Panther Softball Team Loses 1-0 In 12 As Quackenbush Strikes Out 20

by Gary Danforth
Home standing Schuylerville Central School scored the only run of a twelve inning softball nail biter last Monday afternoon, April 19, on a passed ball as the Black Horses beat Charlie Weeden’s Hoosick Falls Central School Panther nine in WASAREN League action. Despite 20 strikeouts from the Queen of the Diamond, sophomore pitching ace Rachel Quackenbush, HFCS fell to 2-1 in league play and to 4-1 overall.
With a runner placed on second base to start inning ten for each team and each succeeding inning, the Horses used a stolen base and the passed ball to get the only run needed for the win. In a close play at the plate, with the Schuylerville runner chugging down the third base line, the umpire ruled the Horses’ runner to have slid under the glove of Quackenbush for the winning score. The game, played three miles to the west of Schuylerville on Route 29’s new Schuyler Park sports complex just west of Grangerville, lasted two hours and twenty minutes as neither team could score on the other as the hours and innings ticked away. On a cool Spring day, both teams gave each other all they wanted in a wonderful display of tenacity and determination.
Facing a left handed pitcher, HFCS went down on strikeouts in inning three. Quackenbush had five strikeouts in the first three innings. In the Horses’ fifth inning, the Queen struck out the side. The Horses’ pitcher was equally dominating, striking out seven batters in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Schuylerville had a walk in the fourth inning, a bunt single in the fifth inning and a single to centerfield in the sixth inning, but the Panther defense closed the door each time on any scoring opportunity. Quackenbush worked the Horses’ pitcher for a walk in the fourth inning, and Samantha Skott got another Panther walk in inning five.
In the Panther sixth inning, Sierra Bailey, playing second base for HFCS, hit a single to right field. Jen Priore’s sacrifice bunt got Bailey to second base. Quackenbush laced what looked to be a single to left field. But Bailey was called out for interfering with the Horses’ shortstop who tried to get to Quackenbush’s batted ball. It was a late call with Bailey chugging around third base only to be tagged out at home plate for what looked to be the inning’s third out when the home plate umpire signaled Bailey out for the earlier interference play. The Horses threatened in inning six when a single and errant throw to first base left a runner on third base. Quackenbush struck out the last two Horses’ batters of the inning which preceded Panther catcher Shelby Jones gunning down a Horses’ base runner trying to steal second base.
Marissa Davendonis got a Panther walk in inning seven, and Katie Kovage singled to centerfield in the Panther ninth inning. In the Horses’ ninth inning Quackenbush recorded her fifteenth and sixteenth strikeouts to put SCS away. After Quackenbush got her 17th and 18th strikeouts in the Horses’ tenth inning, Skott gunned down another Horses’ runner at second base to end the SCS inning.
Two Panther strikeouts in the eleventh and twelfth innings along with a sacrifice bunt and pop up put HFCS away leading to the bottom of inning twelve when the Horses finally broke through for the all important run in this defensive battle. Schuylerville won, 1-0.
Roaming the Outfield: It was like going on safari to find the Horses’ new softball field. It is a nice facility with red dirt on the infield. In the Horses’ seventh inning, Panther centerfielder Skott rifled a throw on line to HFCS catcher Shelby Jones with Jones applying the tag to stop a Horses’ scoring opportunity. In the Horses’ eighth inning, Priore scooped a slow roller at shortstop and gunned down a Horses’ base runner at first in yet another fine Panther defensive play. HFCS hosts Schuylerville on Thursday, May 6 in a game which could go a long way toward determining who wins the league title. HFCS hosted Brittonkill-Tamarac on Thursday, April 22, and will host Stillwater on Tuesday, April 25. This whole Panther team is playing excellent softball, and they are playing some very good opposing teams. They deserve a look. You won’t be disappointed in watching this ball club on a nice Spring afternoon. They are quite entertaining.