Softball

Starstruck

Annual Sullivan County Women’s Softball League All-Star game features fun and camaraderie

By RICHARD A. ROSS

MONGAUP VALLEY, NY — It’s all-star week in major league baseball, replete with its homerun derby, overpaid stars and hype galore. But locally, a far more entertaining all-star game, which truly reflects the love of the game, was taking place at Collins Park as the annual Sullivan County Women’s Softball League (SCWSL) game was played on July 11.

Featuring players from both the “A” and “B” division, all mixed together and then divided into a blue team, coached by Cooper Paint’s Val Fersch, and a red team, coached by Cooper Paint’s Pat Shuart, the ladies took to the field for a night of fun. Players from many of the league’s teams got to share a dugout and cheer on the players they compete against during the season.

With a 50-50 and raffle tickets selling at an amazing rate, thanks to the happy hawking of league members, the event was also a fundraiser for the league, which has to pay for using the lights at Collins Park and for the trophies it hands out at its annual picnic in August.

As the regular season is drawing toward its close and the division races are still going strong to determine which four teams from each of the two divisions will be playoff contenders, this night was an opportunity to play hard with no pressure.

While the number of players was down from prior years, in part due to a concert at Bethel Woods and other obligations, there were ample numbers to fill out the two balanced squads. The red team sporting jerseys that had the letter “B” on them, which bore no relation to the “B” Division, won the toss and took to the field.

Pat Shuart took to the mound. She would be opposed by Liz Giumarra of L&B Too, who would do the hurling for the ladies in blue. Jen Wright (Cooper Paint) led off with a double and came around to score on an E-4 off the bat of Shannon Dietrich (Charlie’s Angels). Shuart induced a fly out to end the inning and the red team proceeded to take the lead in the bottom of the first. With two out, Angi Bakos (Center For Discovery) banged a single as did Lori Brown (Cooper Paint). With a booming triple by Ally McCarthy (Cooper Paint), red led 2-1.

Neither team scored in the second inning, and after blanking the blue wave in the top of the third, the red squad added a run on a grounder off the bat of Marissa Ashcraft (Nugget). An errant throw to first allowed red’s Analey Dietrich (Charlie’s Angels) to come home.

The ladies in blue tied it up at three apiece in the top of the fourth inning. Vanessa Burleson (Mr. Willy’s) tripled and scored on an E-6 off the bat of Carly Sklar (Sonny’s). Sklar motored all the way home on the play. Shuart got the next two batters to ground out to preserve the tie.

But the reds couldn’t muster another run for the final four innings. In the top of the fifth, a single by Krista Sweeney (Dutch’s) and a double by Wright set the table. An E-6 off the bat of Teresa Colvin (Nugget) brought in two runs for the 5-3 blue lead.

They would add another run in the sixth on a home run by Shannon Dietrich.

Following the blue team’s win, the squad posed at home plate for a photo before retiring to the spectator area for refreshments and the announcement of the raffle winners.

This year’s red all-stars also included Jackie Litwak (Cooper Paint), Megan Kitson (Mr. Willy’s), Stephanie Johnson (Center For Discovery), Ashley Banks (L&B Too) and Cathy Kovaleski (L&B Too). Blue stars not previously mentioned included Krit Hopkins (L&B Too), Justine Artis (Dutch’s) and Jen Eisenbach (L&B Too).

Visit riverreportersports.com for an album of game pictures.