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Late game heroics seal Bombers playoff win

Lake Placid’s Brooklyn Huffman throws a pitch during Wednesday’s home playoff game against Moriah. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

LAKE PLACID — After the Lake Placid softball team forced two extra innings in a win-or-go-home Section VII Class C playoff matchup against the Moriah Vikings on Wednesday, Megan Quinn stood up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth in a tied ball game for the Blue Bombers.

With two outs and a runner on third base, Quinn smacked the ball right past the Vikings’ third baseman, allowing her teammate Haylie Buysse to score, sealing the 14-13 victory.

“I’m at a loss of words. The entire game I was shaking and I’m just at a loss for words,” Lake Placid head coach Mary Kopcienski said. “I’m very proud of this team for digging deep. They’ve always been known to find situations and capitalize on them and we did it.”

Danaya Patterson led the Blue Bombers with one home run, and likely could have had another if not for a defensive play by Moriah that was able to tag her out at home plate. Buysse and Emma Adragna recorded two hits, both of which were singles. The team finished the game with nine hits.

Brooklyn Huffman struck out one batter and picked up the win for the Blue Bombers. Adragna, who started the game on the mound before being relieved in the middle of the second inning, had three strikeouts.

Lake Placid’s Hailey Buysse makes contact with the ball during Wednesday’s playoff game against Moriah at home. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

The Vikings broke a 7-7 tie in the fifth inning, scoring two runs to make the game 9-7. Moriah then piled on three more runs in the sixth, making the score 12-7.

All seemed doomed for Lake Placid after the team scored just one run in the bottom of the sixth frame, but after holding the Vikings scoreless in the top of the seventh, a sudden spark of momentum hit the Blue Bomber dugout.

On the brink of elimination, Lake Placid rallied off four runs to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings.

“When they dig really deep, they are able to make amazing plays and really have confidence in themselves,” Kopcienski said. “Early on, I think we made a few mistakes that cost us a few runs, when they really dig deep they produce.”

In the top of the eighth inning, Huffman and the Blue Bombers’ defense recorded three straight outs without allowing a base runner.

Lake Placid’s Megan Quinn gets ready to catch a pop fly during Wednesday’s playoff game against Moriah. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

Moriah then held Lake Placid scoreless to close out the eighth inning, and put the pressure on Lake Placid after scoring one run in the top of the ninth to make the score 13-12.

Nadia Phillip stood at the plate and hit an infield single to put a runner on base for the Blue Bombers. After Sydney Garrison was walked, Buysse hit a ground ball to the shortstop that advanced Phillip to third base but got Garrison out at the second base.

With Dari Patterson up to bat, the Vikings pitcher threw the ball past the catch and Phillip was able to reach home plate. Patterson then worked a walk and her twin sister, Danaya, flew out to the outfield.

Quinn batted next and sent the Blue Bombers to the Class C semifinal game, where the team will take on the number one seed, the Northern Adirondack Bobcats.

“I know that we’ll see some faster pitching and a lot more hitters,” Kopcienski said. “Honestly, it’s kind of hard going from MVAC teams to CVAC teams, so we’ve kind of got a target on our back. We’re just going to go in knowing as much as we know, but it’s postseason, everybody has a 0-0 record.”

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