After being quite competitive in each of its first three games, the Skaneateles softball team was eager to shed the zero in the win column.
And the Lakers did so last Monday afternoon, venturing to Hannibal and, with an early outburst, getting that first victory over the Warriors 8-2.
Skaneateles batted around in the top of the first inning, tagging Hannibal pitcher Jamie Keding for seven runs. Though Keding would settle down, all the damage had been rendered.
Chelsea Hamilton tripled as part of the Lakers’ 14-hit attack and finished with two RBIs. Emylie Garcia, Jackie Leslie, Julianna Augustine and Emily Call also drove in runs.
Staked to that big early lead, pitcher Alyssa Stevens had a rough first inning, but held Hannibal to a pair of tallies, then blanked them the rest of the way as she and Hamilton, who pitched in relief, gave up six hits between them.
The Lakers could not make it back-to-back wins, though, as rival Marcellus came to Austin Park and beat them 10-4 on Wednesday afternoon.
An early 2-1 Skaneateles lead dissipated when Marcellus scored four times in the top of the second, forcing Stevens to leave the pitcher’s circle. Hamilton tried to clean things up, but a five-run fourth inning allowed Marcellus to pull away.
Augustine, in defeat, had a double and two RBIs, while Hamilton and Erica Tardiff also drove in runs. Marcellus teammates Molly MacLachlan (the winning pitcher) and Caitlin Henderson each drove in three runs.
