By Rob Potter
GRAHAMSVILLE —April 16, 2002 – The Monticello Lady Panther softball team captured its second consecutive Sullivan County Softball Officials/Tri-Valley Softball Tournament championship in dominating fashion Saturday afternoon.
Monticello (4-1) defeated Tri-Valley (0-3) by a 13-0 final and beat Livingston Manor (3-1) by a 10-0 count. Both games were halted early due to the 10-run mercy rule.
In the other game of the day, Livingston Manor topped T-V by a 17-5 margin. (This game was also stopped early by the 10-run rule.)
Traditionally, the tournament features four teams, with the winners of the first two games of the day squaring off for the first place trophy. However, poor weather conditions on Saturday, April 6 – when the tournament was originally scheduled to take place – forced organizers to move the event to this past Saturday. As a result, only the aforementioned three teams were able to participate.
Monticello’s two wins on Saturday made it four victories in a row for the squad following a loss to Pine Bush in the Lady Panthers’ season opener.
“Megan (Drobysh) pitched very well today,” Monticello Coach Ed Kaufmann said. “Defensively we played well and our bats came alive in both games.”
Second baseman Sam Lynch paced the Lady Panther offense in the win over Tri-Valley in the day’s first game with a two-run home run. Drobysh, a senior, held the Lady Bear batters in check, allowing only a pair of hits.
In the title-clinching victory over Manor, Drobysh tossed a no-hitter. She struck out four Lady Wildcats in picking up the win.
At the plate, Drobysh helped her own cause by going 2-for-4.
Also leading the Monticello offense in the win over Manor were Lynch (2-for-4) and junior shortstop Shannon Dietrich (2-for-3).
The Lady Panthers broke a scoreless tie with six runs in the second inning. The key hit was a two-run home run to center field off of Dietrich’s bat.
Monticello added four runs in the fourth inning. With runners on second and third, senior catcher Kim Donohue ripped a triple to left center to make it an 8-0 contest.
After Donohue came around to score, teammate Erin Shuart made it a 10-0 game when she singled to left to bring Tricia Kaiser in to score.
In what turned out to a battle for second place, Manor grabbed a 7-1 lead after two innings enroute to its 17-5 win over T-V.
The Lady Wildcats took advantage of Lady Bear walks and a two-run single by senior shortstop Bridget Ellison to take that six-run lead early in the contest.
Ellison, who went 3-for-4 in the game, added a bases-loaded triple in the fourth to boost the Manor lead to 10-1.
Winning pitcher Jen Wright helped her own cause by going 3-for-3 at the plate. She also scored five runs for the Lady Wildcats.
Freshman catcher Alice Cook hit a two-run homer for the Lady Bears. Melissa and Heather Bachmann each went 2-for-3 with a triple.