Colonie's run ends in quarterfinals

East Syracuse

After Lindsey Dobbs swung and missed at a pitch to end Friday's Class AA state quarterfinal softball game at Carrier Field, the Colonie junior sunk to her knees feeling despair, disappointment and the immediacy of knowing the season had concluded.

Dobbs was not alone for long. Senior center fielder Ciana Phillips headed toward the plate to console her teammate, just as the entire Cicero-North Syracuse roster swarmed senior pitcher Ariana Corasaniti inside the circle to celebrate the Northstars' 6-4 come-from-behind victory. Phillips picked Dobbs off the ground and wrapped both arms around her and squeezed tight.

"So many people doubted us this year. I am sure no one thought we would get here, yet we did and I could not be more proud," Phillips said. "Honestly, overall, this was just such a great year. ... We have developed such a different bond this year. Everything throughout sectionals just clicked."

"It was fantastic for us just to play in this game," Colonie senior third baseman Myaisha Kelly said.

Colonie, a squad that resurrected itself from a midseason slide where the Garnet Raiders lost five of seven games to fall to 7-7 overall, appeared poised to extend the season into the final week at Moreau Rec for the Class AA state final four for the first time in school history after pounding out seven hits and scoring four runs to grab a 4-1 advantage in the top of the second.

But the Northstars, a program predicated on execution, small-ball and a willingness to give up outs for runs at key junctures, rallied for the final five runs of the game to snap a nine-game winning streak by Colonie (16-8).

"We certainly got hot when we needed to," Colonie coach Sean Merchant said. "I could not be more proud of what we have done."

And the Garnet Raiders certainly...