NEWBURGH — The Section IX softball finals for Class D and Class C took place on Friday, May 24 at Mount St. Mary College in Newburgh. 

For Class D, the Eldred Lady Yellowjackets took on the Chapel Field Christian Lady Lions at 3 p.m. Eldred fought until the end but fell just short, 6-5. 

Both teams of the Class D sectional final got off to hot starts at the plate, with Chapel Field scoring a run in the top of the first and Eldred taking the lead with a three-run bottom half. Neither team scored in the second frame before the Lady Lions scratched across two more in the third to take the lead and two more in the fifth. They added another insurance run in the sixth inning to go into the seventh and final inning leading, 6-3. 

After holding Chapel Field scoreless in the top of the seventh, the Lady Yellowjackets didn’t go down without a fight as they got to within a run after scoring two and getting the winning run up to the plate. With the tying run on first base, starting pitcher Chloe Warming swung and missed at a high 0-2 fastball from Chapel Field starter Emma Spanjer to end the game. 

Shortstop Olivia Gonzalez led the Eldred lineup with a 3-for-4 day with two runs scored and one RBI. Christina Schafer recorded two hits in four at-bats while driving in and scoring a run. Warming was the only starter to go hitless, with Sydney Furler, Lindsay Zgrodek, Ksenia Sosnowski, Alexis Fredericks, Rayanna Quintana and Marissa Gochenour each recording a hit apiece. 

“To be honest with you, we beat ourselves,” Eldred coach Bill Furler said. “We had our opportunities and let the game get away from us. [A] passed ball scores two runs, we gave up four or five unearned runs. They’re a good team, we went 1-1 during the season. I can’t be any prouder of these girls. They fought and left everything on the field. They are proud kids and we will be back next year.”

For Class C, the Tri-Valley Lady Bears took on the Pine Plains Lady Bombers following the conclusion of the Class D sectional final. The final result for this contest was never much of a question as the Lady Bombers blew up for nine runs in the first inning and ultimately dropped the Lady Bears, 15-2, in a five-inning mercy rule. 

Tri-Valley scored a run in the first and a run in the second inning but were unable to muster anything across beyond that, although they put up a fight in every at-bat. 

The final at-bat of the day was a battle between Pine Plains eighth-grade lefty starter and Tri-Valley’s Caitlyn Monell, which went over 10 pitches as Monell followed off pitch after pitch. Monell ultimately flew out to right field to end the game with a mercy rule. 

Following the nine-run first, Pine Plains added a run in the third and five runs in the fifth. 

Emily Rusin was the lone Tri-Valley hitter to record two hits as she doubled in the first and singled in the fifth. Daniella Bell doubled and walked in the contest while Jordan Dymond singled. 

“Pine Plains is a tough competitor, well-coached and skilled kids,” commented Tri-Valley coach Kim Costa. “We had one rough inning in the first inning and made a lot of mistakes. But I am really proud of our girls for pulling it together and playing hard the rest of the game.”