Maine-Endwell edges FDR in Class A softball regional on walk-off single

Lauren Eagan provided a desperately needed run for Maine-Endwell with a fifth-inning homer. Two innings later, Anna Fellows gave the Spartans a walk-off victory to preserve their quest for a softball state championship.

Those two hits, with a nod to Aleciyah Brodley's table-setting single in the final inning, provided all the Maine-Endwell scoring in a 2-1 victory over Section 9 champion Franklin D. Roosevelt on Tuesday afternoon in a New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class A regional semifinal at Union-Endicott.

Maine-Endwell right-hander Olivia Lewis dropped the hammer on the mound, pitching shutout softball over the final six innings to give the Spartans the opportunity for the rally.

Stars of the Game

FDR coach Kristi Coughlin said both hurlers pitched "amazingly," showing pinpoint control.

Lewis struck out just one, but she didn't walk anybody in throwing 64 of 90 pitches for strikes. The lone FDR run came on a groundout from Erika Punkosdy in the opening inning, but Lewis induced a ground ball to shortstop Kaety L'Amoreaux to strand runners at second and third. Lewis also escaped trouble in the third inning after Jess Feerick's two-out double put runners at second and third.

"We kind of dug ourselves in a hole the first inning, but I had no doubt (Lewis) would work her way back," Maine-Endwell coach Karleigh Eaton said. "We wanted them to make plays on the ball and get the ball down on the ground. We were able to rely on our defense and she knew that and we felt comfortable going forward the rst of the game."

The Presidents' Kayla Baez surrendered six hits and struck out six. She also didn't yield a walk and 63 of her 86 pitches found the strike zone. Baez added two hits in three at-bats, matching teammate Cali DeLawder.

More: Maine-Endwell girls do quality work en route to STAC softball championship

Play of the Game, Part I

The right-handed Baez had retired nine batters in a row, including back-to-back strikeouts in the fifth, when the left-handed hitting Eagan, a junior, stroked the second pitch of her at-bat over the fence in right field.

"It was mentally a game-changer for us," Eaton said. "It was a change in attitude. We hadn't hit a ball that hard all day. Seeing that go right off her bat, we knew it was out and I think that automatically changed our game."

The Spartans crushed four homers Saturday in an 11-7 win over Vestal in the Section 4 final and had reached double-digit runs nine times this season against a challenging schedule. But Fellows said there was no frustration Tuesday as the offense took time to get going. Assistant coach Bill Demo reminded the players low-scoring games would be more likely against top pitching in the state tourney.

"A lot of it is just to keep the energy up," Fellows said.

Play of the Game, Part 2

Over the final two innings, Lewis surrendered a two-out single in the sixth before a 1-2-3 seventh.

In the bottom of the seventh, Brodley led off with an opposite-field single to right field and Shannon Mentz laid down a sacrifice bunt.

Fellows, a junior, followed with a line drive that fell in front of the right fielder and Brodley crossed home plate as the FDR catcher was unable to handle a throw that bounced high over her head.

"I was really just thinking if she throws me a certain pitch I know exactly where to hit it," said Fellows, who wanted to make sure she swung at a good pitch. "We’ve been working on this for quite a while. I just knew right where it was going to be and just swing."

Said Eaton: "We had a tough season last year and it just shows how much that we've grown. I'm really, really proud of them. That was a clutch moment for a kid who doesn't play softball year-round. She did awesome. She buckled in and she got the job done for us."

It was then time to join the celebration.

"I saw everyone jumping and cheering and I was like, 'Wow, we won,' " Fellows said. "There wasn't really much more to do. I just ran to home and I thought, 'Wow, we did it.' It was amazing."

They Said It

Despite the loss, there was a sense of appreciation for the level of play by Coughlin.

"The game was amazing," she said. "It was a very back-and-forth game. We kind of came in here as the underdogs with them ranked at the No. 1 spot in the entire state (in Class A). But I think my girls really held their own. It was a tight game the entire time. Truthfully, with the hits, it could have gone either way. They just had good timing, good spots and we couldn't find those spots. But I think it couldn't have been played more well by either side."

Up Next

Maine-Endwell (21-2) will play Section 1 champion Ursuline (19-4) back at Union-Endicott at 2:30 p.m. Saturday for the regional title and the right to play in the state final four June 9-10 at the Moriches Athletic Complex on Long Island. The start time was changed Thursday.

FDR, from Hyde Park, finished with a 16-4 record.

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This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Maine-Endwell topped Roosevelt in NYSPHSAA Class A softball regional