By Matt Youngfrau
MONGAUP VALLEY — May 31, 2002 – Three costly errors Wednesday afternoon prevented the Monticello Lady Panthers softball team from doing what they did last year, namely beating New Paltz and moving on in the Section IX tournament.
As a result, New Paltz (15-7) beat Monticello (14-8) 5-4 in a Class B quarterfinal game.
The damage was mainly done in the top of the second inning. New Paltz loaded the bases and then took advantage of Monticello errors to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 lead.
“After making three errors, we couldn't expect to win,” Monticello Coach Ed Kaufmann said. “You can't win in this part of the season making mistakes like that.”
The Lady Panthers did battle back to make it a game. By the fourth inning, they were down 5-1. The Lady Panthers scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 5-3 game and added another run in the fifth to make it a 5-4 game.
But Monticello could not pull out a victory.
“We gave each other the runs,” New Paltz Coach Frank Alfonso said, half-jokingly. “They had their opportunities but we made the right plays. They didn't give up.
“They beat us last year," Alfonso continued. “It is a good feeling that we beat them today.”
Kaufmann noted that New Paltz “came ready to play.”
“We beat them last year but they weren’t going to be denied this year. You could see it in their eyes. They never panicked.
“Anybody can be beaten,” Kaufmann continued. “We were ready to be beaten.”
Megan Drobysh took the loss on the mound for the Lady Panthers. At the plate, she knocked in two of the team’s four runs.
For New Paltz, Katie Schrenk got the win and had an RBI as well.