Kieran Coffey
Sun Sports Contributor

MIDDLETOWN – It was a rough weekend for the Chenango County Junior Hellcats, as they went 0-4 at the Middletown Tournament.
The bright side for the Junior Hellcats is that they were pitted against all Senior Legion teams, so the four losses will not count against their overall record.
In the first game of the tournament, the Hellcats faced off against Newburgh Nuclear, falling by a final score of 9-0.
This game was never really much of a contest. The Nuclear jumped out to a four-run lead after just the third inning, and tacked on five more runs in the final inning to cruise to victory.
Offensive woes were the story for the Hellcats in the defeat, as they only managed to muster up just three hits against the Nuclear, coming off the bats of Mike Trevisani, Cody Beckwith and Eli Rodriguez.
Mahusky was lights out on the mound for the Nuclear in the win, pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing just the three hits, and giving up no runs.
 
JH: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0– 0 3 0
NN: 1 2 1 0 0 0 5– 9 10 1
 
In the second game of the tournament, the Junior Hellcats put up a much better offensive performance, collecting seven hits, but were unlucky to fall victim to Orange on a final scoreline of 4-2.
The third inning was the difference in this game, and was the only inning where Hellcats starting pitcher Cody Beckwith struggled. In that inning, he gave all of his four earned runs.
Other than that blemish, Beckwith put in a spectacular performance on the mound, pitching a complete game, allowing just four hits, and one walk, while striking out seven, but he would still come out on the losing end.
To their credit, the Junior Hellcats mounted a comeback in the sixth inning, scoring two runs off the bats of Beckwith, who contributed to his own cause, and Nick Shoemaker, but it wasn’t enough and the Hellcats suffered the defeat.
 
JH: 0 0 0 0 0 2 0– 2 7 1
O: 0 0 4 0 0 0 0– 4 4 1
 
In their third game, the Hellcats were blown away early by a barrage of runs scored by the New Paltz Indians. The Indians would triumph on a final score of 16-5 in a game that only lasted five innings.
Despite putting some runs together, the Indian bats were just too potent for the Hellcats to defend against. They put up three runs in the first, eight runs in the second, and five runs in the third inning on their way to a comfortable victory.
Errors also proved costly in the loss for the Hellcats. After committing just one error in their two previous games, they committed seven against the Indians.
Best in this loss for the Junior Hellcats were Cody Beckwith, who finished two-for-three at the plate on the day, and Eli Rodriguez, who scored two runs, a hit and two stolen bases in the loss. The game was called after five innings, due to the mercy rule.
 
JH: 1 0 1 2 1– 5 6 7
NI: 3 8 5 0 X– 16 10 1
 
In their fourth and final game of the tournament, the Hellcats suffered their fourth consecutive defeat. This time, it was an 11-1 hammering against the Falcons.
This was the worst performance from the Junior Hellcats throughout the entire weekend, as they only notched a single hit during the game, courtesy of Cameron Birtch. The Hellcats also committed eight errors over just four innings.
It was also a tough day on the mound for Nick Shoemaker, who took the loss for the Hellcats. He gave up 11 runs, but only four earned, on six hits over three and a third innings of work.
 
JH: 0 0 0 0 1 X X– 1 1 8
F: 0 7 0 4 X X X– 11 6 1
 
Although they failed to win a game in their weekend tournament, the Junior Hellcats will be hoping to have gained some valuable experience from playing against tougher and older opposition. They will try and rebound with a win against Sidney on Tuesday, June 20. First pitch in that away game is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Sidney.