Stories and photos by CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
WELLSVILLE — What a Friday night ubiquity it was for Wellsville to host a couple of champions in town, with the Lions occupying both fields of dreams for two marquee matchups of their campaign.
On one end of town, the baseball team looked to remain red hot at the top of Class B, being pitted in a titanic showdown against defending State Finalist Palmyra-Macedon. Then, a quick drive down and into the business district, the Lady Lions were back at it with the second of a three-game homestand, this one of monumental stature, as they collided with Section VI power Iroquois in a rematch of last season’s Far West Regional at Webster Schroeder.
Leading off were the Lions on the baseball diamond, as they used an unbelievable opening sequence on defense that needed just under 10 pitches from Aiden Cowburn to work their way off. In return for their first approach at the plate, the momentum came with it, as they went on to score six unanswered runs against the visiting Red Raiders — three of them right from the get-go, setting tone in the process, as they came away with a massive 10-2 home win over the Class B State Finalists from a year ago.
“It’s been our M.O. the last couple of weeks. We jump on teams early and it fuels the fire right away,” Lions coach Tom Delahunt said. “It makes it easier for our pitchers to pitch with the lead. Aiden was solid tonight, five shutout innings and he hadn’t pitched for over a week before this game. The way he started tonight, he breezed through it to gain some big confidence. It’s nice to beat a team like Pal-Mac, especially given the success they’ve had in the most recent of years. To get them on our schedule and win against them, an A school, to keep things going is huge.”
In a game of this caliber, the Lions (12-1) needed every big play possible to keep Palmyra-Macedon on their feet. Right out of the gate, they orchestrated a 1-2-3 of the Red Raiders that witnessed seven pitches being thrown by Cowburn, as well as a dynamic catch over the fence in foul territory by first baseman Karson Grover.
The burst of energy that came with the strong tenure of defense would translate to the bats, where they struck while the iron was hot with three big runs — all scored by the first three hitters of the game: Cowburn, Ty Vogel and Alex Green.
Vogel would break the ice on a double down the left field line to plate Cowburn before working home himself off of Matt Ritter’s sacrifice into the right center field gap. Green would score the third and final run of the frame on a wild pitch behind the plate.
Cowburn would continue to deal despite Palmyra-Macedon recording a couple of hits along the way, setting up an early threat against the Lions in the second with a pair of runners on. But the defense would shine through once more on a brilliant catch by Vogel on the run in shallow left field from short to leave both men on.
After Trenton Green added some more fuel to Wellsville’s fire at the plate with a two-out RBI triple to deep center field, the scoring would come to a halt across a fourth inning that would serve as a potential turning point for the Lions on defense. With a shot being ripped over the head of Matt Ritter in deep right field, Vogel raced to serve as his cut-off with the Palmyra-Macedon running rounding the bags.
With the runner making a break for third base, Vogel turned around and fired an absolute rocket straight to Trenton Green with more than enough time to apply the tag, recording the out to keep the Red Raiders offense frozen for a fourth consecutive inning.
The play was something Delahunt had never seen before.
“Defensively, we had a couple of errors, but we had some web gems,” he said. “With Cooper (Brockway) away at the robotics competition, we moved Trenton to third and he looks like he’s been playing there all season with some phenomenal catches. One by the dugout in front of me and then a snare by the left field line. I’ve been around baseball a long time, but I don’t think I’ve seen a relay throw like Tyler’s. It was something you’d see straight out of the MLB and maybe even on ESPN. It was right on the bag, and it was a bang-bang play. It was unbelievable, and that’s the only word I could use to describe that. It turned the game in our favor for the rest of the game.”
In between Wellsville’s final six runs of the game, Palmyra-Macedon would ultimately snap the game-long shutout on the board, capitalizing on a throwing error into left field to go with an RBI double from JB Conklin to cut the deficit to four. But it would be as close as the Red Raiders would get, as the Lions put a bow on the victory with a four-run bottom of the sixth inning off five hits, with two bombs to the base of the outfield fence delivered by Vogel and Ritter leading the way.
In all, the Lions accumulated 10 runs off 10 hits, with Vogel, Trenton and Alex Green each recording a pair, with Alex Green scoring three runs in the process.
