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  • Crown Point's Taylor Booth gets a hit during the Section VII Class D title game on June 3. Staff Photo / Andrew Wyatt

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  • Lindsay Brace at bat for the Panthers during the Section VII Class D title game. P-R Photo / Andrew Wyatt

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  • Chelsea DuShane fires a pitch during the Section VII Class D title game. P-R Photo / Andrew Wyatt

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June 6, 2011

Panthers peaking at right time

RYAN HAYNER Sports Editor

The Crown Point Panthers set a number of goals before the season started.

The first was to win the first game, and the last was to win the Section VII Class D championship.

The Panthers took care of that final one with an 18-2 win over Elizabethtown-Lewis for their sixth straight title.

From here on out, "it's all gravy," said Crown Point coach Mike Ross.

Crown Point will play Section X's Heuvelton 5:30 p.m. today at Plattsburgh State's Cardinal Park.

Ross and the undefeated Panthers are plenty familiar with the NYSPHSAA playoffs.

They have been involved the last six years and twice have made it to the semifinals.

The Panthers enter this year's tournament on a hot streak, which says a lot considering the team is 14-0.

Their pitching has been strong all season — "90 percent of the game," Ross said. "So that helps when you have 90 percent of it already conquered."

But that bats have been coming on strong lately.

In three Section VII Class D tournament games, Crown Point outscored its opponents 49-6.

"They're being more patient at the plate — they're swinging at good pitches," Ross said. "It didn't concern me because we were able to make things happen."

The team's dominant pitching staff of Chelsea DuShane, Lindsay Brace and Alexandra Macey have made it easy for the offense. No opponent has scored more than five runs in a game.

"But it was 35-5 that game," Ross said. "We sort of get a good feeling when we can score five runs knowing that our pitching has been that good."

Ross will count primarily on DuShane, a senior, and Brace, a junior, in the state tournament. During the regular season, the two combined to throw 47-plus innings, striking out 106 batters.

DuShane and Brace each have two no-hitters this season and have combined for another.

In the post-season — MVAC and sectional playoffs — Brace has pitched a team-high 17.1 innings, striking out 32 and allowing just three hits and three runs.

Macey, a sophomore, will still play the field — the three rotate between the mound, short stop and second base — and can pitch in a pinch.

She threw just one inning during sectionals so Ross could get the two older hurlers more work.

"I'm sure every team would like to have the pitchers I have," Ross said.

Brace led the team with a .545 batting averaging and is hitting .571 in the postseason with 13 RBI and 10 runs scored.

Ashley Morgan and Ellen Kiely have both had strong postseasons.

Morgan, who batted .282 in the regular season, is hitting .368 with six RBI and six runs scored in the last five games.

Kiely batted just .258 in the regular season. In the playoffs, she is hitting .538 with nine runs scored. She scored 13 runs during the regular season.

"They're peaking at the right time," Ross said. "I couldn't ask for a better time to play the other team."

Heuvelton (17-2), the No. 2 seed in the Section X tournament, rolled over top-seeded Harrisville, 23-11, in the championship game.

Ross said he doesn't know much about the Bulldogs.

"We're just going to go up and play our game," he said.

Email Ryan Hayner at: rhayner@pressrepublican.com

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