Cohoes freshman pitcher Courtney Dayter (shown above pitching against Mechanicville earlier this season) was spectacular in her varsity postseason debut Wednesday afternoon against Greenville. (Photo by Mike McMahon - The Record)

Dayter struck out 14 and allowed only three hits in a 2-0 victory for the Tigers, who are in pursuit of their third straight Section II Class B title.

The Greenville batters were waaaaay behind on her fastball, starting their swings when the ball was already in freshman catcher's Courtney Gumprecht's glove.

"Every game she has gotten stronger and stronger," Cohoes head coach Frank Ryan said. "She really has been pitching well and the kids have really come to like her after having Courtney Galuksi for two years. She’ll only get better."

No. 9 seed Cohoes earns a threematch with Colonial Council champion Mechanicville, the defending New York State Class C champion. (The Red Raiders won the first two games this year). The Tigers know it is a tall task, but all of the work they put in this season, especially in the tough non-league games Ryan schedules against Suburban Council teams, has helped them prepare for the win-or-go-home situations they face in the postseason.

"We’ll just go out like it’s another game," Dayter said. "We know what is out there and that helps us stay focused and try hard to win and get better."

Click here for the updated Section II (two, 2) softball sectionals playoff brackets.


Click here for the Section II (two, 2) baseball sectionals playoff brackets.

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On a side note, I'm not sure how legal it was for the Section II softball committee to lift pictures from the websites of local newspapers for their program, but it looked pretty nice and has plenty of information.

Also, I'm also not sure what happened with the Section II Most Valuable Players chart because a few classes and positions are wrong. Troy's Shannon Jones should be listed as a senior shortstop, not a junior center fielder.

Perhaps a suggestion for future editions - the Section II pitching records chart should list the graduation years of the pitchers so we know when they played.