Good Morning! With the Border Country Sports Report, I’m Keith Harrington.
Hartford-Fort Edward, Salem Head to Regional Final Today
The Hartford-Fort Edward baseball team looks to extend their late-season run as they head to the state regional championship game today. Meanwhile, the Salem softball team jumps back into action in regional play.
The Tanaforts will meet Section X champion Parishville-Hopkinton at Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam at 1 p.m.
Salem will take on Section VII champion Bolton-Schroon Lake in the Class D softball regional final at Morse Athletic Complex at 11 a.m.
If both teams win they will be headed to the state final four next weekend.
Rebels Eliminate Poultney in Rubber Match
The last time the Poultney softball teams won a state title was 20 years ago. June 17th, 2003 to be exact. The Blue Devils defeated People’s Academy at their own Legion Field to claim the Division III crown.
As the No.4 seed in this year’s playoffs and coming in as one of the hottest teams in the state, Poultney seemed primed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their last title with another one. Leland & Gray however had other plans.
The fifth-seeded Rebels came to Poultney for the second time in a week and defeated the Blue Devils 9-5 in the Vermont Division IV quarterfinals. The teams had a pair of one-run games a week ago.
Things looked promising for the Blue Devils early on. Poultney jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
The home team held a 5-4 lead in the seventh and were on the verge of heading to the next round, but the Rebels were not done. An RBI double by Makaila Morse tied the game for Leland & Gray. Poultney couldn’t score in the bottom of the frame and the game headed to extra innings.
The Rebels took command by plating four runs in the eighth. Ainsley Meyer, Ruth Wright, and Ava LeCours each had a key hit as Leland & Gray scored four runs in the inning.
Winning pitcher Kristen Lowe shut down Poultney in the bottom of the inning and the Rebels were moving on to the semifinals. Lowe finished with four strikeouts on the day.
Poultney pitcher Kait DeBonis pitched well in defeat, striking out six despite battling an injury to her finger.
Meyer and LeCours each contributed three hits for the Rebels. Morse chipped in two doubles and drove in three runs.
Bella Mack, Emily Handley, and Laura Winter led the Blue Devils with two hits each.
Leland & Gray moves on to face No.1 West Rutland in the state semifinals.
Westside Advances Over Long Trail
A much improved Long Trail team put up a fight, but No.1 West Rutland was able to survive and advance with an 8-4 victory over the Mountain Lions in the Division IV softball quarterfinals,
Aubrey Beaulieu earned the win in the circle for the Golden Horde with a complete game effort.
Arianna Coombs and Sohyr Perry had extra-base hits for West Rutland.
Westside will meet Leland & Gray in the semifinals.
Panthers Eliminate Fair Haven
Thetford eliminated Fair Haven 6-5 in the Division III softball quarterfinals Friday.
Riley Babbie pitched five innings for Fair Haven and Tori Raymond finished the job in the circle.
Fair Haven ends the season 6-5.
Photo Credit-David Jensen
