TITANS TOP PANTHERS IN EARLY SEASON SOFTBALL SHOWDOWN
Greg Dedrick
ccSCOOP Sports Editor
04-16-09 - Taconic Hills kept their undefeated record intact with a 3-1 victory over Chatham on Tuesday in Craryville. The Titans improve to 6-0 overall, 5-0 in the Patroon Conference. The Panthers fall to 1-2 but have played three teams expected to be in the top five in the league with only ICC left to play out of that fivesome.
Neither team was able to plate a run until the fifth inning, when the Titans broke the scoreless tie. "This was a good competitive game," said Titans coach Angela Webster via email. In the fifth, Alexis McComb led off with a double, and Alyssa Van Alphen laid down a sacrifice bunt to move McComb to third. On a dropped third strike to Nicole Havlik, McComb was able to reach home, and Havlik made her way to first base. After an Aleshia Link walk, Elyse DeRuzzio laced a triple to left field to score two more runs for a 3-1 lead. In the sixth, the Panthers picked up a run of their own when Courney Mesick scored. With just a two-run lead in the final inning, Link retired her opponents in order to close out the game.
For the game, Link went the distance on the mound, striking out 15 batters while walking just one and giving up two hits. The lone run scored against the Titans was unearned on the Titans’ only error. Chatham committed two errors behind pitcher Chrissy Dunton, who threw her team’s full six innings. Dunton surrendered five hits and two walks while striking out seven. Of the three runs surrendered, two were earned.
DeRuzzio finished the game 1 of 3 with a triple and two RBIs, while McComb collected a single and a run. Erika Yasinski and Karen Williams each added a hit for the Titans. The Panthers’ two hits came in the form of singles by Dunton and Aimee Palleschi.
Taconic Hills returns to action Wednesday when they travel to Red Hook for a nonleague contest and get back to league action Monday at Maple Hill. Chatham returns to action on Wednesday as well when they travel to Fulton for a nonleague contest.
