CHATEAUGAY — First seeded Chateaugay and fourth seeded Heuvelton teams staged a Section 10 Class D Girls Softball semi-final game which totally fit the bill as a Battle of Bulldogs on Thursday.
With the pitchers setting the tone the two squads were tenacious and unrelenting as NAC East Champion Chateaugay advanced in a 3-1 win to move into the Class D title game against defending champion Edwards-Knox. E-K moved on in a 7-2 win over second-seeded Hammond on Wednesday.
Chateaugay’s Avery McDonald struck out 12 in a one-hitter and Heuvelton’s Chasity Johnson struck seven allowing four hits.
“We knew it coming in it was going to be a pretty good softball game with two very talented pitchers. They got a couple timely hits in the third and that was the difference. Chasity Johnson and Lily Spooner’s performance on the mound and behind the plate gave us an opportunity to win but we just came up short,” said Heuvelton Assistant Coach Chris Showers.
“We struggled to get things going offensively. Lakan Martin absolutely crushed two pitches with runners on but the Chateaugay outfielders made two unbelievable catches.”
Singles by Avery McDonald and Ali Johnston produced a run in the first inning for Chateaugay and Katelyn Morgan and Victoria Titus delivered RBI singles in the third inning. Beka Miller also singled for the winners. “What an awesome well played game today by both teams. That was really fun to be a part of. This was a great all around team win against a great team. Definitely a big win for this program. We played flawlessly in the field. Bekah and Maddy made some great catches in the outfield,” said Chateaugay Coach Jason LaPlante.
“Avery pitched an amazing game only giving up one hit and Ali (Johnston) was awesome behind the plate. I could not be prouder of this group of kids. They have worked hard to make it this far. We are excited for the opportunity to play in the finals against the defending champions. We will enjoy this and turn our focus to Edwards and go give them our best shot.”
Johnson singled for Heuvelton’s lone hit and Lakan Martin drove in Carley Simmons for the Bulldogs’ lone run.
“Each year it’s tough when the season ends. Three seniors wrap up their high school careers. Jailyn Lovely doesn’t get a lot of time but she is a big supporter of her teammates and we looked to her keep the bench involved and she always does. Allison Trathen is a five year player you just don’t replace. She’s one of our leaders and can play anywhere on the field. She gutted this year out on a very bad ankle when a lot of kids would have thrown in the towel,” said Coach Showers.
“Lily Spooner has been one of the best catchers in Section 10 for three years. She’s a leader on and off the field and I’m not sure how we will replace that. I think overall we had a pretty good year. Our play the last couple weeks put us in a position to be in this game today. We’ve came along ways since day ne back in early March. We will have 11 of 14 players back next year including juniors Chasity Johnson, Mikayla Ritchie, Carly Simmons and Lakan Martin.”
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.