Lady Indians derail Eldred

By TED WADDELL
Posted 6/16/21

LIBERTY, NY — The Lady Yellow Jackets varsity softball team had its dreams of an undefeated season dashed on Tuesday, May 1. The Lady Indians of Liberty staged a 3-1 upset win, despite the …

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Lady Indians derail Eldred

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LIBERTY, NY — The Lady Yellow Jackets varsity softball team had its dreams of an undefeated season dashed on Tuesday, May 1. The Lady Indians of Liberty staged a 3-1 upset win, despite the swatters from Eldred loading the bases with no outs in the final frame.

The home team posted two runs in the opening inning and added another in the second frame. In the sixth inning, Eldred staged a short-term rally by sending a runner across the plate.

But it was a classic tale of too little, too late.

Eldred’s ace pitcher Dana Donnelly struck out nine batter and allowed three runs on four hits. At the plate, she was 3-for-3 and hit a double.

Liberty’s Rebecca Philips won the game for the Lady Indians, striking out three on six hits with one run scored.

Ranked number-one in NYS Class D, Eldred (10-1) finally met its match against Liberty (2-10), a Class B high school.

Liberty standouts: Yanira Wilson (two-run double in the first), Grace Wormuth (1-3, run, RBI), Quinn Allen (1-3, run).

Eldred’s Mackenzie Simonsen was 1-3 and a run.

“We picked a horrible time to lay an egg,” said Eldred coach Rick Whitney, adding of the season-ending loss, “Our bats were cold... We had our chances later in the game with the bases loaded and no outs, but we just didn’t come through. It was a matter of momentum.

“The season was fantastic... They played hard. Learned every day at practice and were a pleasure to coach.”

Liberty’s softball helmsman David Philips said his team “knew coming in it would be a tough game... Dana is an excellent pitcher, and they are well coached.

“We got a couple of good bounces in the first inning, and we held onto the lead.”

Gracious in defeat, Dana Donnelly summed up the loss. “It stung,” said the 16-year-old junior. “I don’t like losing, but we’ll be back next year undefeated.”

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