Roosevelt, Pine Plains advance to MHAL final

Roosevelt and Pine Plains will meet in today's MHAL final after both teams win in Wednesday's semifinals.

Roosevelt and Pine Plains highs’ softball teams went at it in different ways Wednesday, but have ended in the same place: playing for the MidHudson Athletic League championship on Thursday.

Roosevelt rallied to beat Marlboro 3-2 in 10 innings for the American Conference title, while Pine Plains battered Dover 16-6 to win the National Conference crown. The teams meet for the MHAL title 3 p.m. Thursday at Highland’s Tony Williams Park. Roosevelt 3, Marlboro 2

Marlboro jumped on Roosevelt ace Madchen Knauss for two first-inning runs. Victoria Sorace scored on an high throw on Carly Correa’s single. Kaitlyn Tudico followed with a RBI double.

Knauss and the Dukes’ Mel Papuli and the teams’ defenses dueled the rest of the way. Knauss tied it with a two-run double in the fifth.

Both teams had tons of chances. The (16-3) Presidents couldn’t capitalize on six walks by Papuli in the first four innings. A shoestring catch in shallow right

by Sydney Shuta got Papuli out a first-and-third/ two-out jam in the fourth.

Knauss coaxed a pair of ground outs to escape a bases-loaded/one out jam in the third. The Dukes had the winning run in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh and ninth, but came away empty.

When the game went to the 10th, the international tiebreaker rule (runner starting on second) kicked in.

In the top of the inning, Chloe Moretti sacrificed Liz Miller to third. Bri Palermo bunted down the first base line and Miller beat the throw to the plate for the lead.

After a strikeout in the bottom of the 10th, Marlboro bunted its runner over to third. Knauss then got the next batter to hit a sharp grounder to second, where Palmermo threw out the runner on one knee to end the game.

Amanda Owens singled and doubled and Aliya Feerick had two singles and a double for Roosevelt. Correa had three singles, Tudico had a single and double and Shannon Camuso singled twice for the Dukes. Pine Plains 16, Dover 6

The Bombers fell behind 3-1 early, but bounced back then pulled away for the triumph. Pine Plains scored six runs in the third, two in the fourth, four in the fifth and three more in the sixth.

Winning pitcher Alex McKenzie had a big day with six RBI, including a two-run single in the fourth and a three-run homer in the sixth. Cat Simmons hit two-run doubles in the third and fifth for her four RBI.

Jo Schmidt and Krysta Shaffer drove in two runs apiece for the Bombers.