The Panthers softball team held a lead into the fourth inning of both games, but couldn't finish off the win in either, dropping a home doubleheader against Mohawk Valley Community College on Tuesday. The Panthers are now 0-4 while Mohawk Valley improves to 8-6.
Game One: Mohawk Valley 14, Tompkins Cortland 3 (five innings)
Starting pitcher Kiara Grover (Scio/Scio H.S.) worked through traffic over the first three innings, striking out four and getting a great double play when center fielder Abby Foley (Baton/Tioga H.S.) caught a fly ball and threw out a runner trying to score from third base. The offense put the Panthers ahead in the bottom of the third, with four consecutive hits from Andrea Medovich (Kirkwood/Windsor H.S.), Abby Foley, Gabby Foley (Barton/Tioga H.S.), and Austyn Vance (Nichols/Tioga H.S.) pushing across three runs. The Hawks got two back in the fourth inning, but the fifth was when things really went bad for the home team. A home run opened the inning, and the next seven batters all reached safely to knock Grover out of the game. By the time the inning ended, 12 Hawks had scored to blow the game open.
Abby Foley finished game one 2-for-2. Vance had a double and two RBI and Gaby Foley had one RBI.
Game Two: Mohawk Valley 7, Tompkins Cortland 5
Game two started with a bang. With one out in the top of the first, Abby Foley lifted a long fly ball over the center fielder for a triple. A passed ball allowed Foley to score, giving the Panthers the 1-0 lead. Like in game one, the lead held into the fourth inning. In the bottom of the fourth Mohawk Valley finally got through against starting pitcher Zoie Burke (Lansing/Lansing H.S.), plating three runs – all with two outs. The Panthers responded with a run in the top of the fifth, with Mykenzie Thetga (Columbia Cross Roads, Pa./Athens H.S.) reaching on a single, Emmalyn Ingalls (Dryden/Dryden H.S.) bunting for a hit, and Elizabeth Cobb (Cortland/Cortland Christian Academy) driving in pinch runner Kyrsten Burns (Trumansburg/Charles O. Dickerson H.S.). The deficit grew from 3-2 to 6-2 when Mohawk Valley scored three in the fifth, and then stood at 7-3 after the Hawks added a run in the bottom of the sixth. Down to their last three outs, the Panthers started a rally in the seventh.
With one out, Sara Cargen (Homer/Homer H.S.) and Cobb started the rally with consecutive singles. Turning the lineup over, leadoff-hitter Medovich singled to drive in the first run of the inning. Abby Foley followed with a single to score a second run in the inning, pulling the Panthers within 7-4. After an out on the base paths, Gabby Foley delivered a double to score her sister, making the score 7-5 and bringing the tying run to the plate. A fly out ended the rally, and the game.
Abby Foley had another two-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored, and one run driven in. Gabby Foley went 2-for-3 with a double and one RBI. Cobb and Cargen each went 2-fo-3 with a run scored.
Burke was effective in the circle, keeping the Panthers in contention by avoiding any big innings.
Looking ahead
The Panthers are scheduled to play at Jefferson Community College Thursday.