By Rob Potter
LIVINGSTON MANOR — Freshman pitcher Marissa Diescher recorded her fifth no-hitter of the softball season Monday afternoon to help the Livingston Manor Lady Wildcats shut out the visiting Tri-Valley Lady Bears, 5-0, in a non-league game.
Diescher struck out 14 batters in the complete-game victory. Only two Lady Bears managed to get on base, one on a dropped third strike situation and the other on an error.
After a scoreless first inning, Manor (9-2) took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second.
Emily Casey scored the game’s first run on a double steal. Jessie Simmons scored on a single by Diescher to give the Lady Wildcats a 2-0 advantage.
Diescher crossed the plate when Valentina Babich ripped a triple to deep center field.
In the bottom of the fourth, Diescher led off with a single to center field. The next batter, Simmons, bunted the ball. Simmons reached second base when the throw to first base was errant and Diescher scored on the play.
Brittnie Fredenburg scored the final run of the game in the bottom of the fifth when Casey reached base on an error.
Diescher and Simmons both went 2-for-4 to pace the Lady Wildcats’ offense.
“Tri-Valley is a good team,” Manor Co-Coach Charlie Hicks said. “Coach Mary Feusner does an excellent job.”
Manor Co-Coach Kevin Clifford noted that the victory assures the Lady Wildcats will finish the season with at least a .500 record and therefore earn a berth in the upcoming Section IX Class D tournament.
“It was a nice effort,” he said. “We had hits throughout the lineup and defensively we didn’t make many mistakes.”
Clifford especially noted the performance of catcher Megan Ellison.
“Megan is doing an amazing job behind the plate,” he said. “She’s a senior and this is her first year as a catcher.”
This was the second time the teams have played this season.
Back on April 21, the Lady Wildcats topped the Lady Bears, 7-3, in Grahamsville. In that contest, T-V (6-4) was able to get a couple of hits off of Diescher.
But they were unable to do so on Monday afternoon and therefore had limited chances to get on the scoreboard.
With one out in the top of the fifth, T-V’s Meghan Drown reached base on an infield error. But she was thrown out by Ellison while attempting to steal second base.
Diescher then fielded a ground ball and threw to first base for the final out of the frame.
“We put a runner in on base in the fifth [inning], but couldn’t take advantage of it,” Feusner said.
She noted that her team was hampered when starting shortstop Karyn Sheeley left the game in the fourth inning due to an injury.
“Nobody plays shortstop like Karyn,” Feusner said. “When she came out, that hurt our defense.”