By CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
In the Section V standings, from Class B to Class D, the top spots right now belong to Wellsville, Bolivar-Richburg and Genesee Valley/Belfast. B-R had two wins this week, GV/B had two big wins, including one over Fillmore, and Fillmore showed why they have been to the finals the last two years with a 3-0 shutout of Arkport-Canaseraga. There was a lot of softball and other action the last two nights. Here are more results and softball photos at the end:
Fillmore 3, Arkport-Canaseraga 0
ARKPORT — It was the very definition of a war between two of Class D’s finest on the mound, Tuesday night. In the second meeting in just over a week’s time, Fillmore’s Damon Potter and Arkport-Canaseraga’s Micah Marvin would dance that beautiful dance on the mound from start to finish in a compelling pitcher’s duel that would ultimately leave absolutely no room for error.
As the Eagles and Wolves attempted to chip away at the ice from beneath their feet, the pitchers remained ever so resilient during their complete games across the board. When the final numbers were tallied, just five hits were garnered between the pair of offenses at the plate, with Fillmore garnering the narrow advantage.
The hits didn’t come right away, but when they did, the Eagles made sure they hurt big time.
After three scoreless innings were dealt, Fillmore jumped into the conductor’s chair and orchestrated the turning point in the game — Potter’s big bat, as he delivered a massive strike to the outfield to completely shift the momentum in their favor while remaining in complete command of his game in the same swing, as the Eagles hurler outlasted Arkport-Canaseraga’s ace in a wild race to the finish line to claim a redeeming 3-0 shutout in Arkport.
“Damon Potter was elite tonight. He was efficient, he was effective, but the best part of his game was his mentality,” said Eagles assistant coach Jordan Mullen. “His teammates fielded well from the start of the game and he had a swagger about him on both sides of the ball that led our team. The boys played loose, they fed off the confidence and it spread throughout our lineup. Games like these, especially this late in the season, can change its trajectory. Tonight was a huge step forward for us. We saw that Fillmore baseball is here to compete and the goal is still to be number one. We now beat the top two teams in our class, so we know we belong in that conversation. The boys know it too after tonight.”
The duel between the two Class D heavyweights witnessed absolutely no scoring across the first three innings of play, as the Fillmore (7-6) and Arkport-Canaseraga offenses were kept completely frozen at the plate. But in the top of the fourth inning, the Eagles would unthaw behind the dual threat presence of Potter, who used his big bat to slug a humongous RBI triple straight into the outfield to provide a massive fissure into the ice with the game’s first lead.
The momentum stemming off the triple would remain in Fillmore’s favor, as Potter went back to work holding the Wolves at bay for the remainder of the game. In the thick of his tossed gem, the Eagles would manage to collect two more runs in the top of the sixth to tack on as insurance to officially solidify the victory.
The three runs for the visitors in green were accounted for on three hits, with Jude Beardsley and James Hillman each chipping in one to go with Potter’s double. Isaac Wilcox drove in a run in the sixth inning to further the team’s offensive cause. As for Potter on the mound, he went all seven innings by holding Arkport-Canaseraga to just two hits, fanning six Wolves batters to lay claim to the victory.
For Marvin, he would also shell out a complete game three-hit gem against the Eagles, as the Wolves ace fanned 11 and walked just two. At the plate, he would garner a hit along with Ben Leibham.
Fillmore will look to keep that foot down on the gas pedal tonight with another road trip, this time a 5 p.m. visit to Scio to battle host Friendship/Scio.
Fillmore 000 102 0 – 3 3 2
Arkport-Canaseraga 000 000 0 – 0 2 2
FIL – Damon Potter (WP) (CG, 6K) and Nolan Krzeminski.
A-C – Micah Marvin (LP) (CG, 11K, 2BB) and Bryer Drake.
Cuba-Rushford 17, Andover/Whitesville 7 (F-5)
CUBA — Following tough defeats to open the week on Monday, both Andover/Whitesville and Cuba-Rushford were hunting for a win to put them back into the win column when the two teams collided the very next day in Cuba.
It was a start that Andover/Whitesville capitalized on from all fronts, pushing and shoving their way to the front of the line with a lead that grew to as large as five at one point during the beginning sequences.
The Rebels would claw their way back bit by bit until the action reached a torrid boiling point. In the bottom of the fifth, the offense brought their sticks to life and hit the bullseye on the dartboard over and over again, scoring a massive 14-run stanza to take a 7-3 deficit and turn it upside down with a 17-7 five-inning victory to finish off their rally from behind.
