by Steve Bradley
Last Thursday, in their first home game, the Lady Panthers played Cambridge on the HFCS diamond in an off and on rain. HF scored two runs in the bottom of the first on a sharp grounder off the bat of Chelsea Stevens. Cambridge came right back to score two runs of their own in the top of the second. The Panthers’ offense exploded in the third, scoring nine runs on losing Cambridge pitcher Amanda Brand. By the end of the third, the Panthers held a 11 – 2 advantage. That score held to the end of the game.
Batting in the fifth spot, Stevens drove in four runs with two crisp singles up the middle. Center fielder and clean-up hitter Alyssa Ellis had three singles, of the team’s total of nine hits, and scored twice. Quackenbush struggled a bit with control but ended up striking out five and allowing only two hits in a game that ended after five innings because of rain.
The HFCS Lady Panthers softball team has gotten off to a nice start, going 2 – 0. Pitcher Erica Quackenbush has two wins, and the offense has been getting timely hits and putting baserunners across the plate.
This week the team will participate in the Lansingburgh Tournament, playing April 17 and 18 (Thursday and Friday). Because these games were rescheduled because of weather earlier in the week, game times were not available. On Tuesday, April 22, Stillwater comes to HFCS. Game time is still to be determined. On Wednesday, April 23, Granville will visit HFCS for a 4:15 start. Thursday, April 24, will find the Panthers traveling Route 67 to Hoosic Valley High to take on the Indians at 4:15. For those who plan for the trip, the Ladies travel to Cooperstown, Saturday, April 26, for games scheduled to begin at 11 am and 1 pm. Travel time to Cooperstown is about 2.5 hours.
