By Rob Potter
MONGAUP VALLEY — July 2, 2004 – The Combined Energy Services (CES) softball team scored more than a dozen runs in the final two innings Tuesday night to post a victory in a Sullivan County Women’s Softball League game.
CES scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth and eight more in the bottom of the sixth to transform what had been a 7-3 advantage into a 20-5 victory over Cooper Paint. The game was called due to the league’s 15-run mercy rule after Becky Roberts, who had doubled and moved to third base on a single by Rosa Kays, scored the 20th CES run on a fielder’s choice by Krys Stant.
While the last two frames featured plenty of offense, the game began in the opposite manner. Neither team scored in the first inning and Cooper Paint had one hit in the top of the second but did not register a run.
But in the bottom of the second, CES grabbed a 3-0 lead. With no outs and two runners on base, Chris Lopez ripped a double to left field to put a pair of runs on the scoreboard for CES. Two batters later, Chrissy Klein stroked a single to center field and Lopez scored on the hit.
CES added four runs in the bottom of the third. With one out, Stant and Barb Ward-Blank each reached base on a single. Nikomi Thompson then hit a fly ball to the outfield that was misplayed, which allowed Stant to cross home plate and Thompson to run to second base.
Cheryl Sheerer then hit a two-run single to give CES a 6-0 lead. Sheerer scored later in the inning to increase her team’s advantage to 7-0.
Cooper Paint battled back in the next two innings, however. In the top of the fourth, the team scored two runs. With one out and one on, Suzette Walker ripped a double to left field to bring Diane Gonzalez around to score. Walker scored the second run of the inning moments later when CES committed an error.
In the fifth, Erin Shuart led off with a single to right field. She scored three batters later when Jackie DonVito hit a sacrifice fly to right field. Shuart’s run allowed Cooper Paint to pull to within four runs at 7-3.
But then CES responded with its aforementioned offensive surge.
Providing the key hits for CES in the bottom of the fifth were Sheerer, who smashed an RBI double to deep left field, and Chrissy Powers, who ripped a two-run single to left center.
Now down by nine runs (12-3), Cooper Paint attempted to rally. Marie Frunzi and Walker led off the top of the sixth with back-to-back singles. Pat Shuart then grounded out, but picked up an RBI when Frunzi sprinted home on the play. The next batter, Nat Cellis, singled to left to score Walker and make it a 12-5 ballgame.
But the CES pitcher, Becky Roberts, got two of the next three batters to fly out to end the inning.
CES sealed the win by scoring eight times in the bottom of the sixth.
With the win, CES improved to 7-3 on the season. Cooper Paint fell to 5-7.

Home Runs Lead
Roark’s To Victory
In Tuesday night’s second Sullivan County Women’s Softball League game at Collins Park, Amy Brudermann hit three inside-the-park home runs to lead Roark’s Tavern to a win.
Brudermann hit the round trippers in the third, fifth and sixth innings and registered seven RBIs as Roark’s defeated The Nugget by a final score of 14-4.
Roark’s built an 8-0 lead by the fourth inning and increased that advantage to 14-0 in the sixth.
The Nugget avoided being shut out by scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth. With the bases loaded, Shari Biro had an RBI single to give The Nugget its first run of the evening. Denise Sullivan then followed with three-run double to left center field.
Roark’s evened its season record at 5-5 with the win. The Nugget dropped to 4-7.