By Rob Potter
MONGAUP VALLEY — August 8, 2003 – The Charlie’s Angels softball team has not had any problem scoring runs lately.
After clinching first place in the A Division of the Sullivan County Women’s Softball League with a 24-7 win over L & B Tack on July 31, Charlie’s Angels opened the playoffs with a 19-9 win over Gorr Jus Wednesday night at Collins Park in Mongaup Valley.
With the win, Charlie’s Angels, the top seed in the A Division playoffs, took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three-games series versus fourth seed Gorr Jus. Game two was scheduled to be played last night, weather permitting.
The Angels began Wednesday night’s game where they left off six nights earlier. The team built a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the first thanks to RBI doubles by Cindy Ellmauer and Leanne Mangabang and RBI singles by Tonya Ackerley and Terri Hess.
Gorr Jus made it a 6-1 game in the top of the second when Leyna Madison hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Amanda Cox.
But Charlie’s Angels responded with six runs in the bottom of the frame. Jo Walls led off with a triple and crossed home plate when the next batter, Christine Decker, beat out a ground ball to third base. After Mangabang walked to put two runners on base, Ackerley ripped a triple to right center field to make it a 9-1 game. Ackerley scored on the same play when the throw back to the infield was errant. Ellmauer and Sue Zieres also had RBIs in the inning.
In the bottom of the third, Ackerley hit a three-run home run to center field to give Charlie’s Angels a commanding 15-1 lead.
However, Gorr Jus rallied for five runs in the top of the fifth. Alesia Rexford, who led off with a single, scored on a sacrifice fly by Tracy Denman. After Shana Irwin singled, Nicole Feller stroked a double down the right field line that allowed Leyna Madison to score.
Two batters later, Bonnie Blackwell ripped a triple to right field that brought both Irwin and Feller to the plate and cut the Angels’ lead to 15-5. Amanda Irwin then singled to make it a 15-6 game.
Charlie’s Angels added a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth and two more in the sixth. The key hits in the fifth were Mangabang’s solo home run and an RBI single by Debbie Ackerley. Decker and Mangabang had RBI singles in the sixth.
Gorr Jus did not go quietly in its final two at-bats. With two outs in the sixth, Rexford singled to left field and scored when Madison hit a triple to the fence in right field. In the top of the seventh, Feller hit a one-out single to center and Rachelle Irwin followed with a double to right center. Irwin scored when Blackwell reached base on an error.
The Charlie’s Angels/Gorr Jus series is one of four Sullivan County Women’s Softball League playoff series currently underway. The other A Division series pits second seed Cooper Paint vs. third seed L & B Tack. In the B Division, top seed and regular season champion The Nugget Restaurant plays fourth seed Irwin Siegel Agency and second seed Mr. Willy’s meets third seed Bum & Kel’s.
The winner of the Charlie’s Angels/Gorr Jus series will meet the winner of the Cooper/L & B series for the A Division championship. The winner of The Nugget/Irwin Siegel series will square off against the winner of the Mr. Willy’s/Bum & Kel’s series for the B Division title.
Those two championship series are scheduled to be held next week.