Kingston’s bid for back-to-back titles ends with semifinal loss
Kingston High’s bid to win backto-back Section 9, Class AA softball championships was spoiled by Monroe-Woodbury on Thursday as the Crusaders eliminated the Tigers in a 5-4 10-inning semifinal battle at Burke Field.
Playing under the international tiebreaker rules (runner starting on second base) in the 10th, Caleigh Tennyson laid down a bunt and the overthrow to first allowed Nicole Palmer to score for Monroe.
The Tigers appeared to have the game tied in the bottom of the inning. Sydney Bonewit bunted Kingston’s runner to third. Alyssa Finno then smacked a potential double that second baseman Emma Lawson took two steps to her right and made a game-saving leaping catch
on. Monroe hurler Sam Ryan then coaxed a comebacker to end the game.
Ryan and the Tigers’ Lauren Shambo both pitched complete games. Ryan allowed eight hits. Shambo surrendered seven hits, striking out two and walking one.
“It’s definitely not how
I wanted it to go or how I wanted the season to end,” said Kingston coach Trishann Hayes, whose team finished 14-4 overall. “What’s heartbreaking is to see the seniors go.”
The (18-4) Crusaders took the lead in the fourth, but the Tigers countered with a three-run fifth as Finno tripled in two runs and scored on a missed cutoff throw.
Monroe responded with three runs of its own in the sixth for a 4-3 lead, including
RBI singles from Cymmone Rios and Lawson.
Kingston forced extra innings, tying in the sixth as Megan Peace doubled in Jessica Chilcott.
Ryan put the Tigers down in order in both the seventh and eighth. Peace had a leadoff single in the ninth, but Kingston couldn’t bring her around.
Sydney Bonewit had a pair of singles and Kaitlynn Schrowang singled and double for the Tigers.