“We didn’t look good at the start,” Rebels coach Pat Wight said. “We were still hung up on our performance last night. Andover/Whitesville made us pay early and came out ready to go. We were able to hang around until the fifth, where we put together a heck of an inning. Braeden (Wight) did enough on the mound and worked out of some big jams. Landen Schappacher had a heck of a game. Braxton Clark and Dean Frank had big RBIs to put us ahead. There were some pretty solid at-bats throughout the lineup, and at this point in the year, we will take any win we can. I’m proud of the effort and focus after the rough start.”
Right out of the gate, Andover/Whitesville powered their way towards a 4-0 lead of Cuba-Rushford, led by an RBI double from Vinny Joyce and some special teams play that helped ignite a three-run opening stand. After the visitors extended their lead again on the Rebels (7-7), the hosts closed the gap in the bottom of the third off back-to-back RBI smacks from Finn Ricketts and Eli Sleggs, with Ricketts getting the scoring starting on a double.
Both teams would trade a scoreless fourth inning before Andover/Whitesville (3-10) found their final run in the fifth to take a 7-3 lead. It would be the last time they would remain in the driver’s seat of the contest, as Cuba-Rushford recorded half of their hits at the plate in their 14-run bottom half of the frame to pull ahead and out of reach for good.
In all, the Rebels posted 17 runs off 16 hits, with five different hitters all recording at least two hits. At the front of the pack was Landen Schappacher in the lead-off spot, as he went a perfect 4-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored. Eli Sleggs finished with three hits, including his double, driving in three runs in the process and scoring twice.
Braxton Clark totaled two hits and three RBI, while Dean Frank and Hayden Schappacher each had two hits to chip in.
On the mound, the win belonged to Braeden Wight, who went all five innings while holding Andover/Whitesville to just four hits, fanning nine and walking just one.
Andover/Whitesville was paced by Derek Perkins on the hill, going into the fifth inning during his start to record four strikeouts and two walks. At the plate, Brody Vance recorded two hits, while Colton Calladine had a triple and RBI.
The team will return to action this weekend over the road for a special matchup in store, as they travel to Doubleday Field in Cooperstown to take on Genesee Valley/Belfast in a 1:30 p.m. first pitch on Sunday.
As for Cuba-Rushford, they will look to keep their foot down on the gas pedal come Thursday night, hosting the Hinsdale Bobcats in a 5 p.m. first pitch.
Andover/Whitesville 312 0 1 – 7 4 1
Cuba-Rushford 012 0(14) – 17 16 0
A/W – Derek Perkins (LP) (4K, 2BB), Rees Baker (5) (2BB), Jake Mattison (5) (BB) and Colton Calladine.
C-R – Braeden Wight (WP) (CG, 9K, BB) and Adam Shaffer, Braxton Clark (3).
Genesee Valley/Belfast 16, Hinsdale 1 (F-5)
BELMONT — As time progressed, the Genesee Valley/Belfast offense gradually increased the temperature and the pressure at the plate against visiting Hinsdale on Tuesday, slowly building a lead that the Bobcats could not counter, as they finished off their victory in the Jungle with a massive fourth-inning final stand to force an early end to the battle with a 16-1 victory.
Genesee Valley/Belfast (13-2) fired the engines up to the roar of eight hits on offense, as they used some additional capitalization to the tune of three Hinsdale errors and eight walks along the way. The hosts in black accounted for runs in each of the first four innings of play, building a 6-0 lead of the Bobcats before finishing off the win with a massive 10-run bottom of the fourth inning to force an early end to the contest.
Leading the bats was Ryan Daciw, who had three of the team’s eight hits, including a double, and two RBI. On the mound, Matt Cater was outstanding for Genesee Valley/Belfast, as he fanned 10 and walked just two across his four-inning start.
For Hinsdale (3-7), Henry Schwartz struck out three and walked one in his two-inning outing on the rubber. At the plate, he also garnered a hit along with Peyton Keller and Robert Childs.
Both teams are back on the diamond Thursday night in a pair of 5 p.m. first pitches, with Genesee Valley/Belfast meeting up with the Marion Black Knights at Houghton University, while Hinsdale looks to rebound with a visit to Cuba-Rushford.
