COLLEGE SOFTBALL: CCC PUNCHES TICKET BACK TO NJCAA SOFTBALL WORLD SERIES (24 PHOTOS) (2024-05-16)

Southern Tier Sports Report
CORNING — The Corning Community College softball team punched their ticket to the NJCAA DIII Softball World Series for the fourth straight year.

CCC swept Hudson Valley in the Region 3B Championship best-of-three series, rallying from 1-0 down in game one in the sixth inning to win 3-1, then cruising 8-4 in the nightcap.

“This is our main goal throughout the entire season,” Jenna Plue said. “This is what we worked toward through the winter and everything. But, really it was a team effort.

“Everybody having the energy, when we were down, everybody picking each other up. We couldn’t have done it without each other, so I think that was really big for us.”

In the opener the Red Barons scored three runs in the sixth, with Edison graduate Maliyah McIver starting the rally with the game-tying run.

Plue delivered a two-run single to win things for CCC. Plue also threw a two-hitter on the mound, striking out 11.

CCC had four hits in the game with Lily Callahan, Brianna Greenlaw and Teona Cruz adding hits in the win.

In the nightcap Notre Dame graduate Olivia Switzer struck out five for CCC in the win.

Cruz had a home run, two hits and three RBI, with a run scored, and Plue had two doubles, two RBI and a run scored.

Callahan had a triple, an RBI and a run scored and Greenlaw had two hits, with a triple, an RBI and two runs scored.

Caroline Courson had two hits and Brianna Hardwick had a double, while Switzerland and Darian Palmer had hits.

Now it’s back to nationals, where CCC has finished as runner-up three straight years.

“It doesn’t matter who we play,” CCC coach Stacy Johnson said. “We’re just going to stay relaxed and believe in what we do. We can’t control other people, so believe in us and do what we do. That’s got to be good enough.

“Life isn’t about the result — it’s the process. We just got to grind it out every day and we have to show up and we have to compete. When things go our way, they go our way, and we won’t back down from anybody, we’ll show up and we’ll get ready to go.”
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PHOTOS 1-23 BY BRIAN FEES, PHOTO 24 COURTESY OF KARINA NORMAN/WENY TV

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