By Rob Potter
LIVINGSTON MANOR — May 14, 2004 – The Family School softball team rallied from an early deficit Tuesday afternoon to record its first victory of the 2004 season.
The Family School scored three runs in the third inning and four runs in the fourth en route to a 12-5 victory over host Livingston Manor in an Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division VI game.
Facing a 3-1 deficit in the top of the third, the Lady Falcons scored three times in the inning. With one out and two runners on base, a Livingston Manor error allowed Family School’s Joanna Heretick to score from third base.
After the second out of the frame was recorded, Lady Falcon Jen Cole ripped a double down the left field line to bring teammates Keri Rexford and Jamie Baldisan around to score. Those runs gave The Family School (1-7, 1-2 OCIAA) a 4-3 lead.
In the top of the fourth, the Lady Falcons added to their advantage. With one out and the bases loaded, Rexford displayed a good batting eye at the plate to earn a walk. Jamie Claudio scored on the play to boost the Lady Falcons’ lead to 5-3.
The next batter, Baldisan, singled to left field to make it a 7-3 game. Rexford scored on a groundout later in the inning to give The Family School a five-run lead midway through the contest.
After the Lady Falcons tacked on a run in the fifth, the Lady Wildcats answered by scoring twice in the bottom of the sixth. Ashley Mann led off with a single and then stole second base. Mann scored when the next batter, Ashley Taggart, singled to right field.
Taggart scored two batters later when Tegan Kern got her bat on the ball for a solid single to center field. When Taggart crossed home plate, she brought the Lady Wildcats to within 9-5.
But that was as close as Manor (2-7, 0-5 OCIAA) would get.
The Family School added three insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Amanda Kelley led off with a single and later scored on a wild pitch. With two runners on and one out, Baldisan hit a ground ball to Manor shortstop Liz Weickum. Baldisan was thrown out at first base, but Heretick scored on the play to give the Lady Falcons an 11-5 lead.
Three batters later, Anna Lanche reached base on an infield hit as Rexford scored the final run of the contest.
In the bottom of the seventh, Heretick, who pitched a complete game for the Lady Falcons, allowed only a two-out single to Mann in capping off The Family School’s first win of the season.
“We got some hits early on and then just got into a nice groove offensively,” Family School Coach Donna Broce said. “Today we did well and worked together. Hopefully, we can keep it going for the rest of the season.”
Leading the Lady Falcon offense were Baldisan and Heretick. Baldisan went 3-for-5 with a triple. She had four RBI. Heretick was 3-for-3 with two RBI.
“We hit the ball well. But several times we got our bat on the ball and hit it right to them,” Manor Coach Gail Denman said.
One example of that occurred in the bottom of the sixth with two runners on base and two outs. Manor’s Emily Dalrymple hit a hard line drive up the middle. But Lady Falcon shortstop Cole caught the ball to end the inning and Manor’s rally.
The Lady Wildcats were able to get a few hits off of Heretick, however. Ashley Taggart went 3-for-4 with two RBI, Kern was 2-for-4 with two RBI and Weickum had an RBI triple.