RBI, Terry had a run and a stolen base, and Layla Etienne contributed a pinch hit single.

Crawford took the loss, allowing 10 runs over 5 ⅓ innings, but only three were earned. She struck out three, gave up eight hits and walked four. Chelsea Rollison gave up three earned runs on three hits with five walks and a strikeout.

Leadoff hitter Hope went 5-for-5 for CV with three runs and an RBI. Paske had one hit, two runs and three RBI.

Trisket, who struck out seven, and gave up six hits and two walks, aided her own cause at the plate with two hits, two runs and two RBI.

Playing a quality team like CV this early in the season is tough, but Fortier actually welcomes the challenge.

“It is tough and I think with some of the newer kids coming in, they know what to expect, and when I say new kids, I mean our pitcher obviously with Carsten,” she said. “She's going to be really, really good for us in the future and she has really good stuff. She just needs to learn to trust herself a little bit. I think she's trying to prove herself to myself, to our assistant coach and to her team and she doesn't need to do that. I've seen what she can do. She just needs to trust herself

“I don't mind playing this team this second game of the year because it kind of gives us some standing ground on what we're going to be and how we're going to fight. And we fought, and I am very happy with how we fought.”

Owego (1-1) is back in action April 18 at Windsor.

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IN PHOTO 1: Owego’s Brooklyn Gaurnier. ... PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.