IAC SOFTBALL: TIOGA HOLDS OFF WINDSOR, 5-4, IN CONSOLATION GAME OF TESTA TOURNAMENT (2024-04-27)
Valley Sports ReportWINDSOR — After getting steamrolled by Batavia in the opening round, Tioga held off Windsor for a 5-4 win in the consolation game of the Testa Softball Tournament here Saturday afternoon.
Opening Round
Batavia 16, Tioga 2Batavia took the lead in the top of the first inning, and never trailed in a 16-2 win over Tioga in the opening game of the Windsor Testa Tournament.
The Class B Blue Devils scored three runs in the top of the first inning, and Tioga answered with two runs in bottom of the inning on a two-run home run by junior Erin Luther to close the gap to 3-2.
Batavia scored five runs in the third inning, and eight more in the fourth, while Tioga had just one more hit in the game after Luther’s round-tripper. The Tigers also committed seven errors in the loss.
Senior Elizabeth Shaffer added a single for the Tigers, and junior Mckenzie Williams scored one run.
Consolation Game
Tioga 5, Windsor 4Tioga built a five-run lead, and held off a late Windsor rally in a 5-4 win Saturday in the consolation game of the Testa Tournament.
After two scoreless inning, Tioga went on top in the top of the third inning.
Sophomore Lily Mezzatesta, and freshman Vanessa Tunnicliff led off the inning with back-to-back singles. With one out, freshman Jade Keaty worked a walk to load the bases, and Williams cleared the bases with a three-run double to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead.
After Mezzatesta belted a one-out double to put runners on second and third in the fourth inning, Tunnicliff made it 4-0 with a line-drive RBI single.
The Tigers tacked on another run in the fifth inning to extend the lead to 5-0 on a lead-off triple by junior Erin Luther, and a one-out RBI triple by senior Emily Bidwell.
Windsor, held without a hit through 5 2/3 innings, scored four runs with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, aided by two walks, and two errors, as well as a two-run double by Smith, to close the gap to 5-4.
The Black Knights started the seventh inning by putting runners on second and third (an error and a double) with no outs, but Tioga cut a runner down at the plate when Windsor attempted a squeeze play.
Catcher Mckenzie Williams then fielded a ball pounded into the dirt out in front of the plate, held the runner at third, and fired to first for the second out, and the final batter grounded out to Tunnicliff at first base to end the game.
Luther earned the win for the Tigers, allowed four runs — all unearned — on two hits, while striking out four and walking five in seven innings of work.
Bidwell was 2-for-2 with a triple, one run scored, and one RBI, while Tunnicliff singled twice, scored one run, and drove in one run, and Mezzatesta doubled and singled, and scored one run to pace Tioga’s nine-hit attack.
Williams doubled and had three RBI in the win, while Luther tripled and scored one run, Feeko added a single, and Keaty scored one run.
Tioga, now 7-2, hosts Newark Valley Monday.
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IN PHOTO: Tioga’s Emily Luther. … VSR STOCK PHOTO.
