POPLAR RIDGE - When Southern Cayuga softball coach Dave Hewitt sent out 75 emails before the season, to every Class B, C and D team in Section III, IV and V looking for new opponents for his team to play, he was surprised when just one coach responded.
Chet Susslin / The Citizen
Cato-Meridian freshman Chelsea Townsend tries to tag out Southern Cayuga junior Beth Rocker during the fifth inning Tuesday in Poplar Ridge.
Cato-Meridian freshman Chelsea Townsend tries to tag out Southern Cayuga junior Beth Rocker during the fifth inning Tuesday in Poplar Ridge.
Cato-Meridian's Matt Tehonica was intrigued. Like Hewitt's Chiefs, Tehonica's team was also young, but talented, and he agreed that playing a new squad could only help the program that he had brought back from four wins in four seasons to an 8-8 finish last year. Despite playing in the same county, the Chiefs and Blue Devils had never played each other before and neither knew much about the other going into Tuesday's game.
It couldn't have worked out better, for either squad.
The Blue Devils jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the third before the Chiefs scored three times in the fifth to roll to a 4-1 win at Southern Cayuga High School. The inter-section matchup will surface again at Cato-Meridian High School on April 29.
“I was hoping it would be this way - it was a very evenly played game,” Hewitt said. “It was ideal, rather than us getting killed or the other way around.”
“I'm looking forward to playing them again,” Tehonica said. “I'm very proud of our girls - I actually thought we outplayed them outside of the one bad inning. We have a lot of freshman on our team and (Southern Cayuga) was state-ranked last year. I feel you don't get any better by playing lesser competition.”
Outside of both having young teams - Southern Cayuga graduated a fistful of standout seniors, including Colleen Lukas, Tracy Hewitt and Molly Osterhoudt - the Chiefs and Blue Devils each have one of the area's best 1-2 pitching tandems.
With senior Julie Hewitt a little banged up, Chiefs' thrower Lianna May proved that she's no slouch herself with an 11 strikeout, complete game performance in which she faced just 25 batters and allowed four hits and no walks.
“I was just trying to get back into my groove,” May said. “I had the defense behind me, so I felt pretty comfortable out there.”
Amy Thomas started out just as strong for the Blue Devils, going 4 2-3 innings, fanning six and giving up four hits in the loss. Ashley Thomas came into the game with a bases-loaded, two out situation in the fifth and gave up a two-run double to second baseman Kim Willis. Julie Hewitt later scored on a wild pitch in the inning.
“Amy pitched a very good game,” Tehonica said. “Should I have taken her out when I did? I don't know. I thought that taking her out would be a change of pace and it turned out to be the wrong decision, but they both did well.”
Chiefs catcher Jessica Curry - who played well behind the plate, not allowing a stolen base or passed ball - added the team's final run in the sixth on a line drive to right field to score Lindsey Doeing. Doeing roped the biggest hit of the game on the prior at-bat with a triple into left field. Beth Rocker, who was playing her first softball game, hit a bloop single to center field in the fifth inning. May was the team's only multiple hitter with a single in each of her three trips to the plate.
“I was just trying to get things going, I guess,” May said. “We just had to string a few hits together - I really wanted to get on base so we could get going and it just sort of came.”
Southern Cayuga never lost steam after Danielle Halstead belted in the Blue Devils' run in the third. With two outs in the inning, Cato-Meridian's hottest hitter, Michelle Townsend, ripped a triple to deep center field. After being responsible for all three outs in the first - including an acrobatic grab at shortstop - Chelsea Townsend smacked the team's first hit in the second inning. May and the Chiefs didn't allow a hit after Halstead's until Chelsea Terpening ripped a single in the seventh.
“We had the game, I thought,” Tehonica said. “A couple more hits here and there - I lost this game, but I'm very proud of my team. (May) was good out there today though, She kept the ball to the outside today and we tried to pull it instead of taking it to right field, but everybody played really well.”
