Good Morning! With the Border Country Sports Report, I’m Keith Harrington.
The Salem and Hartford softball teams are very closely matched teams. That can be said about all of the Adirondack League teams as they took turns beating each other during the regular season. Tuesday afternoon at the Section II Class D semifinals was no exception.
Salem’s Sophia Keays and Hartford’s Raeghan Liebig hooked up in a classic pitcher’s duel as the Generals edged the Tanagers 2-0 at Moreau Rec. The win earns No. 1 Salem a chance to defend their title of a year ago when they face No. 3 Fort Ann in the championship game Thursday at 5 p.m. back at Moreau Rec.
“We played tough. We were there the whole time. We just struggled at the plate again today,” Hartford coach Jaci Gebo said after the game.
The Generals, who also claimed the Adirondack League title, scored first without the benefit of a hit. A walk and an overthrow at third base gave Salem a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third.
The Generals tacked on a run in the fifth. Kennedy Jackson connected for an RBI single to score Meredith Barrett to increase the margin to 2-0.
That is all the offense Keays and the Salem defense needed. Hartford threatened in the third and fifth and brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh, but couldn’t come up with the clutch hit they needed.
Despite the loss, Gebo had a positive outlook about where the Tanager’s program is at.
“Very pleased. We had a big turnaround from last year. Liebig just mentioned that we were 3-7 last year and 7-3 this year in the league.”
Gebo also praised the competitiveness of the league this season, placing four teams in the semifinals.
“It was a very tough league. It could have gone either way any day,” Gebo added.
Salem improved to 15-4. Hartford ends the season 9-7.
Fort Ann Tops Argyle in Class D Semifinals
Fort Ann earned a spot in the Section II Class D championship game, topping Argyle 4-1 Tuesday at Moreau Rec.
Fort Ann jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first and pitcher Emma Blondin and the Cardinal defense made the early advantage hold up.
Madison Freebern’s RBI double was the key blow in the inning. The other two Fort Ann runs were produced by an error and a passed ball.
The Cardinals added a run in the second on an RBI single by Hailey Lashinsky.
Blondin earned the win in the circle, giving up just one earned run and striking out five.
Lashinsky finished with two hits. Freebern and Lillian Trzaskos chipped in a hit each.
Grace Depew had an RBI single for the Scots. Depew finished with three hits.
Laura Pagano, Ava Cormie and Riley Kober all had a hit apiece for Argyle.
Fort Ann is 12-3. Argyle ends the season 10-8.
