By Ashlea Prouty
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS — August 20, 2010 — Cooper Paint defeated Charlie’s Angels 9-7, in Game 2 of the Sullivan County Women’s Softball League’s “A” Division finals series on Wednesday night at Gary A. Bradley Field at the White Sulphur Springs Firemen’s Park.
The victory by Cooper Paint tied the series at one game apiece. The third and deciding game to determine the “A” Division playoff champion was slated to be played last night at Bradley Field.
Charlie’s Angels was excited to play after a late-game rally to win the previous evening.
In the top of the first inning, Charlie’s Angels leadoff batter Karyn Sheeley walked and Jessica Bradley and Leanne Mangabang followed with singles to load the bases. A pair of sacrifice flies by Shannon Dietrich and Analey Dietrich gave Charlie’s Angels a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the first, Megan Drobysh had a leadoff single for Cooper Paint. She scored when Jen Wright followed with a triple. Lori Brown followed with a single, allowing Wright to cross the plate and even the game at 2-2.
Brown scored the go-ahead run when Amanda Cox reached base on an error. Moments later, Julie Benzenberg doubled to score both Cox and Diana Sherman to give Cooper Paint a 5-2 advantage.
Cooper Paint pitcher Cox quickly allowed her team to return to offense by throwing a 1-2-3 top of the second. Charlie’s Angels pitcher Lisa Krom also held Cooper Paint scoreless in the bottom of the second.
A succession of singles by Robin Gannon, Sheeley, Bradley and Mangabang allowed Charlie’s Angels to record a run in the top of the third inning and pull to within two runs at 5-3.
The score remained the same until there were two outs in the top of the fifth when Sheeley and Bradley both scored for Charlie’s Angels to tie the game 5-5.
In the bottom of the fifth, a series of RBI hits and a sacrifice fly allowed Wright, Brown, Cox and Sherman to score. As a result, Cooper Paint held a 9-5 advantage going into the sixth inning.
Charlie’s Angels attempted a late-game rally in the top of the seventh. Gannon and Krom each scored a run, but Cooper Paint outfielder Brown ran down and caught the a fly ball for the third out to end the game.
After the game Charlie’s Angels Player/Coach, Jo Walls said that it was “a good game.”
Erin Shuart of Cooper Paint, enthusiastic about tying the series, commented that her team “hit more consistently than they have been hitting and our defense has been a lot more solid these past couple of games.”
Angels prevail in Game 1
Charlie’s Angels defeated Cooper Paint 13-10, in Game 1 of the series on Tuesday night at Edward M. Collins Memorial Park in Mongaup Valley.
Cooper Paint jumped out to a 7-0 lead by scoring four runs in the top of the first inning and three runs in the top of the second.
But Charlie’s Angels tied the game at 7-7 with five runs in the bottom of the second and a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Cooper Paint offense was stifled in the third and fourth innings, but scored one run each of the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
Charlie’s Angels took a 9-8 lead in the bottom of the fifth on Shannon Dietrich’s two-run triple.
The team scored four more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Christine Costa-Decker led off with a double and Emily Zier smacked a home run deep into left-center field.
Gannon paced the Charlie’s Angels offense with two triples and two RBIs, while Walls was the winning pitcher.