Emerald Knights will ride again

Hamilton's loss to Oriskany on Monday in a Section III Class D-1 semifinal was frustrating for Emerald Knights coach Bill Dowsland.

The teams split their Center State Conference Division III games during the regular season but Oriskany got the best of Hamilton in the D-1 final last year, a 4-3 win at Washington Mills Athletic Park.

"I'm tired of losing to Oriskany," Dowsland said after Monday's game.

Dowsland is a competitive coach, but he manages and develops players very well and certainly will have Hamilton contending for sectional titles again soon. Only three players in the lineup for Hamilton on Monday are seniors - Liz Unger, Nicole Beers and Mallory Carhart. The others, including sophomore pitcher Sam Martin, will return.

Junior second baseman Kylie Martin, who did not bat against the Redskins in favor of designated player, made contributions with good defense. Martin started two double plays for Hamilton. In both cases, Martin caught line drives and threw to first to double runners off the bag.