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RFH 2010, HCS Softball

HCS Girls Overwhelm SVCS to Win Sectionals

Sun, Jun 05, 2011

Hamilton faces Section IV champions Deposit Tuesday in Binghamton.

HCS Girls Overwhelm SVCS to Win Sectionals

LIVERPOOL -- After a wobbly start, the HCS softball team regained the form that propelled them into the Section III Class D title game Saturday at Hopkins Road Park and used a variety of means to eventually overwhelm Stockbridge Valley 11-2 to win the championship.

The Lady Emerald Knights -- now 21-2 overall for the season -- will play Deposit Tuesday afternoon in Binghamton for the regional title.

Stockbridge Valley scored a run each in the first two innings, in identical fashion. In the first, Meriah Beauvais got on with a two-out triple and scored on a passed ball. In the second, Mandi Beauvais singled, got caught in a run-down and went all the way to third on a Hamilton error. She too scored on a passed ball.

Hamilton found itself down 2-0, and Coach Bill Dowsland told his squad, "We're better than this."

And, in the bottom of the second, they proved Dowsland right, and did so repeatedly for the balance of the ball game.

In the Lady Knights' half of the second, senior Sara Whyatt grounded to Brittany Lalonde at second, who bobbled the ball allowing Whyatt to beat the throw to first. Jordan Peterson popped out to short.

Sophomore catcher Kelby Watkins attoned for the two passed balls that gave Stockbridge the lead with a towering home run well over the left field fence.

Suddenly it was 2-2 and the momentum did not just shift, it kicked the dirt, bared its fangs, slammed its foot to the floor, caught the Cougars in the rearview and carried the Lady Emerald Knights along for the ride.

"It's a new game," Assistant Coach Dave Unger said as Hamilton took the field in the third.

Hamilton's pitching wunderkind Becca Rogers was strong from the start and got stronger as the game progressed. Later she would say she felt strong and was pleased with the wat she was able to hit the spots she wanted to. The eighth-grader ended the game giving up just two hits and striking out 13.

Rogers got plenty of support from the HCS bats. While they did not continue to pack the power of Watkins' home run, Lady Knights got on base -- several times on Stockbridge errors -- and then stole bases at will. And, Hamilton made big plays in the field when it needed to as well.

Katie Weeks had a pair of doubles for Hamilton. Jess Welsh -- another HCS eighth grader who plays like a senior -- had three singles. Rachel Holcomb had three stolen bases.

Hamilton scored three in the third, and exploded for five more in the fourth. In each inning, Hamilton got on base, moved runners along and capitalized on errors by the Cougars. Hamilton added its final run in the fifth and coasted to the win.

Afterwards, seniors Whyatt and Peterson both commented on the team chemistry that helped make the season and the sectional championship possible. Both pointed out that the softball team includes the entire girls basketball squad the won its own Section III title earlier this year.

That chemistry will get tested again Tuesday, when the Knights play Section IV champs Deposit. 

  1 2 3 4 5 6 7   R H E
Stockbridge   1 1 0 0 0 0 0   2 2 7
Hamilton   0 2 3 5 1 0 x   11 8 1

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