Saturday Sectionals: Southwick-Powers holds No. 13 A-A to 4 hits, bats come alive in No. 4 GV/Belfast’s 1st round triumph; Fillmore softball, C-R baseball, softball all record upset wins
By CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
BELFAST — No. 4 Genesee Valley/Belfast brought the offensive firepower to the table Saturday night and unleashed fury to open up their run through the Class D bracket.
To begin, they started white hot with one complete revolution around the batting order, and then some, posting a seven-run opening frame against No. 13 Alfred-Almond that they never looked back in the rearview mirror from, as they coasted to a 17-2 first round win at the Rich Sullivan Complex in Belfast.
“I thought the girls mentally showed up right from the get-go,” GV/Belfast coach Mark Sullivan said. “It starts with Hannah (Southwick-Powers) and everything behind her moves quickly after that. They fielded the plays, they hit the ball hard. The warmer it is outside, especially on a day like today, Hannah manages to stay really loose and that allowed her to really shove it into the strike-zone. As a team collectively, they all pitched in to get this first Sectional win under our belts.”
Genesee Valley/Belfast (12-5-1) didn’t waste any time whatsoever to get on the board when the opportunity presented itself, as they utilized a complete rotation through their batting order to construct and generate a seven-run bottom of the first, powered up first by Jenna Hill’s strike into deep center field and then concluding with a two-run single from Hannah Southwick-Powers.
Following another complete 1-2-3 rapid fire inning from Southwick-Powers in the circle, the momentum remained heavily in Genesee Valley/Belfast’s favor, as the bats reignited again in the second with five additional runs to post. Taking direction of the offense was Hill, launching a bases-clearing double to the center field fence to break down the floodgates even further.
The lead would remain firmly intact, despite Alfred-Almond navigating their way onto the board with their two lone runs in the top of the fourth inning, as Genesee Valley/Belfast claimed a spot in the Quarterfinal round after the weekend with a powerful start to their Sectional journey.
In all, the No. 4 seeds posted 17 runs off 14 hits at the plate, with five different hitters all recording at least a pair hits. Morgan Yackeren propelled the offense with three of those hits, while Southwick-Powers, Hill, Sondra Guilford and Maddie Tarar all had two hits each to add in.
On the mound, Southwick-Powers would hold the Lady Eagles to just four hits, fanning 11 to score the victory.
For Alfred-Almond, Taylor Flaitz led the bats with two of the team’s four hits.
Genesee Valley/Belfast will be right back at the Rich Sullivan Complex on Tuesday to host their Class D Quarterfinal contest, as they prepare to face No. 12 Arkport-Canaseraga, who scored a major upset of No. 5 Lyndonville earlier in the day to claim their spot in the next round themselves.
First pitch for the battle is yet to be determined.
Alfred-Almond 000 200 – 2 4
Genesee Valley/Belfast 751 022 – 17 14
A-A – Olivia Flaitz (LP) (CG, K, 14BB) and Alexis Kuhn.
GVB – Hannah Southwick-Powers (WP) (CG, 11K) and Jenna Hill.
More stories after Chris Brooks photo gallery:
No. 3 Friendship/Scio 8, No. 14 Lima Christian 1
SCIO — The quest to return to New York City next month has officially commenced for defending Class D State Finalist Friendship/Scio, Saturday morning.
Level playing ground was created smack dab in the first three innings of play, as Lima Christian and Friendship/Scio traded back-and-forth barbs without any ice-breaking to be had. But even though the Lady Saints were the first to strike, the response that the No. 3 seeds had in return was even greater, as they followed up with eight straight scores to create a cushion that was never relinquished, cementing a Class D Quarterfinal berth with an 8-1 victory in Scio.
In the midst of both teams and their exchange of three straight scoreless innings, Nevaeh Ross was at the top of her game right away, striking out eight of her first 10 batters to keep the Lady Saints idle at the plate.
After their first run came home to take the lead over Friendship/Scio (16-3), the hosts battled right back with offense of their own, scratching across the next eight runs beginning in the bottom of the fourth with the first of two three-run stanzas.
Friendship/Scio added three more runs to their lead in the fifth, and then two more in the sixth to complete their first round victory behind an eight-hit outing, while Ross held Lima Christian to just one across the seven inning battle, fanning 17 and walking just one.
