Softball

Youth movement

Sullivan West prevails over Tri-Valley as young players learn as they go

By RICHARD A. ROSS

GRAHAMSVILLE, NY — “Youth comes but once in a lifetime,” wrote the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of countless adults who looked back wistfully to their younger days.

Youth in all of its glory was on hand as the Sullivan West Lady Bulldogs bested the Tri-Valley Lady Bears 11-4 in a non-league game on April 17.

For Tri-Valley coach Mary Feusner, who is now in her 29th year, having youngsters to teach is part and parcel of the joy that keeps her coming back to the game she so dearly loves. The same can be said for Sullivan West veteran coach Mike Ellmauer. Both lost many experienced players to graduation and face the challenge of trying to teach younger players on the fly as the season gets quickly underway.

For Feusner, gone now are the squads that had produced four consecutive Tri-Valley tournament championships and seven in all since the tourney’s inception in 1991. Tri-Valley’s tournament comes this weekend and with a surfeit of young players, this year’s quest for five straight titles looks to be an uphill climb. But for now, the focus is on learning the fundamentals: how to field your position, pivot on a pitch, keep your head in, guard against a bunt, throw out a runner trying to steal second and a plethora of other skills required to play the game effectively.

This is one of the smallest teams Feusner has steered in years and it is made up of a preponderance of freshmen and sophomores. The Lady Bears are led by five-year veteran junior standout shortstop Karyn Sheeley and the shorter tenure of Ellen Williams, Erica Costa, Christina Neist and Rachel Adriaans. But what they lack in experience, they make up with enthusiasm and the willingness to learn.

Ellmaueur has few experienced players as well. Returning veterans include shortstop Lindsey Bauer, catcher Colleen Chudik and second baseman Julianne Reggerro. But thus far in their two games, which have produced a pair of wins, Ellmauer has gotten fine performances from some of his younger players as well.

Sophomore third baseman Katerina Gaebel is one such bright spot. Gaebel blasted a two-run homer in the sixth inning. She went two for four on the day and had three RBI in the win. Pitcher Autumn Ackermann looked much more comfortable on the mound this time out. She struck out eight, though two of those runners reached on E-2 errant throws on dropped third strikes.

That’s one of the kinks Ellmauer will seek to work out as his team enters a brutal week of play against Port Jervis, Cornwall and Goshen, before heading back to the Lady Bears’ tourney on April 25.

Tri-Valley junior pitcher Lauren Jones is new to the varsity mound and is learning the nuances of placing the ball. In addition to the homer by Gaebel, Jones yielded another four-bagger to Chudik earlier in the third inning. Part of the issue of being hit hard also has to do with the catcher’s glove positioning, something Feusner was quick to remind Williams about.

To her credit, Williams made some fine plays behind the plate, including a diving catch of a foul ball and a trio of perfect throws to Sheeley, covering second, that gunned down Sullivan West runners trying to steal.

The Lady Bulldogs jumped on Tri-Valley for four runs in the first inning. Gaebel doubled in two runs and Ackermann did the same for a quick four-run lead. After Ackermann was caught stealing, Jones struck out the next two batters to limit the damage.

Getting hits off Ackermann was going to be far more challenging. The Lady Bears went down in order in the first inning but picked up a pair of runs in the second, after holding the Lady Westies scoreless in the top of the frame.

Sheeley walked and stole second and then third. Christina Neist singled and Sheeley scored on a passed ball. Neist came home on an RBI groundout by Williams, but Ackermann shut the door with a pair of Ks.

Another four-run outburst in the top of the third by Sullivan West ensued. It began with a leadoff single by Gabrielle Humleker, who got to second on an E-6. Bauer singled and runners were on second and third when an Ackermann fly was dropped in center by Adriaans. After that, Adriaans grabbed everything that came her way. That error led to a run, a passed ball plated another and Chudik finished the damage with her blast to deep center.

With an 8-2 lead in hand, Sullivan West looked relaxed. Tri-Valley, sensing the possibility of its third straight loss, began to look even more tentative. Following defeats to Livingston Manor and Eldred, the Lady Bears had hoped that they could turn things northward on their home field on a gorgeous spring afternoon. Sullivan West had other ideas.

Tri-Valley got one run back in the bottom of the third as Adriaans reached on an E-1. She scored on an E-2 throw to first on a dropped third strike.

Both pitchers held their opponents at bay in the fourth. Jones also blanked the Westies in the fifth. In the sixth, DiSanto was hit by a pitch and Humleker got on with a bunt. A double steal moved the runners up and a passed ball allowed DiSanto to score. Gaebel brought in Humleker with her homer and Sullivan West now led 11-4.

Tri-Valley had gotten a run in the fifth as Bernadette Tierney had singled and stolen two bases. She scored on another E-2 throw on a dropped third strike.

Feusner addressed her young team pointing out their successes. “We had a couple of hits and scored four runs, threw three runners out at second. Lauren had 5 Ks and Rachel showed some fine defense in center field today.” Feusner was a bit confused as to why her team wasn’t hitting the ball. “In practice, they’re hitting it well. We are scoring more runs, though,” she said. Tri-Valley (0-3) was home against S.S. Seward on April 20 and then traveled to The Family School on April 22.

Ellmauer was pleased with the win. “We’re young. Tri-Valley is a young team, too, but they capitalized on the mistakes we made. Hopefully, we’ll keep progressing. Mary does such a good job and her kids respond well,” he noted. “I thought we hit the ball well today. We’re still getting used to each other.”

Sullivan West improved to 2-1 (1-0 OCIAA).

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