Good Morning! With the Border Country Sports Report, I’m Keith Harrington.

Hartford Bounces Back with Win Over Slate Valley

Jaci Gebo knew her team was facing a challenge Tuesday evening. With two key starters on a school trip to Spain, and another fulfilling a commitment to her travel team, Hartford entered a matchup with Slate Valley shorthanded. Throw in that the Chaos was coming off a surprising loss to Warrensburg, just their second of the season, and this contest had added significance.

In the third inning, clouds rolled over the field cooling the temperature off, but the Hartford bats heated up as they scored four runs and went on to a 5-1 win over Slate Valley in TCML softball.

Gebo, who also coaches the Hartford Central School team, is using summer league to experiment with some new lineups for next spring after the graduation of some key seniors.

“With the seniors last year that we had it’s going to mean a lot of shuffling,” Gebo explained. “Gebo (her daughter Reagan) is going to get a lot more time in the circle, which means we will need a third baseman. We’ll have to figure some things out. There will be some movement in the outfield. We need a new first baseman. This gives our girls some practice.”

Hartford was standing at the doorstep this spring, reaching the Class D sectional semifinals and dropping a pair of close games to state finalist Salem.

Hartford’s battery of Raeghan Liebig and Ava Nadeau made the decisive third-inning stick, with Nadeau also responsible for a large portion of the Chaos offense.

Hartford took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second against Slate Valley pitcher Jenna Patch. Nadeau singled, stole second, and came around to score on a Slate Valley throwing error after a single by Ollie Cutler.

The Chaos added all the runs they needed in the third. Liebig led off with a single and Arianna Raymond followed with a walk. Nadeau then delivered a two-run single to extend the Hartford advantage to 3-0. A single by McKenzie Dickinson plated Raymond and Nadeau scored on a Dickinson groundout to make it 5-0.

Slate Valley attempted to rally in the top of the seventh. Patch singled and scored on a Hartford throwing error, but Liebig was able to close the door after that to end the game.

Nadeau was 3 for 3 with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored for the Chaos. Liebig, Cutler, Dickinson, and Cailin Severance also contributed hits.

Liebig earned the win in the circle, scattering four hits and striking out 13.

Syd Ellis had a pair of hits for Slate Valley. Patch and Madi Baker added the other two hits.

Hartford is now 5-2. Slate Valley is 1-6-1.