Wishing and hoping

Vastly improved New Hope continues its rise with win over L&B Tack

By RICHARD A. ROSS

MONGAUP VALLEY, NY - Usually, when teams move up from the B to the A divisions in the Sullivan County Women’s Softball League, they struggle with the more competitive teams they must now face.

But not Team New Hope.

In fact, this group has shown the complete reverse. Compared to a year ago when they won the B division title, this year’s group has advanced its cause even further by leaps and bounds.

They hustle, play solid defense and, most importantly, they hit.

That hustle evinced itself with leadoff batter Heather Bachmann’s quick wheels that propelled her to second on a base hit that most others would have seen as a single. Bachmann was out of the box and never hesitated as she rounded first and slid under the tag of L&B Tack’s Tricia Tuttle. That play set the tone, as New Hope quickly got two runs back in the bottom of the first inning to erase Tack’s early lead. As the game progressed, Bachmann added to her team’s verve with great play in left field. Short stop Melissa Costo did some great work with the leather in the infield, to advance New Hope’s cause as well.

L&B had taken that lead courtesy of a two-run single by Barb Merton in the first. Tack tacked on three more in the top of the second, in an attempt to send a message to this year’s A division young firebrands. A RBI double by Jamie Hopkins and a triple by Liz Stubits did damage, but L&B Tack couldn’t maintain its momentum. Once again, L&B Tack showed its Achilles’ heel by having that one bad inning.

That nightmare came in the bottom of the second, as Team New Hope assaulted them for seven runs to take a 9-5 lead, from which they never looked back. It all began as Ashley King reached first on an E-5. A second error put Ellie Diamond on as well. After a single by Tammy Sondermeyer loaded the bases, hot-hitting Bachmann drove in the first run with a single. L&B’s third error of the inning helped another run to score, before Moe Johnson’s two-run single kept the flow going.

A sac fly by Lori Kimmes got two runs in, as runners tagged and the throw went off line.

For the rest of the game, it seemed as if L&B Tack had lost its spark, and New Hope pitcher Darlene Malewit just kept throwing strikes. Tack, a team that has a victory over both Charlie’s Angels and Cooper Paint to its credit, could manage only two more hits over the course of the final four innings.

Meanwhile, as if to accentuate its point, Team New Hope added three new runs in the fifth inning with a RBI triple from Costo, who came up just a home run short of hitting for the cycle. A double by Davis brought her home, and the third run was driven in by King, who reached on a fielder’s choice.

With the 12-5 victory, New Hope improved to 8-5, adding to its wish and hope to be the fourth team in this year’s playoff array.

L&B Tack fell a game behind them in that quest as their record slipped to 8-6.

Visit riverreportersports.com for an album of game pictures.