Both teams take the field again today as Cato-Meridian (2-2) heads to Port Byron, while Southern Cayuga (1-0) hosts Odessa-Montour.
“This was a good opening game,” Dave Hewitt said. “Cato-Meridian is a good team. We were hitting it, but not as well as I'd like. Their shortstop made some good plays and they rattled us early, but I feel good for our kids. They got this out of the way and have a win under their belts.”
Chiefs 4
Blue Devils 1
It couldn't have worked out better, for either squad.
The Blue Devils jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the third before the Chiefs scored three times in the fifth to roll to a 4-1 win at Southern Cayuga High School. The inter-section matchup will surface again at Cato-Meridian High School on April 29.
“I was hoping it would be this way - it was a very evenly played game,” Hewitt said. “It was ideal, rather than us getting killed or the other way around.”
“I'm looking forward to playing them again,” Tehonica said. “I'm very proud of our girls - I actually thought we outplayed them outside of the one bad inning. We have a lot of freshman on our team and (Southern Cayuga) was state-ranked last year. I feel you don't get any better by playing lesser competition.”
Outside of both having young teams - Southern Cayuga graduated a fistful of standout seniors, including Colleen Lukas, Tracy Hewitt and Molly Osterhoudt - the Chiefs and Blue Devils each have one of the area's best 1-2 pitching tandems.
With senior Julie Hewitt a little banged up, Chiefs' thrower Lianna May proved that she's no slouch herself with an 11 strikeout, complete game performance in which she faced just 25 batters and allowed four hits and no walks.
“I was just trying to get back into my groove,” May said. “I had the defense behind me, so I felt pretty comfortable out there.”
Amy Thomas started out just as strong for the Blue Devils, going 4 2-3 innings, fanning six and giving up four hits in the loss. Ashley Thomas came into the game with a bases-loaded, two out situation in the fifth and gave up a two-run double to second baseman Kim Willis. Julie Hewitt later scored on a wild pitch in the inning.
“Amy pitched a very good game,” Tehonica said. “Should I have taken her out when I did? I don't know. I thought that taking her out would be a change of pace and it turned out to be the wrong decision, but they both did well.”
Chiefs catcher Jessica Curry - who played well behind the plate, not allowing a stolen base or passed ball - added the team's final run in the sixth on a line drive to right field to score Lindsey Doeing. Doeing roped the biggest hit of the game on the prior at-bat with a triple into left field. Beth Rocker, who was playing her first softball game, hit a bloop single to center field in the fifth inning. May was the team's only multiple hitter with a single in each of her three trips to the plate.
“I was just trying to get things going, I guess,” May said. “We just had to string a few hits together - I really wanted to get on base so we could get going and it just sort of came.”
Southern Cayuga never lost steam after Danielle Halstead belted in the Blue Devils' run in the third. With two outs in the inning, Cato-Meridian's hottest hitter, Michelle Townsend, ripped a triple to deep center field. After being responsible for all three outs in the first - including an acrobatic grab at shortstop - Chelsea Townsend smacked the team's first hit in the second inning. May and the Chiefs didn't allow a hit after Halstead's until Chelsea Terpening ripped a single in the seventh.
“We had the game, I thought,” Tehonica said. “A couple more hits here and there - I lost this game, but I'm very proud of my team. (May) was good out there today though, She kept the ball to the outside today and we tried to pull it instead of taking it to right field, but everybody played really well.”
Both teams take the field again today as Cato-Meridian (2-2) heads to Port Byron, while Southern Cayuga (1-0) hosts Odessa-Montour.
“This was a good opening game,” Dave Hewitt said. “Cato-Meridian is a good team. We were hitting it, but not as well as I'd like. Their shortstop made some good plays and they rattled us early, but I feel good for our kids. They got this out of the way and have a win under their belts.”
Chiefs 4
Blue Devils 1
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