The first inning was uneventful, but the second got away from the Wallkill softball team as four wild pitches led to six second-inning runs in a 6-2 loss to the Highland Huskies on May 9 at Highland High School.

“The second inning was the game, and it ultimately got away from us,” Wallkill coach Sean Murphy said. “Highland was being pesky and putting the ball in place. That’s a well-coached tough team, and a couple of those things just snuck through a little bit.”

Highland’s Alexa Pavese not only carried a no-hitter into the fourth inning, but she also got the hit that started Highland’s second inning.

Wallkill pitcher Kaylee DeGroat had trouble finding the catcher’s mitt, as the first wild pitched sent courtesy runner Adrienne Post to second base and then she came around to score on DeGroat’s second wild pitch. Delaney Reid singled and then courtesy runner Marissa Incorvaia scored on another wild pitch. Abby Paserba then walked and scored on another wild pitch.

“The big thing was the lack of control of the strike zone, and once we put that many runners on, it’s only a matter of time before the other team is going to take advantage of it,” Murphy said. “They did a great job. It could have been more too, but at least we were able to cut one or two of them down at the plate as the game when ton.”

The Panthers managed to cut off a run when Marissa Anzelone was cut down on at home on a fielder’s choice for the second out of the inning and RBI singles by Mackenzie Brooker, and Violet Brienza led to three more Highland runs for a 6-0 lead.

DeGroat allowed all six runs on five hits in the second inning. It was the only inning in which she allowed a hit, even though a runner reached base in every inning.

“(Kaylee’s) been throwing the ball better as the year’s gone on,” Murphy said.

“Kaylee’s one thing is throwing strikes consistently, and when she throws strikes, she’s a really tough to hit. The kid throws hard. She’s long and the ball just explodes out of her hand. She can throw a few decent pitches with spin, too.”

The Panthers got a run in the fourth on an RBI single by Alison Robles, and tried for one more, but Mia Ferrante was thrown out at the plate for the third out of the inning. The Panthers scored another run in the sixth inning on Gabriella Faia’s RBI single.

The Panthers’ finished their league schedule on Wednesday and Thursday with losses to the FDR Presidents (7-2) and the New Paltz Huguenots (3-2), but it was their 11-9 win over Saugerties on May 1 that clinched the Panthers’ first goal: to make the Section 9 Class A playoffs for the first time since 2017.

“The seniors were in sixth grade the last time that this team was a playoff team, so you could see the excitement on the kids in the program,” Murphy said. “It’s a big thing for us, and it’s one of those things that you take for granted that you think you’re just going to make it every year, and then we don’t for a little while. It makes it that much sweeter.”