TWINS DROP PAIR IN HOME OPENER

Greg Dedrick
ccSCOOP Sports

04-05-10 - 12:15 a.m. - The Columbia-Greene Community College Twins hosted Mohawk Valley in their home opener on Saturday. The Twins came into the day sporting a 2-2 record and looking to hand the Hawks their second loss of the year. Last year, the Hawks came in as the top Honorable Mention squad in the country, falling just outside the Top 10. In the first game, the Twins did not look sharp, and costly errors slowed any chances of a victory. “It’s hard enough to beat a Top 10 team, but when you give them six outs, it’s nearly impossible,” said Twins coach Peter Dedrick. The Hawks put up 11 runs over five innings as they picked up an 11-0 mercy rule victory over the Twins.

Suzy Wright, Catherine Dodig, and Courtney Parlman all were bright spots in the first game, picking up a hit a piece despite the Twins being held scoreless. “We were ripping the ball, just hit it right at people,” added Dedrick, “and Mohawk was playing some great defense.”

The Twins got off to a slow start as well in the second game, falling behind 3-0 after one inning, and by the halfway point of two, it was 7-0 and again looked like it was headed for an early ending. Despite the deficit the Twins would not stay down. “They won’t give up. I think they needed to gain some confidence and realize that we can play with the top teams,” said Dedrick.

The Twins struck for two runs in the bottom half of the second. Courtney Parlman and Dana Brown each drove in runs with singles. After holding the Hawks scoreless in the third, the Twins put their first two hitters on the bases but went down 1-2-3 to end that threat.

After a scoreless fourth, the Hawks pushed their lead to 11-2 due to some errors and a two-run homer. In the bottom half of the inning, the Twins again came roaring back. Cabrina Collesides led off with a double, and, after a pop out Lauren Strobel launched a two-run bomb, her third of the year. A Sabrina Williams walk, followed by a Kristin Knickerbocker single, and a reach via error by Amanda Osborn loaded the bases. Parlman was hit by a pitch in her at-bat to drive in another run, and Brown brought home another run on a fielder’s choice, and the Twins pulled within 5.

In the seventh, it quickly looked like the Hawks would put it away, but Collesides made two fantastic defensive plays in center field to keep the game within reach. The Hawks kept coming, however, and added 4 runs in the inning to push their lead to 15-6.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Twins gave it one more shot. The Twins mounted a two-out rally that provided 3 runs and pulled them within 6. C-GCC had two runners on base when the final out was made, and they fell 15-9.

Strobel led the way in the second game with two hits, the home run, and also her sixth double of the year to go along with two RBIs and a run scored. So far Dedrick has been impressed with her bat. “It’s early but as of now she promises to rank right up there. You can’t really start off much better.”

Parlman added a pair of hits, two RBIs, and a run, while Brown finished with a hit and a pair of RBIs. Collesides finished with two hits and a run, while Dodig added two hits.

The Twins return to action next Saturday when they will host Clinton Community College. “I hope we can bounce back and get it going, because after Saturday, we start to play a bunch of games,” said Dedrick.