On Tuesday, Anderson felt the pressure as much as ever, on the other side of the scoreboard, down by a run through four innings against Falconer.

In what was her final game in Mayville regardless of the result, Anderson came through with her bat, then finished it off with her arm, to lead her top-seeded Thunderbirds past No. 4 Falconer, 8-1, in a Section VI Class C1 semifinal.

“I knew this would be a tough test,” Chautauqua Lake c

oach Sue Teets said. “They’re up and coming, and it’s hard to beat a team three times in a season.”

Chautauqua Lake scored eight runs on 10 hits over its final two trips to the plate to down the Golden Falcons and keep its playoff run alive for at least another game.

Falconer’s Nicole Youngberg tags out Chautauqua Lake’s Cianna Braymiller during Tuesday’s Section VI Class C1 semifinal in Mayville.

“I did feel extra pressure, because I did feel like that could have been my last game,” Anderson said. “I think it really helped me, because my best games come when I’m under pressure.”

“We knew we had to play flawless to hang with them,” Falconer coach Mike Youngberg said. “We knew to get any recognition, we would have to hang right there with them. We felt like we could, and we did for two-thirds of the game, just not the whole game.”

Anderson said after the Dunkirk game earlier in the year that it usually takes her team until the fifth inning to get the bats going. On Tuesday, she could not have been more right. With just two hits through the fourth inning, Chautauqua Lake struck in the fifth with three runs on four hits.

“I think we realized, down 1-0 in a playoff game, this could possibly be the last game for all five seniors here,” Anderson said. “We needed to win, and the fifth inning is typically when we realize that. I wish it was sooner, but that’s typically when we figure it out.”

After a leadoff single by Megan Fischer, the Thunderbirds had two runners on base and two outs when Katelyn Fardink came to the plate. One of the five senior starters for Chautauqua Lake, Fardink drilled a two-out RBI double to right-center field to tie the game at 1. Anderson followed with a single to right field to score a pair and give the hosts the lead for good. Cianna Braymiller followed with a single for the fourth hit in the inning before the frame came to a close.

“I had a really far foul ball before that, so I felt a good hit coming,” Anderson said. “Their defense was pretty far back so I just tried to pop it in and luckily it went right over (the fielder’s) glove.”

Once Anderson had the lead, it was going to be tough enough for Falconer to rally. That hill got a whole lot steeper in the bottom of the sixth inning, as the Thunderbirds poured on five more runs on the strength of six hits in the inning. After a leadoff single by Lily Studley for her second hit of the game, Fischer beat out a bunt for a hit. Then, eighth-grade jayvee call-up Jenna Waters delivered the knockout blow, with a two-run double to extend the lead to 5-1 in favor of the defending state champions.

“That was awesome,” Teets said. “She was a part of our state run last year, but she didn’t hit last year — we hit (Fischer) for her. … I was so happy for her.”

Chadelynn Johnson added an RBI single down the third-base line and Kendra Keyser joined in on the fun with a two-run single to make it 8-1.

“I felt a little comfortable then — just a little,” Teets joked.

Anderson did the rest, striking out a pair in a shutout seventh inning to earn the complete-game win. She finished with 11 strikeouts while allowing six hits and no walks.

“Liv (Anderson) was bringing it,” Teets said. “Once she gets that lead, she starts to bring it.”

For Falconer, some solace can be found in holding a lead on the defending state champions on the road, against a 2018 Class C Player of the Year. Claudia Russell’s RBI single on a sinking line drive gave the Golden Falcons the 1-0 lead.

“We definitely have a bright future,” Youngberg said. “We only have two seniors on the team, and if everybody else comes back out next year and works as hard as they did this year, we’ll be in good shape.”

The Thunderbirds now advance to the Class C1 final on Thursday at St. Bonaventure University, against No. 2 Portville. Tuesday, however, was a fitting way for all five Chautauqua Lake seniors to end their home softball careers, with a hard-fought victory.

“I’m so, so grateful to have played here,” Anderson said. “This is where my favorite memories have been. I’ve had such an amazing experience. … That was an amazing last game.”

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)

• Daily Newsletter
• Breaking News
• Obituaries

Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

• Yes
• No