State College softball’s comeback attempt foiled in Cumberland Valley’s 5-3 victory
State College softball found itself down 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Despite reeling the game back into a favorable position and a 3-3 tie heading into the seventh, the Lady Little Lions lost 5-3 on Thursday to Cumberland Valley. State College head coach Shawn Herncane saw mistakes from his team that he isn’t used to seeing. The 10-2 Lady Little Lions are a methodical team, making sharp, precise and practical decisions when fielding and baserunning.
Herncane expects his team to put the game behind them and continue their strong start to the season.
“We played uncharacteristically defensively,” Herncane said. “We threw the ball around a bit, which we never do. We didn’t make some of the plays that we needed to make. I think we needed to get out of the gate a little quicker than we did. We’re usually hitting the ball pretty early in the game and we waited a little long to get our bats going. So, that probably hurt us as well.”
Other things, such as State College’s sixth inning rally, were more of the same for Herncane. Mady Burkey began the Lady Little Lions’ approach at the plate toward a victory with a double. Burkey accredited her play with a zen-like focus on the game.
“I know that softball is a mental game,” Burkey said. “Yeah, you have to have an ability to play, but you really have to put your mind to it and stay calm and focused. I think once that you figure that out, you’re really going to excel at the sport. So, I was just trying to keep myself calm and pick my teammates up so we could stay in this game.”
Olivia McTavish drove in a run with Burkey scoring from second base.
“I just knew it was a big moment and I was just trying to stay calm, trust myself and just go at it,” McTavish said.
Ireland McDyre singled in McTavish to tie the game at 3-3 in the sixth.
Cumberland Valley scored first when Kylie Bornman reached the plate on a State College error, giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead in the second inning. The Eagles scored once again in the third inning. Sydney May reached first base on a fielder’s choice and stole second base. Bornman drove in May on a double and was later driven in by Alissa Naisby to give Cumberland Valley a 3-0 advantage.
State College began its comeback in the fifth inning when Jess Hawbaker drove in a run on a double to bring the game to 3-1. The Lady Little Lions roared back in the sixth inning with McTavish driving in Burkey and McDyre plating McTavish on a single.
But the Eagles weren’t done yet. Emma Morgan scored two runners with a hard-hit ball to right field for a single to give Cumberland Valley a 5-3 lead in the seventh and eventually the win.
