Extra innings: Schalmont softball 4, Fonda-Fultonville 3 (10 innings)

What: Schalmont Sabres 4, Fonda-Fultonville Lady Braves 3 (10 innings)

Where: Fonda

When: April 2, 2012

Significance: F-F battled back from a three-run deficit to force extra innings, but could not pull off the season-opening comeback victory.

And, now, some thoughts from a very windy game …

• And, oh, it was very windy. The best offense on Monday was a high fly ball, a play that resulted in several base hits that should have been easy outs. One fly ball I watched started off headed down the first-base line and should have ended up in fair territory; instead, the wind grabbed it and took it about 15-to-20 feet foul.
• Interesting pitching game for both teams. Schalmont’s Katarina Miley was literally “un-contactable” — she struck out nine and walked seven — and F-F’s Sami Fraser did nothing but allow Sabres to make contact , allowing her fielders to make plays for her. In pitching 10 innings and allowing just two earned runs, Fraser struck out only four.
• The X-factor in the game: Lauren Mahar. The Schalmont sophomore came in relief of Miley for the game’s final six innings and was superb,  striking out 12 and earning the win.
• Making contact was an issue for the Lady Braves. Of F-F’s 30 outs, 21 came via the strikeout, as the club struggled to advance runners with bunts throughout the contest, often attempting and missing, digging the team’s batters two-strike holes.
• The one time the Lady Braves did get a bunt down in a big situation came in the bottom of the sixth, when Cory Lais put down a picture-perfect bunt to score Katie Simonds. The run tied the game up, completing the team’s comeback from an early three-run deficit.
• To make up for the lack of hitting, the Lady Braves were very aggressive on the base paths. F-F was 4-of-5 on steal attempts, and also advanced several times on wild pitches and passed balls.
• Defensively, the Lady Braves were stellar, but not at first. Jitters and the wind contributed to a few misplays early on in the game for F-F, but shortstop Emily Parslow made several above-average plays and catcher Cassandra Egelston acted as a brick wall and threw out two Sabres attempting steals.

– Michael Kelly