Sullivan County Women’s Softball League

Cooper Paint remains picture perfect

Tie dye ladies take round one versus rival Charlie’s Angels

By RICHARD A. ROSS

MONGAUP VALLEY, NY - It’s a basic law of physics that when two seemingly immovable objects collide, something’s got to give. So it was that the long awaited match between undefeated Charlie’s Angels and Cooper Paint lived up to the hype on July 6 at Collins Park.

The previously scheduled match up slated for June 1 had been rained out, as have many games this season, so each team went about its business of knocking off everyone else on their schedules. Charlie’s Angels came into this game sporting a 10-0 record; Cooper Paint came in at 9-0.

These two teams are staunch rivals. Last year, Cooper Paint defeated Charlie’s Angels in both of their regular-season games on the way to an historic 25-0 season.

In the playoffs, after Cooper took the first game, Charlie’s Angels reached down for something special and came back to win the last two. Each team had something to be proud of, but the divided glory of last season left both teams hungrier than ever.

Charlie’s Angels took the field sporting their new teal and white jerseys, and longstanding veteran Lisa (Kromie) Krom was on the mound. Cooper Paint’s Jessica Wright stepped into the batter’s box and the large crowd collectively held their breath as the game began.

Wright singled and Krom walked Charish Priest. When Amanda Irwin stepped up to the plate, the outfielders moved out to the farthest reaches of the park and the veteran hitter wisely chose to hit it down and hard for a single. That formula would continue to work in all four of her successive at-bats. Irwin’s single plated the game’s first run. But the fireworks were just starting. Ally McCarthy knocked in another and Jackie Litwik’s single loaded the bases.

Lori Brown had an RBI as did Rocky Irwin. But it was a hard hit come backer by Erin Shuart that cleared the bases and did damage as it glanced off the glove of Krom and rolled into the outfield.

By the time the painted ladies had gone through their entire order, they led 7-0, and Charlie’s Angels finally got their turn to show their stuff.

Unfazed, Charlie’s Angels veterans went to work by loading the bases with no one out behind singles from Nicki Krom, Jessica Bradley and a walk to Leanne Mangabang.

Cooper’s pitcher Natalie Cillis settled down and got the next two batters out. Krom hit a 1-2 pitch for a double that cleared the bases and the Angels’ spirits began to soar.

Krom held Cooper scoreless for the next three innings as her fielders put on a clinic. Particularly impressive was shortstop Shannon Dietrich, who stopped some hard-hit balls and threw laser beams to first baseman Robin Gannon.

Meanwhile, Charlie’s Angels began to chip away at Cooper’s lead. They picked up two more runs in the second with hits by Christine (Costa) Decker, Terri Hess and Nicki Krom, who reached on a throwing error from third as Amanda Irwin tried to complete a double play.

With the score at 7-5, the game settled into a tight struggle. Neither team scored in the third or fourth innings. Cooper seemed to experience a power outage after their initial high-voltage first inning, going down in order in both the third and fourth innings.

In the fifth, Cooper Paint awoke to score a pair of runs, courtesy of a hard-hit triple by Brown. It might have been three runs, but on the previous play, a double by McCarthy, pinch-runner Denise Vankeuren was gunned down at the plate.

The Angels answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning to close within one at 9-8.

An E-1 allowed Nicki Krom to get aboard and Charlie’s bats began to smoke, with a double by Bradley and RBI singles from Mangabang and Tonya Martin. Shannon Dietrich’s hard grounder to short went right through and the bases were loaded. Lisa Krom’s sac fly got in the third run of the inning.

Tension rose measurably as both teams wanted this game badly. After a scoreless sixth inning, Cooper Paint knew that their one-run lead was far too narrow a margin.

The team has a saying: “We like to make things interesting.” That often proved to be the case last year, when the team would slumber through the early innings, get behind and explode in the final frame to ice a win.

True to past form, Cooper lit it up for six runs in the seventh inning.

Wright singled to start the seventh and Priest did the same. After early fly outs, Cox sat back on a pitch and drilled it for a triple. Instead of two runs, Cooper Paint only got one as the umpire ruled that Priest had not touched third.

Incensed at the call, Cooper Paint got stirred up. Irwin smacked an RBI single, McCarthy doubled, Litwak had an RBI single and Brown reached on a fielder’s choice. Leyna Madison had a single and Rocky Irwin’s booming double to left center couldn’t have come at a better time. The hit helped to erase the sting of a prior error in the outfield.

The score stood at 15-8.

Charlie’s came up for last licks, but could only manage an RBI single from Dietrich as Cillis induced three fly balls. Cox tracked the last one down and Cooper Paint celebrated. Cooper Paint never trailed in the game, but Charlie’s Angels got awfully close.

“We struggle, we fight hard and we never give up,” said an exhilarated Cillis.

“This is just the beginning battle that we’ll continue in the playoffs,” added Cox.

Charlie’s Angels put the loss in perspective. “It’s only the first game,” many of them noted. Though disappointed, the Angels looked forward to the rematch, slated for July 13.

Cooper Paint improved to 10-0, while Charlie’s Angels’ mark now stands at 10-1.

Both teams realize the war has only just begun.

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