Sullivan County women’s softball league

Klein and Sons applies lumber in crossover win

Huge second inning-outburst carries ladies in blue over improving Cobbler’s

By RICHARD A. ROSS

MONGAUP VALLEY, NY — It was a beautiful night for softball at Collins Park on June 20 as a vastly improved B Division Cobbler’s team, riding a 3-2 record, arrived to test their mettle against Klein and Sons Logging from the A Division.

Visiting team Klein and Sons sported the same record at the game’s outset.

The visitors got on the board in the first inning with a trio of runs fueled by a string of four extra base hits in a row. Barbara Ward-Blank, Chris Powell and Cheryl Sheerer each knocked in a run.

Runs in women’s softball can pile up quickly, so it is vital when you get a lead to try and keep the other team at bay.

Klein and Sons’ pitcher Susan Waddell did that in the first inning, allowing only one hit before retiring the Cobbler’s in order.

In the second inning, Klein and Sons exploded, sending 19 batters to the plate and racking up 15 runs. During the outburst, which began with a single by Waddell, Klein and Sons got extra-base hits by Kris Stant, Sheerer, Chris Lopez and a booming three-run homer by Jen Ackermann. Ackermann was greeted with high fives and big grins as she returned to the dugout. Klein and Sons got good swings off Cobbler’s pitcher Lara DiPaolo, but the team’s shaky fielding really opened the door.

Even though they trailed by 18 runs, Cobbler’s never gave up. DiPaolo settled in and shut out the ladies in blue for the next five innings. Cobbler’s got three runs back in the third inning when they loaded the bases with hits by Michelle Orrego, Rebecca Cohen and DiPaolo. Lisa Weigand, Susan Hahn and Shannon Weigand knocked in runs.

Cobbler’s was able to add a lone run in the fourth and another in the sixth, but Waddell was able to induce ground balls that her infielders gobbled up or flies that the outfielders were able to hold onto. Klein and Sons played good defense throughout the night which prevented a Cobbler’s comeback.

Cobbler’s captain Erin Brown was pleased with her team’s progress. A number of the players are first-timers. Terilyn Stigler made a nice play at the plate, holding onto the ball as the runner barreled towards her.

Shannon Weigand, a veteran third baseman, continued the fine fielding and hitting that she displayed last year. Cobbler’s took the loss against a tough A Division opponent in stride. Their record fell to 3-3, while Klein and Sons improved to 4-2.

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