Central Valley. At 16-0, Crusaders are poised for the Section 9 softball playoffs
| 04 Jun 2021 | 02:03
Solid play behind the plate, in the field and at bat by Emma Lawson have kept the the Crusaders undefeated throughout the season. Photos by William Dimmit.
Brilliant pitching by Brianna Roberts has helped propel the Crusaders to a number 1 ranking in the state.
Arianna Exarchakis drives the ball to left in the fifth inning.
Kelsey O’Brien had three hits and three RBI’s in the game.
On a cool, overcast Wednesday afternoon, June 2, the Crusaders finished their regular season schedule when they hosted the Dukes of Marlboro.
The Crusaders entered the game with a 15-0 record having beaten Pine Bush on Tuesday 14-1.
Against Marlboro, the Crusaders scored in the first inning when leadoff hitter Danielle Ryan drew a walk and came around to score on Kelsey O’Brien’s sacrifice bunt.
They increased their lead in the second inning when Makiya Himes singled to left and scored when Ryan singled to right.
The Crusaders stretched the lead to four in the fourth inning. Olivia Shippee and Brianna Roberts both got on base with bunt singles and scored on O’Brien’s hard single to left.
The Crusaders pushed one more run across the plate in the sixth when Shippee reached base on an error and came around to score on Roberts’ bunt to third.
On the mound Brianna Roberts pitched another shutout, allowing only two hits while she struck out 15 batters.
The Crusaders’ 5-0 victory brings their season record to 16-0.
They will now get ready for the playoff that will start next week.
The Crusaders have had an incredible run again this year, going undefeated while scoring 136 runs and allowing only 10 runs against them.
They have run up a 36-0 regular season record over the last two seasons (there was no season last year because of the pandemic).
But they will have to avoid another heartbreaking loss in the playoffs to earn the Section 9 Title this year.
But this year’s team looks like the real deal with power, depth and pitching. They will learn their next opponent when the seeding for the Section 9 playoffs are released.
- William Dimmit