I’m up here in Queensbury all ready for tomorrow’s state final four. So for any of you who wants to know, here’s my take on how Valhalla will do tomorrow:
State semifinal
Valhalla vs. Mynderse Academy (Section 5), 9am: If anyone read my scouting report in today’s paper, you’ll know that Mynderse Academy scored a lot of runs. They scored a total of 70 runs in the Section 5 tournament and then 41 in the regional tournament. That’s one heck of an offensive hot streak. BUT, I’m going to say the one thing that I would always say when I watch the Mets score a boat load of runs — Save some for tomorrow. The person in charge of cooling off those bats is Valhalla’s freshman ace Sydni Holtz. This girl has been pitching out of her mind from sectionals through the regional tournament. She had a previously undefeated Babylon (Section 11) completely baffled. The Vikings are making their first ever appearance in the softball state final four so I think that they might come out a little bit nervous, and that’s completely understandable. This team has had a special season for the Vikings and you need to look at the veterans — Danielle Maffei, Jade Fumarelli, and Madeline DeMilio. They are three of the core seniors on this team and these three are going to be looked at as catalysts for the Vikings if they want to make it to the second game of the day. I also think that Brandi Coon is going to be a big factor and the rare mistake she made in the field in the regionals will be just a blip on the radar. I definitely think that Valhalla will make it to the finals. Prediction: Valhalla 7, Mynderse Academy 4
Finals
Valhalla vs. Windsor (Section 4), 2 p.m.: The reason that I’m picking Windsor over Chatham (Section 2) is the same reason that I went with John Jay-East Fishkill through out sectionals and into regionals — they are the reigning Class B state champions (Thank you Hallie for that nugget). They two have shown that they can hit but I really think that this Valhalla team has put themselves in a position where they can dethrone the champs. I say that because what I’ve learned through out the playoffs is that the Vikings can play the close game and then break out the sticks when they need to. Valhalla coach John Hayes has done a great job with these girls all season long. Borrowing a line from the Alabama Crimson Tide, I think Valhalla will finish it in the finals. But this game will be close. Prediction: Valhalla 3, Windsor 1
1 Comment
Valhalla wull certainly be challenged tomorrow against the power from Section 5, but I think that they have ebough “spunk” to win the semi-finals. However, Windor will be a whole different sitauation. Valhalla has played a very competitive schedule this season to prepare themsemves for this day, but Windsor has palyed an even tougher schedule and did well. Final – Windsor 3, Valhalla 1
Other Predictions (oh come on Debbie – let’s see your predictions for the other classificatios)
CLASS AA – CNS (Section 3)
CLASS A – Cornwall (Section 9)
CLASS C – Hamburg (Section 6)
CLASS D – Hamilton (Section 3)