On the mound, Cowburn was awarded the win with five strikeouts and two walks. Coming up on Monday, Wellsville will host their Senior Night celebration with the Hornell Red Raiders in town for a 5 p.m. visit to the Lion’s Den.
As for the softball team, Wellsville was able to secure 7-4 win.
Pal-Mac 000 002 0 – 2 7 1
Wellsville 301 024 X – 10 10 2
P-M – Camron Quick (LP) (4K, BB), Anthony Porpora (4) (K, 3BB), Shane Meier (6), Brayden Leo (7) (K, 2BB) and Porpora, Ryan Caffyn (4).
WLSV – Aiden Cowburn (WP) (5K, 2BB), Trenton Green (6) (3K, 2BB) and Alex Green.
SATURDAY
Genesee Valley/Belfast 25, Northeast 0 (F-5)
BELFAST — The weather outside was not perfect by any means Saturday afternoon, but Genesee Valley/Belfast most certainly was at the Rich Sullivan Complex in Belfast, as they engulfed their bats with flames for a 17-hit outburst against visiting Northeast while the duo of Ryan Daciw and Ben Cater held the fort down on defense to deliver a perfect game across five innings of play in their 25-0 victory.
“We were pretty lucky and definitely blessed to have been able to get this game in with the window of opportunity that we had this afternoon,” said GV/Belfast coach Dennis Miles. “Those two combined to record a perfect game for us, and that’s something you don’t really see happen a lot down here, no matter how good or quality the other team is. It’s a hard feat to achieve.”
Genesee Valley/Belfast’s hits were unstoppable, making their impact known immediately in the first of two nine-run frames the offense would produce, setting the tone in the opening frame before a Matt Cater grand slam in the bottom of the third inning started the final nine-run eruption. In all, they would total 17 hits against Northeast, with Cater’s 4-for-5 outing at the plate leading the way, totaling six RBI and five runs scored.
Providing more aid, Evan Turybury went 3-for-5 with two RBI, while Owen Heaney and Kyle McCumiskey each had two hits to chip in. On the mound, Ryan Daciw and Ben Cater combined to deliver a perfect defensive effort, as both hurlers handed out six chairs during their respective tenures, with Daciw being awarded the win in his start.
Genesee Valley/Belfast will look to get to the 10-win mark on Wednesday back on the road, visiting the Alfred-Almond Eagles in a 5:30 p.m. first pitch.
Northeast 000 00 – 0 0 3
Genesee Valley/Belfast 919 6X – 25 17 0
NE – Jaciel Saiz (LP) (2BB), Octavio Figuero (3) (2K, 2BB) and Josh Velesques.
GVB – Ryan Daciw (WP) (6K), Ben Cater (4) (6K) and Evan Turybury.
Scio Tournament
Alfred-Almond 5, Andover/Whitesville 4 (F-5)
SCIO — Amidst the pouring rain in Scio on Saturday, Alfred-Almond and Andover/Whitesville rode out the storm in their opening round contest of Scio’s Midseason Tournament until the conditions were no longer playable after five complete innings.
There was even playing ground through the beginning stages between both teams, but an opening was created by Andover/Whitesville going into the fourth, where they would hold the game’s largest lead. But then the Eagles pulled some late magic out of the hat, scoring the final four runs in consecutive fashion to pull ahead with a 5-4 advantage before weather immediately halted play to mark the official end to the contest.
After both teams traded a run across the first inning, followed by a scoreless stand of defense in the next frame, Andover/Whitesville (1-7) went on to score three straight runs to break the deadlock — two of them in the top of the third, set up by a ground-rule double for Colton Calladine with two runners on. Vinny Joyce added to the lead with a sacrifice fly a short time later, plating Calladine.
Alfred-Almond would cut the deficit down to a single run after the fourth inning with a pair of runs, but then diverted their attention to clutch small ball, with Nathan Munson and Brogan Donlan each laying down a bunt to get on base. With the pistons firing, the Eagles posted two go-ahead runs — one of them off an RBI single to take the lead away for good.
Andover/Whitesville would finish with four runs off three hits on offense. On the mound, Colton Calladine went all five innings with six strikeouts and three walks.
Up next, Andover/Whitesville will get set for a 5 p.m. visit to Scio to take on host Friendship/Scio, Tuesday night.
