Saturday, June 10, 2023
NYS Softball Semi-Final Game
Photo: Screen capture from the NFHS Network stream of the June 9 NYSPHSAA Class C Semi-Final softball game. Addison Kota slides into home base to put Gowanda up to stay 3-2.
The Gowanda Varsity softball team was on Long Island in Moriches, NY for a New York State semi-final game in Class C. They faced Thomas A. Edison high school in the game. Since Randolph knocked the team out of a 1st Place divisional title in the regular season, Gowanda has been on a tear in the playoffs. The team grabbed Gowanda’s first ever Section 6 softball title and have continued to roll on from there. On this night, it would be “lights out” for Edison in a very close contest.
In the 1st inning, Gowanda retired the first three Edison batters in order. While they managed to get runners to both 3rd and 4th base in the bottom of the inning, Gowanda came away empty leaving the game scoreless after one inning. In the 2nd inning, Edison grabbed a 1-0 lead with a walk and a misplayed single into left field. That lead held into the 4th inning.
Gowanda shut down Edison in the top of the 4th inning before making their biggest offensive surge of the game in the bottom of the inning. Gowanda’s 1st two batters, Jada Geiger and Ella Luther, both singled to start things out. Then a Holland Browning double scored Geiger tying the game at 1-1. Bases were loaded with no outs as Hailey Christopher was walked. Luther scored when a hit by Lani Farner was initially bobbled by the Edison pitcher for an RBI single. With Gowanda in the lead 2-1 the game moved into the 5th inning.
A hit misplayed by Gowanda turned a single into a triple. That runner scored on a sacrifice fly. The game was tied at two going to the bottom of the inning. Gowanda pitcher, Addison Kota led off with a single into left field. Two outs would be registered before a Holland Browning double deep into center field scored Kota. Gowanda was up 3-2 heading to the 6th inning. The 6th inning went scoreless as both teams tightened up on defense. That led to a final inning where Edison batters were retired in order giving Gowanda the 3-2 sending them to the state Class C Championship game.
In a unique experience for the Gowanda community, the Hollywood Theater held a watch party for the game. A very vocal outpouring of the Gowanda community was on hand at the theater watching the play-by-play as the game progressed. Midway through the game, the announcer on the stream gave a shout out to the crowd at the Hollywood Theater prompting a huge reaction from the spectators.