Cameron Turner Photo
Above is the 2016 Norwich varsity softball team together directly following their last game of the season. Norwich finished their season 11-10, following their 4-1 loss to Sus. Valley in the semi-finals of the Class B Sectional playoffs.
CONKLIN – The Tornado will have to waive goodbye to what will be arguably remembered as Norwich varsity softballs most successful season in recent memory.
Staking their claim to a semi-final class B sectional game appearance, Coach Scott Moore and his squad traveled down route 12, into 'Saberland' on May 26, to ultimately surrender a loss to Susquehanna Valley at 4-1.
This landmark game would be the third time the two teams would meet in the season, with the first game on opening day seeing SV win 7-0, and the second game mid-season go to SV at 3-1.
The Norwich batters would – for the third time this season – be faced with arguably the best pitcher they had faced all year, Sophia Pappas.
Pappas, Susquehanna Valley's star sophomore pitcher, would ultimately and silently take full control of the game. Pappas would manage to throw 17 strikeouts in this third and final contest of the two teams. A mark of 17-strikeouts far exceeds her 12 K's in the first game and her 11 she secured in the second meeting.
“Pappas is a good pitcher and Hannah held her own.” explained coach Moore. “We had people in position and I was confident with them, just couldn’t get it done. They had seven hits and we had six, we just couldn’t get them in succession to put it on the board.”
Senior pitcher for Norwich Hannah Eddy would battle to help keep her team in the game, as she threw five strikeouts, while only walking three batters.
As coach Moore attested, Norwich would nearly keep pace with the Sabers at bats, when Norwich connected for six hits, while SV had seven. It was the three errors committed by Norwich that helped give the edge away to the Sabers, as they completed an error free game.
SV's 3-0 lead in the first was too massive of a hole for The Tornado to climb out of essentially.
