Softball

GREENE – With the game on the line, Caitlin Willis is a good bet to come through in the clutch. The Greene senior had her second career postseason walk-off game-winner driving in eighth-grader Shawn Ayers in the Trojans’ 3-2 victory over Seton Catholic Central Wednesday in the Class C semifinals.

Greene (16-4) returns to the field today when it travels to top-seeded Elmira Notre Dame, a team with which it is quite familiar. “The only thing we’re thinking about (going to Elmira) is that we’ve beaten them two of the last three years at their place,” said Greene coach Rick Smith. “We’re comfortable there, and we know the atmosphere and the field.”

Greene struggled with consistent hitting against Saints pitcher Katherine Loughlin. The Trojans had few strikeouts, but found themselves popping the ball up for easy putouts. In the final inning, it was nothing but strong hitting. Ayers, in her first varsity season, roped a triple into the right-center field gap putting her 60 feet away from the winning run. Sierra Stopkotte hit a sharp grounder to shortstop that was fielded cleanly by Seton’s Lauren Castellucci at shortstop. Castellucci chased Ayers back to third base, and nearly threw her out.

With the Seton infielders still pulled in, Willis smacked a sharp single to left field – her second hit of the game – giving Greene the one-run victory.

“We lost a heart-breaker to (Seton) a couple of years ago, and the one thing I have learned the past couple of years is that it isn’t over until the last out,” Smith said. “The last three or four innings, we were begging our hitters for contact on the ground. The last inning, all of those hits were good contact.”

Seton Catholic Central battled back to tie the game with two runs in the top of the sixth. Castellucci had an RBI single to left to score Abby Galyon, and Kim Shaheen scored on the same play after an outfield error.

The Trojans struck first with two runs in the bottom of the third. Rebecca Hanrahan and Taylor Ellis had back-to-back RBI singles plating Ayers and Natalie Greene.

The Trojans helped preserve the tie game with timely defensive assists in the sixth and seventh innings. Castelucci, after reaching third base in the sixth, attempted a steal of home. Hanrahan, the Trojans pitcher, fired home to catcher Gabby Sherwood, who easily tagged Castellucci for the final out of the inning. In the seventh, it was a big-time outfield assist from Stopkotte to Taylor Ellis at third base that ended the Saints’ inning.

“We’ve played (Seton) the last three years in the playoffs, and they are always aggressive on the basepaths. That’s what they do, they are going to take the extra base,” Smith said. “That was great instincts on (Sierra’s) part. In most situations, we want to minimize chaos and hit the cut-off man, but she went for it and made a perfect throw.”

Hanrahan and Willis had two hits apiece for Greene, and Ayers scored two of her team’s three runs. Galyon was the lone Saints hitter with two basehits.

Score by Innings R H E

SCC 000 002 0 2 5 1

Gre. 002 000 1 3 7 2

Rebecca Hanrahan (W) and Gabby Sherwood. Katherine Loughlin and Sam Stento. Doubles: (G) Taylor Ellis. Triples: (G) Shawn Ayers.

Oneonta 7, Norwich 1