ONE RUN SHORT: SLC, Edwards-Knox lose tight ballgames

POTSDAM — Both St. Lawrence and Edwards-Knox fell one run short of sending their state first-round games into extra innings Monday at SUNY Potsdam.

The Larries provided no runs behind a brilliant pitching performance from Sarah Thayer and lost to Section 7's Ticonderoga 1-0 in the Class C opening round.

The inexperienced Cougars fell in the Class D opener to Crown Point 4-3 after giving up three runs in the bottom of the first inning.

CLASS C

The right bounce at the right time, in a scoreless game, can lift one team past another.

Ticonderoga got that break when, in the bottom of the sixth, Katie Karkowski stood on third with two outs and Arielle Vilardo at the plate.

Vilardo swung at a 3-2 offering and hit it slowly down the first base line. Karkowski broke for the plate and an errant throw allowed Vilardo to reach first and give the Sentinels a 1-0 lead.

"It's a swinging bunt; those are tough to defend," St. Lawrence coach Tim Brown said. "Sometimes they work out in your favor, sometimes they go against you. This time it happened to work out in their favor."

The Sentinels turned the ball back into the hands of Karkowski in the pitching circle, who didn't give up another hit over the final two innings, striking out the side in the seventh to end the game.

"I think it was all just adrenaline," Karkowski said. "Once the last inning started, I was pretty sure we had it. I know I have a good team behind me."

Karkowski finished with seven strikeouts in a complete-game shutout.

"She was excellent," Ticonderoga coach Shannon Huntington said. "Our defense really held up behind Katie Karkowski today."

St. Lawrence's defense wasn't as sharp, making five errors, including the one allowing the winning run to score.

Sarah Thayer said the loss leaves the Larries (18-2) with more motivation and drive to return next season, especially when they're only losing two seniors to graduation.

"It's a tough loss," Thayer said. "(The loss) makes you want to work harder for the next years to come."

Ticonderoga (20-2) travels back home to host Section 2's Mechanicville on Wednesday.

CLASS D

Edwards-Knox has six seniors in its starting lineup. But the Cougars lacked state tournament experience.

They advanced for the first time, as an overwhelming underdog, winning the sectional title as the No. 4 team.

The Cougars scored two runs in the top of the first, but their nerves showed almost immediately on the defensive end.

They failed to record an out through the first five Crown Point batters and gave up three runs in the bottom of the first inning to fall behind 3-2.

"We tried to tone it down as much as we could and try to focus," Edwards-Knox coach Lori Brewer said. "We don't normally have a bad start like that."

Edwards-Knox pitcher Miranda Typhair settled down after the shaky start, retiring the side in order in the second and pitching out of a jam in the third to keep the Cougars close.

Her efforts paid off in the fourth when the Cougars took advantage of three errors for one run to tie the game at three.

Panthers coach Mike Ross pulled starting pitcher Jonalee Ross and inserted a faster, more powerful Jordan McGinness after the fourth to keep the Edwards-Knox bats at bay.

"She's got some good control and she's got some smoke," Ross said. "It's a good change of pace."

She struck out two in the top of fifth and kept the scored knotted at three.

The Cougars' uncharacteristic defensive woes continued in the bottom of the inning. Typhair walked Ross, who stole second and was moved onto to third on a one-out ground out.

Jessica Potter then smacked a ball to third, but a wide throw allowed Ross to score the eventual game-winner.

"I'm just a little disappointed because we had a couple of errors tonight that made a big difference in the game," Brewer said. "We haven't had that in the past."

McGinness took over after Crown Point took the lead, striking out two and retiring the next six batters to end the game.

"It's kind of scary sometimes when you get into close games," McGinness said of her relief duties. "But you just got to do what you got to do."

The Cougars (16-7) remained high-spirited, even with the loss, knowing they're the first team in the school's history to make it to states.

"It was a really good season," Typhair said. "It's not that bad to go down, losing to a team that played their hardest, too."

Crown Point (17-4) plays Argyle at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Glens Falls.

CANTON 8, BEEKMANTOWN 2

Kacie Wentworth led the Golden Bears with 10 strikeouts and an RBI double in a come-from-behind win in the opening round of the state Class B tournament at SUNY Canton.

Canton will play Cohoes at 4 p.m. Wednesday in Glens Falls.

The Golden Bears (22-2) scored three runs in the top of the second inning to take a 3-2 lead. They added another four runs in the sixth to secure the win. Wentworth picked up her 22nd win of the season.

Beth Trombley drove in both runs for Beekmantown (15-5) with a double.

NEW HARTFORD 4, MALONE 1

The Huskies struggled to find offense against New Hartford's Haley Butler, connecting for just five hits in the first round of the state Class A tournament at Gillette in Cicero.

The Spartans (20-8) scored three runs in the bottom of sixth thanks to Pret Kennedy's two-out, two-RBI double. Butler did the rest and finished with 11 strikeouts.

Brittany Marshall had an RBI single to lead Malone (18-3).