JOHNSTOWN – It was a beautiful day for a softball game – at least for Game One. After several postponements, the FM grounds crew and Mother Nature got the field in good condition, and the Lady Raiders finally got to play their home opener. They hosted the Lady Timberwolves of SUNY Adirondack for a doubleheader on Thursday afternoon, and FM won both games.
It was the second season outing for both teams. FM had played at Delhi on Sunday. Adirondack had played one game, with Clinton CC, indoors at the dome in Queensbury.
The FM Nine enjoyed strong performances from both of their starting pitchers. Taylor Bubniak (1-0) got the win in the first game and Alyssa Palmateer (1-1) earned the W in Game Two.
Photo: Taylor Bubniak pitches, with second baseman Courtney Putnam and right fielder Tegan Shumway at the ready
Game One
Game One was a very well-played contest. The dozens of fans in the stands were treated to fast-paced and smartly-played softball. The game was tied 2-2 after five innings. The Lady T-Wolves then took a 3-2 lead, but the Lady Raiders came back and won the game in the first extra inning.
Photo: First baseman Rebekah Reichard makes the putout in the first inning
The two pitchers were working quickly and throwing strikes. Senior Sara Peck was in the circle for the visitors. Freshman Bubniak was making her first start for the home team. Both pitchers showed poise under pressure.
As the game got underway it became apparent that both squads were considerably better than their 2013 predecessors. First-year FM Head Coach Meghan Power's team played solid softball both in the field and on offense.
The second inning saw two particularly nice FM defensive plays. First, shortstop Stephanie Rice went deep into the hole to field a hard grounder and fired to first for the force out. Then center fielder Ally Ostrander ran deep to haul in a long fly ball. Pitcher Bubniak gave up a two-out double, but struck out the final batter to end the inning.
Photo: Ally Ostrander hauls in a fly to deep center field
Adirondack scored the game's first run in the fourth inning with a leadoff home run over the left field fence. The visitors then loaded the bases with no outs. The Timberwolves were threatening to have a big inning, but FM's defense did the job. Bubniak fielded a comebacker and threw home to catcher Alix Leo for a force out. Second baseman Courtney Putnam caught a popup. Third baseman Cori Manson fielded a grounder, fired to first, and ended the T-Wolves' threat.
The visitors scored again in the top of the fifth, but FM tied the game in their half of the inning. Reichard led off with a single to left. Ostrander stroked a single into left field that moved Reichard to third. Leo brought her home with an infield single. Rice then singled to right, plating Ostrander.
Both teams added a run in the seventh inning. Brittany Keator lashed a one-out double in the home half of the eighth. The Lady Raiders had a runner in scoring position. Reichard stepped to the plate and drove a double to right-center, bringing Keator home to a happy crowd of teammates. FM had won the game 4-3.
Adk: 000 110 10 3-9-5
FM: 000 020 11 4-9-2
Peck and Riddle; Bubniak and Leo
Game Two
The second game was quite different from the first. It featured a lot of hits and runs. Also, the weather became cloudy, windy, and chilly.
Alyssa Palmateer was in the circle for FM. She saw the visitors score twice in the first inning despite giving up only one solid hit. Palmateer then struck out the last two Adirondack batters.
FM put four runs on the board in their half of the first inning. The Lady Raiders added four more in the second inning. They stroked 12 hits in those two innings – 11 singles and a Stephanie Rice double.
The Raiders took a 10-4 lead in the third inning. They almost had more when Cori Manson crushed a long liner to left. It hit the fence five feet above the ground but was four feet foul.
Photo: Right fielder Erica Redwood gets congrats from first base coach Kevin Kucel after hitting the first of her two singles
Palmateer was pitching well. In the fifth inning she faced four batters, giving up a single and striking out three T-Wolves.
FM won Game Two 10-6, evening their season record at 2-2. All four of their games have been Mountain Valley Conference games, so their conference record is also 2-2. The team's next outing is scheduled for Sunday. They will host North Country CC in a doubleheader. Starting time is 1:00 p.m.
Adk: 220 002 0 6-7-3
FM: 442 000 x 10-14-2
Vladyka, Kenny (4) and Riddle; Palmateer and Leo
Records: Adirondack 1-2, FMCC 2-2
C.J. Bonny, website writer
Photo: Cori Manson gets the out at third in Game One – also visible are shortstop Stephanie Rice and center fielder Ally Ostrander
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