Pitching perfection most visible as Deposit-Hancock rolls to Section 4 softball title
How overwhelming the pitching for Deposit-Hancock’s Section 4 Class D softball champions? In three tournament games, the team won by an aggregate 34-1 while rationing opponents five hits and striking out 47.
Addison Makowski’s piece of pitching perfection Saturday at Greenlight Network Grand Slam Park backboned the team’s 7-0 win against Richfield Springs for Section 4’s champions.
The junior struck out 14 and, just because she could, put D-H on top for good by spanking a two-out, two-run home run in the third inning. The clean-up batter closed 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs as one of three Eagles with multiple hits.
“She’s the kind of girl who thinks a lot during a game, which is great but sometimes she overthinks,” said Eagles coach Dan Briggs. “Today I saw, whether it was at the plate or certainly in the circle, she just went out there and played. She went out there and became a ballplayer today and that was the best game that she’s ever pitched.”
Up next
Deposit-Hancock (19-2) will take on Section 9’s champion in a May 31 quarterfinal at Greenlight Network Grand Slam Park.
Deposit-Hancock is two-time defending state champion. Deposit, operating solo at the time, was 2019 state champion preceding two years of COVID-rooted tournament shutdown.
Gradually, Eagles commanded
Richfield Springs’ faithful had every reason to be fired up through 2½ scoreless innings against the New York State Sports Writers Association’s top-ranked team. Then came the third and Makowski – having struck out eight of nine to that juncture – stepping into the batter’s box.
Sarah Gross had just doubled to the center-field fence with two out and Makowski cracked a two-run homer to left.
The Eagles picked up a run in the fourth and another in the fifth before Makowski drove in a seventh-inning run to complete scoring.
Makowski struck out multiple batters in five innings and concluded by retiring Richfield Springs in the seventh on a 1-3, strikeout and pop out to the catcher.
Olivia Johnston was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Gross 3-for-4 with two runs for the winners.
More from D-H coach Briggs
“So far, so good. Every year we come with a goal of making a state championship, but we take it round-by-round and this is the next step toward our ultimate goal.”
Going forward? “Job’s not accomplished yet. That’s the message we send to these girls at the end of the year. We’ve got to win a sectional title to get to states but our ultimate goal is that state title. So, good job to get the win in but it’s onto that next step.”
Given a mere two seniors on the roster, might this squad be ahead of schedule? “No. Every year we don’t rebuild we re-load. We just brought up two eighth-graders from our JV team who got playing time today. We bring those young ones up, throw them in the fire right away so when it’s their turn to take over, they’re ready to go.
“There’s no waiting period or adjustment period bringing them up. That’s what we do in this program, bring them up early and throw them in there, see what they’ve got and they can make adjustments as they go.”
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Error-free defense backs Deposit-Hancock’s title-clinching win
