Sullivan County Women’s Softball League Playoffs

Higher seeds win opening round games in SCWSL playoffs

Cooper Paint thumps L&B Tack, Charlie’s Angels downs Klein and Sons Logging in A By RICHARD A. ROSS

MONGAUP VALLEY, NY - It’s playoff time again in the Sullivan County Women’s Softball league and the excitement is building. In opening night action on August 6, all of the higher seeds won their first game of the best of three semi final series, forestalling any prospect of an upset for games yet to come.

In the A division, top-seeded Cooper Paint, the defending champion, spotted number-four seeded L&B Tack three runs in the top of the first inning after the ladies in maroon and white had posed prior with their mascot Fox Valley Kincade, better known as Tubby, a 10-year-old standard bred race horse from Monticello Raceway.

Owned by team member Liz Stubits and her daughter Melanie, Tubby wore an L&B Tack blanket as Jeff Branning held him for the picture.

In the first inning, L&B Tack got RBI from Stubits, Trish Tuttle and Fran Kaiser, as hit after hit dropped in. But the rest of the night was less than picture perfect. L&B failed to score again and when a slumbering Cooper Paint awoke with five runs in the second inning, the onslaught led to a 19-3 win. Cooper Paint profited from a two-run triple by Leyna Madison, and RBI from Charish Priest, Erin Shuart and pitcher Natalie Cillis to get those first five runs.

Amanda Cox had two triples and drove in four runs. Jackie Litwak drove in a pair of runs, as did Rocky Irwin. Cooper had lost only two games this past season, and one of them was a 9-8 squeaker to L&B Tack. The other was the early season match-up with Charlie’s Angels. They avenged that loss in their second meeting and expect to see each other again in the championship series next week. Cooper Paint won the A division title last year.

Number-two-seeded Charlie’s Angels faced a team that beat them once during the regular season. Number-three-seeded Klein and Sons Logging kept the game close with Charlie’s Angels in the other A division semi-final, but hurt themselves with some base running miscues and errors in the field.

After taking a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning with RBI from Michelle Ross and Nikomi Thompson, Klein and Sons found themselves quickly behind as Charlie’s Angels scored four in the bottom of the frame. Four consecutive extra base hits by Jessica Bradley, Nicki Krom, Leanne Mangabang and Tonya Martin did major damage.

Klein and Sons got two back in the next inning to briefly retake the lead at 5-4, as Jill Hubert Simon knocked in two runs on an E-6. But despite the fact that Klein and Sons deployed two diverse pitchers in Kris Stant and Susan Waddell, Charlie’s Angels scored two runs in each of the next three innings. They got great production from Beth Fanning, Krom, Robyn Gannon and Mangabang, as well as others, on their way to the 11-7 victory. Part and parcel of Charlie’s ability to win is its stellar defense. Great plays were made by shortstop Shannon Dietrich and third baseman Bradley. The Angels got also great pitching from veteran Lisa Krom.

Klein and Sons Logging has come a long way this year and is clearly one of the league’s most improved teams.

In opening night B division action, number-two seeded Mr. Willy’s demolished number-three-seeded Sonny’s Garage by the score of 20-1 and the top-seeded Discovery Diamonds vanquished ICC by the score of 5-1.

The playoff semifinals will be completed by the time this paper reaches the street, so visit www.riverreportersports.com for pictures and updates on the outcomes. The championship series is slated to begin on August 13.