Panther Softball Team Beats Granville On Three-Hitter

by Gary Danforth
Last Monday afternoon, May 4, Charlie Weeden’s Hoosick Falls Central School Panther softball team had freshman right hand pitcher Rachel Quackenbush on the hill. The Queen was throwing mostly smoke all game as the Panthers used her three-hitter to get by a very competitive Granville Golden Horde nine by a 3-1 margin. With a steady defense behind her, Quackenbush struck out seven on this spring day.
The Horde went down via a pop up to Panther second baseman Carly Pine and a fly ball to left field for two quick outs in inning one. A sharp single to center field gave notice that this would not be the Queen’s fourth no-hitter of the season. A fly ball to center field put the Horde away.
In the Panther first inning Pine and shortstop Jenna Priore both grounded out to second base. But Quackenbush legged out an infield hit. Then Panther first baseman Katie Kovage hit a single to right field. With Quackenbush taking off on the pitch, she scored when the Horde right fielder let the ball get by her. HFCS led, 1-0. Caila Brownell’s pop up put HFCS away.
Quackenbush struck out the Horde side in the top of inning two. The Panthers went down in order in the bottom half of the inning on groundouts by Marissa Davendonis and Nicole LaCroix and an infield pop up by Carly Morin.
Granville had two players strike out to open inning three with Panther catcher Emily Ciuk throwing out the second Horde batter. Then, Quackenbush induced a ground ball out to retire the Horde side. HFCS threatened in the bottom half of the inning. Ciuk opened the inning with a strikeout, but Pine singled to center field. An error moved her to third base. But a ground ball out and another Panther strikeout kept the score at 1-0, Panthers.
Granville tied the score in the top half of inning four. A Panther error, a ground ball out and a sharp single off Quackenbush’s body got the tying Horde run home. But Quackenbush fielded a Horde bunt for a second out, and Kovage snared a foul pop up off the first base bag to end the visitors’ threat.
Hoosick Falls added their second run in inning four. Kovage led off and reached base when hit by a pitch. A fielder’s choice ground out left the Panthers’ Brownell at first base. A ground ball out got Brownell to second base. Then LaCroix legged out an infield hit, with Brownell safely reaching third base. Morin then delivered the go ahead Panther run when she also beat out an infield hit, good for a 2-1 Panther lead. Ciuk went down to end the Panther inning when the Horde left fielder made a fine running catch.
Quackenbush continued to get steady defensive play behind her. Pine gobbled up two quick ground balls for two quick Horde outs in inning five. Then Quackenbush got her sixth strikeout, with an assist from Ciuk on the throw to first base, to end the Horde fifth inning. Hoosick Falls scored their final run in inning five. Pine opened the inning with a single to center field. A well delivered sacrifice bunt by Priore got Pine to second base. Kovage singled, moving Pine to third base. Then Brownell doubled off the third base bag, scoring Pine. That would be all the Queen would need. A walk by Davendonis and a Panther strikeout left the score 3-1 Panthers after five innings.
The Panther defense kept up their good work. Three straight ground ball outs were handled with ease as the Horde went down in inning six. Granville’s defense was almost equally stingy. The Panthers went down in the bottom half of the inning via a pop up in foul territory and two fly ball outs.
That left Quackenbush and her teammates to put the game away in inning seven. They did just that. After a lead off single, the third Horde hit, Quackenbush fielded a bunt for the first Horde out. A ground ball resulted in the second out. A walk and stolen base put the tying runs on the corners. But the Queen wasn’t about to let this one get away. She struck out her seventh Horde batter to end this 3-1 gem.
Roaming the Outfield: The Panthers could be very tough in sectional play if they get solid defense and timely hitting behind Quackenbush’s pitching. Granville played a good game but not good enough.