Andover/Whitesville 102 10 – 4 3 2
Alfred-Almond 100 22 – 5 7 0
A/W – Jonas Lockner (WP) (CG, 10K, 4BB) and Nathan Munson.
A-A – Colton Calladine (LP) (CG, 6K, 3BB) and Jake Mattison.
B-R cruises, C-R downed by Otto-Eldred in Tourney twinbill
BOLIVAR — It was that time again for Tournament action in Bolivar, Friday night.
Both Cuba-Rushford and the host Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg would have their shot at taking on their visiting opposition from below the border not far from town — the Otto-Eldred Terrors.
When it was all said and done, the book closed on a split of both games between the two local prospects, as Otto-Eldred delivered a phenomenal performance out of the gate to defeat the Rebels, while the Wolverines countered with a six-inning victory to hold the Terrors in check across the board under the lights.
In game one, Cuba-Rushford’s Finn Ricketts and Otto-Eldred’s Zach Schuessler came together in an early pitcher’s duel that saw them exchange four shutout innings out of the seven in action, including the first two, allowing just one combined hit along the way. The wheels turned in motion on special teams for the Rebels (4-4) with their only run of the game in the top of the third from Landen Schappacher, who used some key baserunning to break the ice.
Otto-Eldred multiplied their response to the Rebels however, as they jumped ahead and set the tone for the rest of the game with a four-run bottom half of their own, led by an RBI single for the next three runs that accounted for some key baserunning of their own. After two more scoreless innings were exchanged between the defenses, the Terrors would cement their victory for good with two more runs in the sixth inning.
“All the credit goes to Otto-Eldred’s pitcher and their defense. They were great tonight,” said Rebels coach Pat Wight. “We had some decent at-bats and we hit the ball hard, but we just couldn’t find an open space in the field. Finn pitched well and we had some pretty solid defense behind him. We just couldn’t find a rhythm with our bats.”
The Rebels were held hitless by the Terrors, as Schuessler outdueled Ricketts with an eight-strikeout, two-walk gem on the hill. Ricketts would finish with six strikeouts and three walks of his own in his complete game twirl.
To finish off the night, it was the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg’s turn. With it, they made the most out of it behind a solid start from Caden Allen and a 15-hit display of offense that propelled their ninth win of the campaign, rolling towards an 11-1 win over the Terrors after six complete innings.
The number three served as Bolivar-Richburg’s (9-1) go-to number in three of their six innings of scoring, as they started red hot against Otto-Eldred with a pair of three-run frames to collect a 6-1 lead in between Otto-Eldred’s first marker in the second.
The lead remained glued together by the defense, as they used the momentum to shift gears back on offense to score the last five runs of the game down the stretch, further cementing their victory.
Out of the 15 hits they would compile, five different hitters all recorded at least a pair, with Reiss Gaines and Kingston Loucks each garnering three hits and an RBI to lead the charge. Aydin Sisson had two hits and drove in three runs, while Brayden Zilker and Trey Buchholz each had a pair of hits to chip in.
On the rubber, Allen recorded the win behind six strikeouts and a walk, while Loucks had two strikeouts and two walks of his own in relief, as the two Wolverines hurlers combined to hold Otto-Eldred to four hits.
Coming up on Monday, both Cuba-Rushford and Bolivar-Richburg will come together for a pair of battles, beginning with the final game of the tournament at 5 p.m, followed by another battle in League play starting at 7 p.m.
Game 1
Cuba-Rushford 001 000 0 – 1 0 2
Otto-Eldred 004 002 X – 6 7 1
C-R – Finn Ricketts (LP) (CG, 6K, 3BB) and Adam Shaffer.
O-E – Zach Schuessler (WP) (CG, 8K, 2BB) and Andrew Schenfield.
Game 2
Otto-Eldred 010 000 – 1 4 4
Bolivar-Richburg 330 113 – 11 15 0
O-E – Jared Obenrader (LP), Manning Splain (4) (2K, 3BB), Landon Francis (6) and Andrew Schenfield.
B-R – Caden Allen (WP) (6K, BB), Kingston Loucks (6) (2K, 2BB) and Aydin Sisson.