As for the hosts, Morghyn Ross, Avery Lamberson and Kadence Sadler each had two hits to muster, while Nora Thompson had a hit and drove in a pair of runs.
Tuesday night, Friendship/Scio will now get set to battle No. 11 Fillmore, who upset No. 6 Northstar Christian by a 17-3 count on the road later in the afternoon, in the Class D Quarterfinal round in Scio beginning at a time yet to be determined.
Lima Christian 000 100 0 – 1 1 1
Friendship/Scio 000 332 X – 8 8 1
LC – Danielle Delibert (LP) (CG, 3K, 2BB) and Abby Dils.
F/S – Nevaeh Ross (WP) (CG, 17K, BB) and Morghyn Ross.
No. 11 Fillmore 17, No. 6 Northstar 4
ROCHESTER — The Lady Eagles of Fillmore had absolutely everything working in their favor from start to finish on Saturday.
In their opening round battle in the Class D bracket, the No. 11 seeds mixed together the ingredients required to pull off a stunning upset over the road against No. 6 Northstar, despite the inclement conditions, as they throttled past the host Lady Black Knights with a 17-4 victory.
“We were active on the bases. We put the ball in play and we did a lot of damage with two outs against us,” said Lady Eagles coach Jon Beardsley. “The field conditions with the rain made it really tough for us at times, but we still managed to play some incredibly sound defense, turning two double plays and committing just one error. That’s a great start for us to have, with another big test waiting on the other side after the weekend.”
Out of the 13 total hits that the Lady Eagles (10-9) formulated on offense, six different hitters all posted a pair of hits each to start a scoring spree that saw the No. 11 seeds account for at least a run in each of the first six innings of play.
Paving the path forward towards the offensive jamboree was Oakley Frazier, who went 2-for-3 with four total RBI. Delaney Hillman followed with two hits of her own, including a double, driving in three more runs.
Furthering the cause even more for Fillmore were Preslee and Tenlee Miller, as the sisters each had two hits and two RBI. Mattie McCumiskey pitched in with a pair of hits and an RBI, while Kylee Ellsworth rounded off with two hits and three runs scored.
On the mound, the win was Mylee Miller’s to collect across a five-hit complete game against Northstar, as she struck out five and walked seven to help secure their spot in next round after the team went on to start the first round battle with the Lady Black Knights with an 8-0 lead through the first three innings, never looking back from that point on.
On Tuesday, the Lady Eagles will now prepare for a colossal Class D Quarterfinal contest against No. 3 Friendship/Scio, with first pitch still yet to be determined in Scio.
The two teams last met just over a week ago in Scio during regular season play, when Friendship/Scio held on to edge the Lady Eagles by a 3-2 count.
Fillmore 413 522 0 – 17 13 1
Northstar 000 300 1 – 4 5 5
FIL – Mylee Miller (WP) (CG, 5K, 7BB) and Oakley Frazier.
NC – Lola Rivera (LP) (CG, 5K, 7BB) and Aprell Davis.
Class B First Round
No. 2 Wellsville 23, No. 15 Marcus Whitman 0 (F-5)
WELLSVILLE — The rain came down overnight, and there was some work to be done on historic Tullar Field bright and early Saturday morning.
With the heroic aid of groundskeepers Nick Viglietta and Greg Wesche, the No. 2 Lady Lions of Wellsville were able to start their second season journey back to where they left off last year without a hitch, as they accounted for at least three runs in each of the first four innings underneath the clear and sunny skies later on in the morning, setting the tone immediately with what morphed into a 23-0 shutout against No. 15 Marcus Whitman.
“Shoutout to both Nick and Greg for helping us get the field ready to go for us. They got the baseball field ready for the boys last night, and they were down here this morning doing another great job for us here,” said Lady Lions co-coach Shelley Chaffee. “This is the second season, and we can’t take anything for granted. The girls were patient in the box, but when they saw a pitch they wanted, they got a hold of it. That, along with Makenna’s control in the circle, it all worked really well today.”
To go along with their capitalization of 12 walks issued by Marcus Whitman, the Lady Lions (17-1) had a field day at the plate, assembling 23 runs off 11 hits, with four different hitters recording at least a pair to help lead the charge. With the tone being set following an 11-run bottom of the third, Makenna Dunbar would maintain control in the circle in return, shelling out a no-hit performance behind 13 strikeouts and two walks.
