Cortland’s Extreme Blue drops 1-0 decision

By Mark W. Miller

The local team was eliminated by Total Kaos in the PONY 18U division.

CANFIELD — Total Kaos of Harrison, N.Y., kept its chances for a title alive as it eliminated Valley Extreme Blue of Cortland, 1-0, in the PONY 18U national softball tournament Tuesday at McCune Park.

Total Kaos scored the only run of the game in the fourth inning. Christina Rescign led off with a single. Successive sacrifice bunts moved her to second and third before Trisch Forrest doubled her home.

Valley Extreme Blue (2-4 for the tournament), meanwhile, left seven runners stranded on the bases.

Valley Extreme Blue threatened in the first inning. With two outs, Lisa Light hit a double and Sarah Ingalls walked before a fly out ended the threat.

Then, with one out in the third, Brittany Stevenson and Abbey Bensing hit back-to-back singles for Extreme Blue, but Light lined into a double play.

Light led off the sixth inning with a single but a double play ended that rally.

“We are a young team,” said Valley Extreme Blue coach Greg Bensing.

“Most of the girls are 16-years old and we thought we could move up and do something at this tournament. It was disappointing for us not to play well here.”

“Their shortstop [Jordan Hunt] did a nice job. She caught some line drives that had they been hits may have scored some runs for us,” said Bensing.

Bensing said his team finished the season playing around .500.

“We had one mission this season and that was to get the girls college exposure. We played in tough tournaments and with all of the girls coming back in September we want to do that again and perhaps some of them can get scholarships,” said Bensing.”

Kaos coach Ron Tenzyk said, “Trisch [Forrest], with two outs, got the hit that drove in the run. She has gotten big hits for us all season. Our shortstop [Hunt] made some great plays, catching line drives, turning one of them into a double play.”

Light paced Valley Extreme Blue with a double and single, while Chelsea Filer hit a pair of singles and Becky Fortuna a double.

Forrest hit a double and single for Total Kaos, which lost later Tuesday, 3-0, to Top Gun Gold of New Jersey, and finished the tournament with a 1-6 record.

miller@vindy.com