FREDONIA – Allegany-Limestone softball lost for the third time to Fredonia this season in their Section 6 Class B semifinal on Tuesday.
For a while, it looked like the Gators might be able to knock off the back-to-back undefeated CCAA 1 champs when A-L led 3-0 after the first inning and still were up 3-2 in the fifth.
A five run fifth inning for Fredonia cost the Gators the game. A-L also failed to drive in any more runners the rest of the way, even if they did a good job getting them get on base.
If A-L was going to beat the Hillbillies, they needed to keep scoring. “There were a few times runners were on second and third, and we just couldn’t find a way to score on them,” Arnold said.
Only Taylor Foster had an RBI hit while three Fredonia errors helped aid the Gators.
“We came out hot, we adjusted right away,” A-L coach Kaelyn Arnold said. “We were fired up from the get go, we just didn’t follow through for the next six innings.”
Starting pitcher Danielle Palison has made life tough for A-L, in their first two matchups she allowed just one run in a doubleheader during the regular season.
For the most part, A-L has had an easy time putting up runs against their opponents, but Palison has limited them. “We knew it was a quicker pitcher than what we have seen the last couple of games,” Arnold said.
Kennedy Honeck wasn’t phased at the plate though, going 3-4. Peyton Truman was also impressive with her 2-3 day.
Palison gave up nine hits and also struck out nine in a complete game effort. A-L’s Kailey Truman was solid, only giving up five hits. The difference between the two, Truman walked seven batters while Palison walked none.
The game may have been a sign of the maturity between the two teams, with Palison being a senior and A-L having many underclassman contributors.
The loss certainly was an opportunity to get a signature win for the program. But overall, this season has been a good one for Arnold’s young group of Gators. Sophomore players are littered throughout the lineup, with potential for the next two seasons to be pretty special.
They finished 15-6, with five of those losses coming against league opponents Fredonia and Olean. However, four of the five games were decided by four runs or less, showing that the Gators aren’t too far away from making that next jump in the CCAA 1.
Seniors Taylor Foster and Abby Peck will leave, but the rest of the team looks strong. “For the future it looks really good, we have two big shoes to fill,” Arnold said. “But we have the right people coming up to do the job, it should be a good season next year.”
