Athens Edges Cowanesque Valley, 2-1, In Eight Innings
By: Tim Birney / May 1, 2026 / Photo: Lance Larcom
ATHENS - Junior Gretchan Hiley was dominant on the mound, and scored the winning run in the eighth inning on a groundout off the bat of freshman Abby DeLosa in a 2-1, walk-off win over Cowanesque Valley here Thursday afternoon in NTL softball action.
"Today was just a well-played ball game," said Athens coach Brian Wendela. "Both pitchers really pitched well and the defense was pretty solid by both teams. Cowanesque (Valley) really came to play some softball and I tip my hat to them.
"We were putting the ball in play and CV just kept making the plays. Sometimes that’s just the way it goes," noted Wendela. "Credit to the girls for sticking with it and grinding out tough win," added Wendela. "It was a great team effort."
With the scored tied at 1-1, Gretchan Hiley pulled a single into left field, and moments later senior Maddie Hiley was hit by a pitch.
Read more on Valley Sports Report.
About the Author
Tim Birney
Tim Birney is the founder / owner of River Road Media Group. He was born and raised in the Valley, graduating from Waverly High School in 1984.
Birney earned an Associate's Degree in Journalism from SUNY Morrisville in 1986 and a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism / Public Relations from Utica College of Syracuse University in 1988. He began his newspaper career at The Daily Review in Towanda in 1989, before moving on to The Evening Times in 1995. He spent more than 10 years at the Times, the last four as Managing Editor.
River Road Media Group includes five sites in "The Sports Reports" family that cover 24 school districts in five counties: Valley Sports Report (launched Aug. 10, 2009), Tioga County (NY) Sports Report (Aug. 13, 2018), and Northern Tier Sports Report (Aug. 31, 2020); Northern Tier West Sports Report (March 15, 2021) Southern Tier Sports Report (Aug. 16, 2021).
