SECTION IV SOFTBALL: CARPENTER'S 'WALK-OFF' RBI SINGLE LIFTS WAVERLY TO 3-2 WIN OVER ONEONTA IN CLASS B OPENER (24 PHOTOS) (2023-05-18)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportWAVERLY - Eighth-grader Hannah Carpenter ripped a two-out, line-drive RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift Waverly to a 3-2 "walk-off" win over Oneonta here Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the Section IV, Class B softball playoffs.
"I was just looking for a pitch I could hit," said Carpenter. "I was trying not to chase anything, just wait for a good pitch, and hit it.
"It’s really feels great," she added. "I had grounded out a couple times, I was glad I was able to hit a line drive, and get the run in."
"Hannah has been hitting really well all year," said Waverly coach Kayla Witman. "She may be an 8th-grader, but she is a great athlete. She has a really bright future, and I’m excited to see what she does."
The biggest play of the inning may have occurred just prior to Carpenter’s "walk-off" hit.
With two outs, sophomore Brinn Cooney worked a seven-pitch walk. Junior Olivia Robinson then hit a hard grounder that the Oneonta third baseman knocked down. Robinson beat the throw to first, and Cooney never stopped running, taking third base on the throw. Two pitches later, Carpenter laced the game-winning single into centerfield.
"(Brinn Cooney) is a really good base-runner," said Witman. "Hannah (Carpenter) getting the hit was obviously big, but (Cooney) getting to third base on that play set us up to win the game."
Robinson earned the win in the pitcher’s circle for the Lady Wolverines, allowing two runs — both unearned — on six hits, while striking out eight and walking none in a complete-game, seven-inning effort.
"Olivia threw so well," said Witman. "She hit all of her spots, and her change(up) was on fire.
"It was all about her hitting her spots, and really battling," added Witman. "She did a great job of staying focused."
The Lady Yellowjackets took advantage of a pair of Waverly errors to plate one run to start the fourth inning, but Robinson snared a hard grounder up the middle and cut down a runner at the plate for the second out, then induced a flyball to right field to end the inning.
Waverly turned to small ball in the bottom of the fourth inning, and produced two runs to take a 2-1 lead.
With one out, sophomore Megan Apgar reached on an error, then freshman Madison Cron beat out a bunt for a single. After Loralye Anthony advanced the runners to second and third with a groundout to second base, junior Lea VanAllen beat out a grounder to shortstop for an RBI single, and senior Alyvia Daddona beat out a squeeze bunt to knock home the go-ahed run.
Oneonta hit back-to-back two-out singles in the top of the fifth, but Cron fielded a hard grounder and stepped on third base to end the inning.
The Yellowjackets’ lead runner reached second base on a throwing error to start the top of the sixth inning, and scored on a two-out single to tie the game at 2-2.
Witman said her team did a good job of not dwelling on its errors.
"We’re a really young team, so we’ve been up-and-down this year, but today we were relaxed, we were loose, and we had fun. It was a great game for us.
"We got on top when we needed to, and we never let our errors effect us today, and that was a 100 percent positive," said Witman.
"Any other game we would have let those errors get to us, and it would have snowballed," she noted. "This game, we knew we couldn’t let it snowball. We knew (Oneonta) was a good defensive team.
"It felt so good to see these girls let it go, and just make the next play, and strand their runners," added Witman. "(Oneonta) had runners on base in multiple innings, and it felt good to make them leave those runners out there."
Robinson retired the first two Oneonta batters in the top of the seventh inning, but an error and a single put runners on first and third base. Robinson then induced an infield pop out to senior shortstop Michaela Lauper, setting the stage for Carpenter’s seventh-inning heroics.
Cron singled twice and scored one run to pace Waverly’s seven-hit attack, while Carpenter, VanAllen, and Daddona each singled and drove in one run, Apgar singled and scored one run, and Robinson added a single.
Waverly, now 10-10, will travel to face top-seeded Chenango Valley (16-2) Tuesday in the Class B quarterfinals.
"(Chenango Valley) is seeded first, so obviously they are a great team," said Witman. "The girls are really going to have to play hard, and play smart … I’m really excited to see if they can rise to the challenge, and see what they can do next week."
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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly’s Hannah Carpenter. IN PHOTO 2: Waverly’s Olivia Robinson. … PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
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