By Rob Potter
LIVINGSTON MANOR April 27, 2007 Hits were few and far between in Tuesday’s Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division VI softball game between visiting Chapel Field and Livingston Manor.
Lady Lion pitcher Alyssa Brognano and Lady Wildcat pitcher Marissa Diescher kept the opposing hitters off balance throughout the contest.
However, Chapel Field was able to score two runs in the top of the first and two more in the fourth to record a 4-0 victory.
Chapel Field improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in Division VI. Manor fell to 1-1 and 0-1 in Div. VI.
The Lady Lions took advantage of Manor mistakes to score their runs.
With two outs in the top of the first and Brognano on third base, Lyndi Fielitz struck out but was able to reach first base safely when the ball eluded Lady Wildcat catcher Bionca Colton.
Brognano scored on the play to give Chapel Field a 1-0 lead.
Later in the frame, Fielitz scored on another dropped third strike play.
Fielitz led off the fourth by ripping a double down the right field line. She then moved to third base when Kiersten Kuperus beat out an infield grounder. After Kuperus stole second base to put two runners in scoring position, Diescher helped her own cause by recording a strikeout.
But moments later, Fielitz crossed home plate on a passed ball and Kuperus scored when Angie Moralas reached base on an error to give the Lady Lions a 4-0 advantage.
Chapel Field might have added another run, but the Lady Wildcat defense registered the final two outs of the inning in a span of a few seconds. Diescher induced a grounder and second baseman Jessie Simmons threw the ball to first baseman Colleen Casey to record the out. Casey then threw the ball to Colton, who tagged out Moralas at the plate to end the frame.
Diescher was the only Manor batter to get a hit off Brognano. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Diescher connected for a solid single to right field.
Brognano struck out nine and walked one while earning the shutout victory.
Diescher also recorded nine strikeouts and one base on balls. She allowed just three hits.
“She pitched a very good game,” Chapel Field Coach Bill Spanjer said of Brognano, a sophomore who is in her first season as the Lady Lions’ top pitcher.
Spanjer noted that his team’s motto is “find a way to win” and he was happy the Lady Lions did so despite having so few hits.
“That’s how we want to play,” he said. “If the other team makes some mistakes, we want to take advantage of that.”
Manor Coach Gail Denman was pleased with the performance by Diescher, who is an eighth-grader.
“Marissa did a great job today,” Denman said.
Despite the loss, the Lady Wildcats leader was able to find some positives in the contest which was just the team’s second this spring.
“They all played a good game,” Denman said of her players. “We didn’t have many hits, but we were able to get the bat on the ball. We were making contact, so that’s a plus.”