A seven-run sixth inning turned a tight contest into a rout as the Cornwall Dragons defeated the Kingston Tigers 9-1 Friday to improve to 5-4 on the season.

The game was scoreless through two innings before Cornwall broke through in the third, and Kingston never recovered from the Dragons’ late offensive explosion.

Freshman pitcher Molly Violetti held Kingston in check throughout, recording key strikeouts and quick throws to first base that erased runners early in the game.

“Molly has definitely stepped up in the circle,” Cornwall head coach Kelsey Hand said. “She is young and was with us last year as an eighth grader. I think her confidence makes her exceed that much more throughout the game.”

Eighth grader Kathryn Breheny broke the scoreless tie in the third inning with an RBI double, scoring Maddie Ferraro and Breheny herself before the inning ended on a baserunning gamble by Alana Hayes.

Kingston starter Isabella Turzik had been dominant through the game’s first two innings, striking out four batters before Breheny’s hit ended her run.

First baseman Kayla Slattery anchored the defense throughout, including an acrobatic play in the fifth inning where she tagged a runner while lunging to catch an errant throw without lifting her foot from the bag.

The Dragons broke the game open in the sixth. Ferraro drove in Slattery to start the rally, and Hayes capped the inning with a two-run groundball single that extended the lead to 9-0.

“Especially because there were two outs in that instance, it was great to keep the momentum going,” Hayes said. “It was a long and great team inning.”

Cornwall’s outfield played an error-free game, and the Dragons held Kingston below second base for much of the afternoon. Kingston’s lone run scored in the seventh.

In the final inning, third baseman Allyson Fanning threw across the diamond to record one of the game’s more memorable outs before the Dragons closed out the victory.
Hand credited an emphasis on mental toughness for the team’s composure.

“That is an inning that we’ve been waiting for a long time,” she said. “A breakout inning like that takes the pressure off our defense and our pitchers.”