Sullivan County Women’s Softball League

Hope floats

Last year’s ‘B’ champs begin to get it in gear as L&B Too improves with age

By RICHARD A. ROSS

MONGAUP VALLEY, NY - For L&B Too, a young team with many first-year players, it’s all about getting experience and making it fun. Although the team has only one win thus far, they exhibit a gritty effort and never-say-die attitude.

On July 3, the Toosies took on a veteran New Hope team, which has had troubles of its own this season. It seems like ages ago that the ladies in blue posed for their B Division championship photo in August 2005. This season, it’s been tougher. Coming into this game, New Hope’s record was 2-4. L&B Too’s was 1-8.

One would think, given their records, that this game might lack verve. No way.

For the first three innings, this game remained close as L&B made good plays in the field and put the bat on the ball. Starting pitcher Krista Sweeney showed a marked improvement over her previous outings.

For their part, New Hope got a great game out of leadoff hitter Heather Bachmann, who went four-for-five with a trio of doubles. Bachmann showed great speed on the base paths and tracked down flies in the outfield. Her efforts were only part of New Hope’s success.

New Hope got rolling fast with five runs in the first inning. Bachmann blasted a double and came around to score on a single by Devon Davis. Allison Whipple and Kelly Cicero had singles that loaded the bases, and Lori Kimmis drove in two runs with a single of her own.

Sweeney threw strikes and issued only one walk the entire game. The pitches were good enough to swing at and that is what New Hope batters did relentlessly. New Hope pitcher Darlene Malewit helped her cause with a two-run single.

Malewit took the mound staked to a five-run lead and was urged on by her energetic catcher Jasmine “Jazzmatazz” Thomas, who never let up on the chatter. L&B Too players were unfazed and scored a pair of runs in the first. After Melonie Cruz reached on an E-6, Becky Decker brought her in with a single. Sweeney plated the second run on a fielder’s choice.

New Hope added a run in the second on an RBI single from Kimmis and the ladies in blue led 6-2.

Both pitchers blanked the opposition in the third. New Hope erupted for a quartet of runs in the top of the fourth. A leadoff double by Bachmann lit the fuse. Davis drove her to third with a single and RBI from Kelly Cicero and Kimmis were followed by a two-run triple by Kerri Vandermark.

Despite trailing 10-2, L&B Too never gave up. They got one run in the fourth inning off the bat of Casey Unger. Unfortunately, that would be it for their scoring.

Not so for New Hope, who tacked on eight more runs. In the sixth inning, they sent 10 batters to the plate and got RBI from Davis, Kimmis, Ashley King, Malewit and Tammy Sondermeyer. Whipple smashed a two-run triple in the seventh and Kimmis added her fifth RBI of the night to ice the 18-5 win.

New Hope improved to 3-4, while L&B Too continued its quest for a second win by falling to 1-9.

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