Everyone gets into the act as Cougars' offense clicks

PHOTOGRAPHER: Bill Palmer

Canajoharie rapped out a steady stream of base hits Friday, which both pleased coach Jen Petteys and had her optimistic about the rest of the season.

“Up and down the lineup, I was very happy to see everyone up there contributing,” said Petteys, whose team scored in every inning in a 12-5 Western Athletic Conference softball win at Galway. “That was the best part, that from top to bottom, every one of them had something to do with the win.”

Canajoharie finished with 17 hits, and had at least two runners on base every inning.

“Once we get rolling like that, everyone wants to keep hitting,” said sophomore catcher Lindsey Dolin, who had three hits and drove in a pair of runs from her sixth spot in the batting order. “We started hitting right in the first inning. It was good to see.”

First baseman Karabeth Burns had three hits, knocked in a pair and laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt. The only time the Eagles retired the senior was when shortstop Michell Cruden snared a line drive off her bat in the sixth inning.

“This is the third straight day we’ve played, so it’s easier,” said the left-handed hitter, whose triple scored leadoff hitter Sarah Blood with the game’s first run. “It seemed like

|everyone had a hit.

“That makes it more fun, when play well as a team.”

Galway pitcher Rachel Mueller did her best to work out of major jams several times, allowing the Cougars to score more than two runs in only one inning.

“We knew they would make it tough for us,” said Petteys, whose team lost to Berne-Knox-Westerlo on Wednesday and beat Fonda-Fultonville, 4-2, on Thursday. “We had a lot of hits, but we never really had a big inning.”

Designated player Meghan Mayer drove in a run in the second, but Mueller stranded two runners.

Galway lost center fielder Becca Wilday to that inning, when she injured an ankle running down

Dolin’s double. The Eagles’

No. 5 hitter never got an at bat in the game.

Caitlyn Mosher, who finished with three hits, doubled and scored in the third inning, and Canajoharie tacked on two more runs in the fourth. Emilie Liddle’s RBI drive up the middle caught Mueller’s pitching hand, and Dolin walked with the bases loaded.

Galway scored in the fourth, as cleanup hitter Heather Sickler hit her second consecutive double and came around to score.

Canajoharie answered with its biggest inning, pushing across three runs in the fifth, as Mary Adams and Katerina Tsampasis both doubled, and Burns and Liddle stroked RBI singles. Tsampasis’ two-base hit drove in Adams, and Liddle’s RBI was her third of the game.

Canajoharie pitcher Brittany Buccolo scattered four hits over the first five innings, retiring eight in a row at one point.

“She’s been steady,” said Dolin of her batterymate and classmate. “She can handle any situation.”

Galway, down 11-1, rallied for three runs in the sixth, and could have had more, but two runners were thrown out.

Jerianne Whittemore led off the inning with her third hit, and catcher Briellle Matthews followed with an infield single.

Sickler singled home Whittemore, and Kate Lasak, who had replaced Wilday, moved Sickler to third with a base hit. A run scored on an error, and Tatyana Rodriguez singled home Lasak.

Galway (3-2 in the WAC, 4-3 overall) made things interesting in the seventh, as two walks and a bunt loaded the bases for Sickler with one out.

“Not the girl I wanted to see come up with the bases loaded,” said Petteys. “She’s a very good hitter, with power.”

Sickler lined out, scoring the Eagles’ final run.

“Hopefully, we can get going now that we’re able to get games in,” said Burns. “The more time we get to play, the better we’ll be.”

Petteys has just three seniors on her roster. Blood was the only 12th-grader in Friday’s lineup. Sonni Pank is out with illness.

“We’ve had people move around,” said Burns. “Sarah Blood plays

everywhere.”

“We’ve had some injury and illness, and some girls have had to get used to playing other positions,” said Petteys, whose team lost to WAC rival Duanesburg in the Class C championship last year.

“We had four sophomores out there today, including our pitcher and catcher. The big thing for us is to get the bats going.”

Canajoharie (4-2 in the WAC, 4-3 overall) plays its fourth game in as many days when it visits Johnstown tonight at 7.

“We’re working with only one pitcher, so for them to get some runs early today for Brittany was very important,” Petteys said. “We don’t want her to have to pitch under pressure all the time.”

Canajoharie 212 231 1 — 12 17 0

Galway 000 103 1 — 5 12 4

Buccolo and Dolin; Mueller and Matthews.