Marshall Oil is Ready to go all the Way with Playoff Victory over 10-4 George

Scroll to end for photos

On Monday July 20, the Lewisboro recreational league began playoffs and 10-4 George squared off versus Marshall Oil. So to the mound went Nancy Haggerty and while having difficulty finding the plate was not a strategy, the oilers still had to deal. “You just had to wait her out to get on base,” said Jessica Davidson. But a hit for the left fielder in the first inning didn’t mean her teammates didn’t take the advice.

Four walks following, the visitors built a 4-0 lead to start the game and went onto an easy 13-5 victory.

The game began with a bloop single by Nicole Shaffer and infield hit down third by Davidson. Then Haggerty lost the strike zone. Around a ground out by Molly Vaughan, Emily Klotz, Maggie Leigey, Jessica DeVito, and Pam Leibman all got a free pass. A 3-0 lead, Liz Klotz’s ground out to first tallied the final run of the inning.

Out to the circle, Leibman had some playoff jitters to calm. “I stretched and just stayed focused, and the remedy resulted in a strikeout, a pop out and groundout to maintain the margin.

The settle didn’t initially extend to Haggerty. The pitcher issued another walk, and Shaffer followed with an opposite field single to right. Another jam, Haggerty gathered herself, got Davidson to strikeout and a line out to short by Emily Klotz turned into a double play when Shaffer was caught off first.

A couple of errors in the bottom of the second poised 10-4 George to get back into it, but disarray always has Leibman at home, according to her third baseman. “She’s always there mentally, she’s in the zone,” said Vaughan, and a ground out and a pop out quelled the threat.

Onto the third, Haggerty had trouble locating again. After Vaughan’s line drive to short turned into an infield hit, Jessica DeVito and Liebman reached on walks. Bases loaded with one out, Liz Klotz played small ball perfectly and her ground ball to first made it a 5-0 game.

Haggerty refusing to succumb, the pitcher wound up with her bat.  After Anna Ciccone singled past second, Haggerty lashed a single up the middle, and 10-4 had the first two runners aboard. 

Of course, Leibman’s head remained clear. A pair of pop outs gave the pitcher the upper hand, but Denisa DoCabeco wasn’t ready to give in. Her single up the middle kept the inning alive and Abby Begos’ drive to center went off Hailey Davis’ glove. 

Two runs scored and Christine Hennings was looking for more. Her ground ball to short appeared to be just that when Emily Klotz was unable to put the tag on DoCabeco, who was streaking to third.

Leibman wasn’t worried, though. “She knows what to do,” said the pitcher, and Klotz switched course with a flip to second for the final out.

The momentum also redirected, Marshall answered right back in top of the fourth. Of course, they had help from the circle. Three more walks loaded the bases and in stepped Vaughan with one out. Her line drive to second was dropped, and on the fielder choice, run number six came in.

Still runners on first and third, Leigey’s single past short certainly helped with her main objective.  “I’m just trying to have fun,” said the right center fielder.

7-2 after three and a half, 10-4 again put themselves in position to respond. Christine Hughes reached on an error and Nancy Haggerty walked. Unfortunately, Anna Ciccone popped out, and the second out left Vaughan to relish her role on Nancy Ciccone’s grounder. “It’s the hot corner, you never know what’s going to happen, you got to be on your toes, and you’re always in the game,” she said.

No complacency from the bats, the offense kept at it. After two more walks, Davis, Shaffer and Davidson all had singles to extend the lead to 9-2.

10-4 did get a run back in the sixth, so Marshall made them pay in the seventh, With four more runs coming in, the two runs crossing in the bottom of the seventh was nowhere near enough to dampen Vaughan’s prediction for the rest of the playoffs. “We’re going all the way,” she concluded.

Click for Video

Click image for photos