WPCNR PRESS BOX. By Fastpitch Johnny. July 20, 2004: Catrina Kostelas hit an inside-the-park homerun in the second inning, and Stacey Carrabello of Brewster singled home Valhalla's Megan Davidson after Meg had doubled to the left center field fence in the 4th, to power the Hudson River Panthers to a 6-1 win in their 11 A.M. 2004 PONY National game this morning. The win gave the first-run Ray Frederick/ Joe Carrabello coached Panthers a 20-13 record on the season. The club played under perfect blue skies and high 80s temperatures at the posh Claude Moore complex in Leesburg, Virginia, and now awaits the beginning of bracket play Wednesday. As we write the team is splashing in the pool at the Marriott.
White Plains Tiger Juliana Bailey started for the Panthers, pitched out of a bases-loaded 1 out jam in the second by striking out two Cardinals with Redbirds perched on all the bases, after Kostellas had stroked her homer to give the Panthers a 1-run lead.
Kostellas said she hit a low and outside pitch on a 1-strike count and took it the opposite way towards the right centerfield gap. When the ball hit the fence, Catrina kept on motoring to third where the third base coach held her up, but Catrina noticed the relay still had not come in from the outfield and kept on rolling, scoring standing up for a 1-0 lead.
In the fourth Meg Davidson took the Cardinal pitcher deep into the leftcenterfield gap all the way to the fence for a double. Stacey Carabello, next up helped her pitcher out by smoking a pitch so hard to the right centerfield gap that she was held to a single, but Davidson was able to score to make it 2-0.
In the fourth, Juliana Bailey ran into a bit of trouble, an error on a slow roller put one Cardinal on, and a smash off Bailey's glove forced her to throw hard to first to get the runner but the throw could not be handled at first and the runners advanced to second and third.
Lagrange's Michelle Barone was called on to put out the fire. Barone got the first hitter to pop out to her at the mound. But then a line single to left scored one run to make it 2-1. The next hitter, attempting to squeeze the tying run into third on a run and bunt, but popped it up fair off the plate. Carabello, the Panther catcher caught it and fired to first doubling the hapless runner at first to douse the threat.
In the 5th, the Panthers put the game away when Valhalla's Gina Giuliani walked then scored on a passed ball, after Michelle Barone beat out a misplayed sacrifice bunt. Onn another misplayed Maggie Goldberg sacrifice, the pitcher threw the ball away to make it 4-1. Brewster's Danielle Basciano singled up the middle to score Goldberg and it was 5-1. White Plains Tiger Dena Frederick closed out the scoring when after hitting into a fielder's choice she stole second and third and scored on Stacey Carabello's second RBI single of the game, this time up the middle.
Barone picked up the save, retiring three of four hitters in the last of the fifth to close out the game.