As for the bats, Ayla Faulkner captained the efforts with a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, including two doubles, and driving in four runs. Lindsay Stuck chipped in with two hits of her own, also including a double, and four more RBI. Brazen Beckwith and Sawyer Burke each had two hits and two RBI, while Lexi Irish recorded her first career Varsity hit — a double, and two RBI.
Wellsville will make their return to Tullar Field once again for Class B Quarterfinal action, as they prepare to face No. 7 Wayland-Cohocton on Tuesday at a first pitch time yet to be determined.
Marcus Whitman 00 0 00 – 0 0 0
Wellsville 34(11) 5X – 23 11 0
MW – Ella Yerkes (LP) (2K, 8BB), Jill Gross (5) (4BB) and Madison Kinner, Cecilia Conley (4).
WLSV – Makenna Dunbar (WP) (CG, 13K, 2BB) and Lindsay Stuck, Emily Stuck (4).
Class C2 First Round
No. 9 Cuba-Rushford 11, No. 8 Kendall 9
KENDALL — Early Saturday morning, an all-out offensive maylay broke loose in Kendall.
Many back and forth punches were thrown, with the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford forcing the lead away from the host Lady Eagles twice. The first occasion right in the opening sequences, as they grabbed as large of a lead as five runs along the way.
After Kendall brought it right back to the Lady Rebels in the fourth inning, the No. 9 seeds needed a game-changer.
That’s where Jordyn Radomski came into play.
Coming into the game in a service of relief, the Cuba-Rushford sophomore was beyond extraordinary, as she froze the Lady Eagles offense completely solid with three shutout innings to finish the game. In the midst of it all, the offense was able to find one more burst of momentum with the last four runs on the scoreboard to reclaim the lead for themselves, holding onto what was an 11-9 victory to score the upset in the opening round of Class C2 Sectional play.
“Jordyn came in and shut them down with some great defensive plays and two line drives right back to her in the circle,” said Lady Rebels coach Mary Keesler. “We started out a little impatient in the box, but we finally started to settle down and began to make some good, solid contact along with working some walks. We showed some big growth today in being able to fight back not once, but twice for the win.”
Building off of back-to-back 1-2-3 innings on defense to commence the festivities, Kendall was able to transition that early momentum burst to their presence at the plate, as they scored an early 2-0 lead on Cuba-Rushford (7-7-1).
But the Lady Rebels shook it off and witnessed their bats come alive in the third inning, doubling up Kendall with a four-run frame propelled by a two-run double off the bat of Arlah Shaffer, along with back-to-back RBI from both Sydney Howard and Jordyn Radomski.
With their first lead in their possession, Kendall began to chip away with another run in the third, only for it to become branched out once again in the fourth, as the Lady Rebels pushed across three additional scores to take a 7-3 lead — all generated by another humongous two-run strike, this time, a triple off the bat of Mireya Rutkowski.
Like the early strikes in the first three innings of play, Kendall would not let down, as they posted a six-run jamboree to reclaim a 9-7 lead of the Lady Rebels, as their defensive battery of Danielle Offhaus and Brooke Rodas each posted a two-run hit from within the frame to electrify the next lead change between the two squads.
But after a call to the mound to Radomski in the fifth inning, Cuba-Rushford helped Kendall exit stage right with three straight shutout innings of relief, holding the Lady Eagles to just three more hits along the way.
That would permit the No. 9 seeds to provide the final lead change, plating four runs in the last two innings of play behind key special teams activity around the bases to shut the Lady Eagles down for good.
Cuba-Rushford totaled their 11 runs off six hits, with Katelyn Radomski scoring a pair, including a double, and scoring three runs. Aubrey Quinn and Gianna Loiacono each had a hit to chip in.
On the mound, the win belonged to Jordyn Radomski, who fanned three. Prior to her relief appearance, Sydney Howard went the first four innings behind five strikeouts and four walks.
Next up, the Class C2 Quarterfinal round awaits the Lady Rebels come Monday night, as they prepare to take on top-seeded Dundee/Bradford at a first pitch time yet to be determined.
Cuba-Rushford 004 302 2 – 11 6 3
Kendall 1 1 1 600 0 – 9 10 4
C-R – Sydney Howard (5K, 4BB), Jordyn Radomski (WP, 5) (3K) and Arlah Shaffer.
KEN – Danielle Offhaus (LP) (CG, 2K, 9BB) and Brooke Rodas.