BOYS TENNIS
Wellsville 4, Bolivar-Richburg 1
BOLIVAR — A hard-fought, three-set war across second singles action between Wellsville’s Jeremiah Pensyl and Bolivar-Richburg’s Dustin Murray developed, with the final set of action between the two players crossing into tiebreak territory.
After a marathon of back-and-forth points being exchanged, Pensyl was able to grab the two-point cushion with a 9-7 win to capture the win, aiding the Lions 4-1 road win over the Wolverines.
Pensyl would exchange wins with Murray across the first two sets of action, leading up to a thrilling conclusion in the final set, as he came away victorious with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7) win to headline Wellsville’s (6-3) team win. Following up was Wheeler Dahlgren at third singles, as he collected a 6-0, 6-1 win over Bolivar-Richburg’s Trevor Whitsell to finish off the singles matches.
The Lions would also lay claim on both doubles matches, with the first doubles team of Jonah Mac and Keenen O’Connor finding the win column with a 6-0, 6-1 win of their own over Alex Parker and Nebula Wilson-Smith. At second doubles, the duo of Brayden Taggart and Liam Smith rounded off the wins with a 6-1, 6-2 decision over Starlyn Kisel and Jamie Werner.
Bolivar-Richburg (3-3) collected just one win from Anthony Densmore at first singles, as he survived a back-and-forth duel with Wellsville’s Adam Iantorno leading up to a third-set tiebreak himself, ultimately claiming the victory in its entirety by a 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) decision. The Wolverines are back on the court next Friday night with a 5 p.m. road trip to Cuba-Rushford.
Wellsville is back on the road Monday night, traveling to visit the Allegany-Limestone Gators in a 5 p.m. first serve.
Singles
1. Anthony Densmore (B-R) def. Adam Iantorno (WLSV), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5).
2. Jeremiah Pensyl (WLSV) def. Dustin Murray (B-R), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7).
3. Wheeler Dahlgren (WLSV) def. Trevor Whitsell (B-R), 6-0, 6-1.
Doubles
1. Jonah Mac/Keenen O’Connor (WLSV) def. Alex Parker/Nebula Wilson-Smith (B-R), 6-0, 6-1.
2. Brayden Taggart/Liam Smith (WLSV) def. Starlyn Kisel/Jamie Werner (B-R), 6-1, 6-2.
Fillmore 4, Warsaw 1
WARSAW — The Eagles of Fillmore keep on finding the win column in every way, shape and form they can, as it continued on Friday to close out the week behind another dominant display of tennis across all three singles matches from Eben Schilke, Isaiah Sisson and Marcus Wolfer, setting up what was a 4-1 road win over the host Warsaw Tigers.
Leading the way for the Eagles (8-0) was another powerful performance from Schilke at first singles, as he came away with a dynamic 6-0, 6-0 shutout. Sisson and Wolfer followed behind to help complete the sweep of the matches, each garnering wins by a 6-0, 6-1 count.
Adding more fuel to the fire was the first doubles duo of Ezra Knapp and Carson Sanasith, as they took care of business with a 6-1, 6-0 win of their own to round off the victories. At second doubles, Fillmore’s Brayden Walton and Kallan Sanasith fought tooth and nail from start to finish, but ultimately fell in a 6-4, 6-2 decision.
“I am really proud of my first doubles team. Warsaw dropped their top two singles into first doubles and their first doubles up to second. Ezra and Carson bounced back from a shaky outing last night and they really dominated tonight. Marcus also had a much better outing tonight as well.” Eagles coach Randy Crouch said.
Fillmore will hit the road again on Tuesday with a 5 p.m. visit to Alfred-Almond.
Singles
1. Eben Schilke (FIL) def. Heaven Proefract (WAR), 6-0, 6-0.
2. Isaiah Sisson (FIL) def. Patrick Langdon (WAR), 6-0, 6-1.
3. Marcus Wolfer (FIL) def. Baylee Hoffmeister (WAR), 6-0, 6-1.
Doubles
1. Ezra Knapp/Carson Sanasith (FIL) def. Jack Fraser/Greg Treatlein (WAR), 6-1, 6-0.
2. Drake Davis/Addison Gay (WAR) def. Brayden Walton/Kallan Sanasith (FIL), 6-4, 6-2.
