Sentinels fall to Red Raiders

<a href="mailto:jcoryer@pressrepublican.com">By JOHN CORYER</a>
Staff Writer

June 12, 2008 06:02 am

— PLATTSBURGH — The Ticonderoga softball team has enjoyed plenty of good days this season.
Wednesday, however, wasn’t one of them.
Nina Cervini rapped a three-run homer in the top of the first inning and Section II’s Mechanicville never looked back in a 14-0 victory over the Sentinels in the NYSPHSAA Class C quarterfinals held at the Plattsburgh State Softball Complex.
Standout pitcher Anna Arceneaux tossed a two-hit shutout for the Red Raiders (20-8) while striking out 13 and walking three.
The Section VII champion Sentinels (20-3) couldn’t get anything going, and the frustration level reached its peak in the fifth inning when Ticonderoga committed five errors while allowing five runs.
“They played a great game and were ready to play,” said Ticonderoga coach Shannon Huntington. “We weren’t ready and had a very bad game.”
The Red Raiders got their first two batters aboard in the first when Lindsey McKeever singled and Alyssa Russell put down a sacrifice bunt with both runners safe on a fielder’s choice.
Then, with one out, Cervini sent a Katie Karkoski pitch over the fence for a 3-0 Mechanicville lead.
“I didn’t think the three-run homer would bother us that much because we haven’t been a quick-starting team in some games this season,” Huntington said.
But the Red Raiders tacked on four more runs in the third on two hits, four walks and a hit batsman.
Mechanicville then put the game well out of reach with five runs in the fifth inning off reliever Julie Thompson for a 12-0 lead on two hits and five Ticonderoga errors, including four in a row.
“We never make this many errors, especially our outfielders, in a game,” Huntington said. “I don’t know what was the matter today. But it just wasn’t our outfielders who were making the errors.”
The Red Raiders added their final two runs in the sixth.
Arceneaux rapped out three hits, including a double, for Mechanicville. Toni Liberty also contributed three hits and drove in two runs. McKeever chipped in with a double and single.
Anna Besson’s fourth-inning single and Maranda Wells’ fifth-inning single were the lone hits for the Sentinels. Besson was the lone Ticonderoga player who didn’t strike out.
“We had a young pitcher this season, and we had a good year,” Huntington said.

Mechanicville 14, Ticonderoga 0
Mechanicville 304 052 0 — 14 12 0
Ticonderoga 000 000 0 — 0 2 6
Arceneaux and Cervini, Malone (6). Karkoski, Thompson (3), Best (7) and Vilardo. WP- Arceneaux. LP- Karkoski. 2B- McKeever (M), Arceneaux (M), McBride (M), Murphy (M). HR- Cervini (M).

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