BASEBALL
Class C2 First Round
No. 9 Cuba-Rushford 5, No. 8 Clyde-Savannah 1
CLYDE — In the midst of the offense assembling a strong performance at the plate, the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford used an absolutely dominant outing from Eli Sleggs on the mound as the adhesive to keep what was a brilliant first round performance together on Saturday over the road, as the No. 9 seeds went on to record the big upset against No. 8 Clyde-Savannah by a 5-1 count.
“Eli was in complete control today. 12 strikeouts and one unearned run. He also had a good day at the plate to help us get started early,” Rebels coach Pat Wight said. “Dean (Frank) also gave us a battle at the plate too with a couple of key plays to help extend our lead, and then we saw more come across in the seventh to solidify the lead. We played pretty solid baseball, and Braxton Clark was solid behind the plate throwing out two base runners as well. I was really happy and pleased with our effort and focus.”
Alongside a strong start on the mound from Sleggs, with two of the three outs off strikeouts, the momentum shifted to the plate during Cuba-Rushford’s (10-8) first stand, as he provided a big bat to propel his own cause with a game-opening two-run single.
The lead would remain intact across the next three scoreless innings when the two teams kept the fast pace moving behind quick stints on defense.
Then, the host Golden Eagles applied the pressure late against the Rebels with a big run scoring off an error in the field to cut their deficit directly in half. But it was the only run they would collect, as the visitors in gray and blue assumed control one more time to score the game’s last three runs — the first off a gargantuan RBI into the field from Dean Frank in the top of the sixth, scoring Sleggs, who blasted a one-out triple into right field.
Cuba-Rushford would go on to use special teams after accounting for three straight hits from Tanner Lewis, Landen Schappacher and Braeden Wight to load the bases immediately in the top of the seventh, scoring their last two runs in the same swing while Sleggs used his arm one final time to record three big strikeouts of Clyde-Savannah to close out the spectacular performance to open up Sectionals.
The Rebels amassed five runs off nine hits at the plate, with Sleggs and Tanner Lewis each posting two to lead the bats. Finn Ricketts posted a double and drove in a run, while Schappacher and Frank had their RBIs to chip in.
But the day was ruled by Sleggs from start to finish, as he went the distance on the mound to hold Clyde-Savannah to two hits, fanning 12 and walking three.
Up next, the Class C2 Quarterfinal round on Tuesday, as the Rebels now get set to square off with their arch nemesis — top-seeded Bolivar-Richburg for a third and final time this season, at a time to be determined.
Cuba-Rushford 200 001 2 – 5 9 2
Clyde-Savannah 000 010 0 – 1 2 1
C-R – Eli Sleggs (WP) (CG, 12K, 3BB) and Braxton Clark.
C-S – Jackson Barr (LP) (CG, 3K, 2BB) and Derek Cole.
No. 1 Bolivar-Richburg 14, No. 16 Keshequa 1
BOLIVAR — All the top-seeded Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg needed was the first inning to make all the noise they wanted to start their Sectional journey on Saturday, as they cemented their advantage on the scoreboard right away against No. 16 Keshequa to roll their way towards a Class C2 Quarterfinal round berth with a 14-1 victory.
The tone was set at an instant by the Wolverines (19-2), as they utilized every form of offense they could muster against Keshequa to provide eight of their 14 runs right in the first inning of play.
The bats provided eight hits in all at the plate, with Aydin Sisson and Tavyn MacDonell both leading the way with two each, with Sisson garnering a triple and two runs scored, while MacDonell had a double and drove in two runs.
Trey Buchholz helped further the team’s cause with two more RBI.
On the mound, the ball was given to Caden Allen and with it, came a complete game triumph, as he went all seven innings to hand out seven chairs and walk three, holding Keshequa to just five hits along the way.
Coming up on Tuesday, a third and final clash with a longtime rival — No. 9 Cuba-Rushford, who defeated No. 8 Clyde-Savannah in upset fashion over the road later in the day to claim their spot in the Class C2 Quarterfinal round.
First pitch time between the Rebels and Wolverines is yet to be determined.
Keshequa 010 000 0 – 1 5 5
Bolivar-Richburg 801 203 X – 14 8 0
KES – Aiden Upright (LP) (4BB), Nolan Therrien (1) (2K) and Owen Pike.
B-R – Caden Allen (WP) (CG, 7K, 3BB) and Aydin Sisson.