Hinsdale 000 0 1 – 1 3 3
Genesee Valley/Belfast 123 (10)X – 16 8 1
HIN – Henry Schwartz (LP) (3K, BB), Cody Hand (3) (K, 7BB) and Peyton Keller.
GVB – Matt Cater (WP) (10K, 2BB), Fisher Herdman (5) (K, BB) and Owen Heaney.
Bolivar-Richburg 20, Friendship/Scio 0 (F-5)
BOLIVAR — Senior Night for the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg was a complete success Tuesday night, as they scored all 20 of their runs in the first three innings of play to bring the hammer down on visiting Friendship/Scio, rolling towards a 20-0 shutout to keep their foot down on the gas pedal entering tonight’s monumental showdown with Wellsville.
All seven seniors for the Wolverines (15-1) were sent out with a clamorous bang right from the get-go, as they fired on all cylinders with an explosive 6-0 lead of Friendship/Scio that they never looked back on.
To go with their scores across the plate, the hosts in white and red collected a dozen hits to propel their offense even further beyond.
Leading the way was Reiss Gaines, who went 2-for-3 with a lead-off inside-the-park home run, pairing it with a triple, three RBI and three runs scored. Following up was Caden Allen, who had a triple of his own to go with two RBI and a run scored. Trey Buchholz chipped in with two hits, driving in one more run while scoring two himself, while Aydin Sisson, Tavyn MacDonell and Caleb Miller all scored three runs.
On the mound, the win belonged to Landen Arnold, who walked one across his three-inning start.
For Friendship/Scio (0-13), Daejin Langdon, Cooper Greenman and Charlie Taylor all recorded a hit each at the plate. On the mound, Aiden Golden struck out three and walked one during his tenure of relief.
Both teams are back on the field tonight in a pair of 5 p.m. contests, with the Wolverines heading over the summit to square off with the Wellsville Lions in perhaps their biggest clash of the season, while Friendship/Scio heads back home to host Fillmore in Scio.
Friendship/Scio 000 00 – 0 3 9
Bolivar-Richburg 677 0X – 20 12 0
F/S – Matt Donohue (LP) (K, 2BB), Aiden Golden (3) (3K, BB) and Cooper Greenman.
B-R – Landen Arnold (WP) (BB), Caleb Miller (4) (BB), Aiden Smith (5) (BB) and Aydin Sisson, Tavyn MacDonell (3).
BOYS TENNIS
Bolivar-Richburg 3, Alfred-Almond 2
ALMOND — Anthony Densmore and Dustin Murray gave the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg two incredible battles on the tennis court on Tuesday, as they fought tooth and nail across a dynamic match of pro-set action to deliver two outstanding wins against host Alfred-Almond, setting the dinner table for an enormous 3-2 win to reach the .500 mark on the season once again.
Both Densmore and Murray were pushed towards the very edge in their respective matches in the singles department for Bolivar-Richburg (5-5), with Densmore narrowly coming away victorious with a close 10-8 victory over Alfred-Almond’s Patrick Power at first singles, while at second singles, Murray was forced into a pro-set tiebreak with Liam Carstens, where he prevailed by a 7-5 count to take the 10-9 match win.
The Wolverines collected their final win down in doubles action from the second doubles duo of Starlyn Kisel and Jamie Werner, as they took care of business behind a 10-1 win over Aeden O’Connor and Jaxon Heffley.
Alfred-Almond collected the remaining pair of victories, one in each division of action, with Noah Heffley claiming the final singles win with a 10-4 decision at third singles over Bolivar-Richburg’s Trevor Whitsell, while the first doubles team of Jack Deutsch and Calob Diaz also came away 10-4 winners over Alex Parker and Nebula Wilson-Smith.
The Wolverines are right back on the hop tonight at Houghton University, meeting the undefeated Fillmore Eagles in a 5 p.m. first serve.
Singles
1. Anthony Densmore (B-R) def. Patrick Power (A-A), 10-8.
2. Dustin Murray (B-R) def. Liam Carstens (A-A), 10-9 (7-5).
3. Noah Heffley (A-A) def. Trevor Whitsell (B-R), 10-4.
Doubles
1. Jack Deutsch/Calob Diaz (A-A) def. Alex Parker/Nebula Wilson-Smith (B-R), 10-4.
2. Starlyn Kisel/Jamie Werner (B-R) def. Aeden O’Connor/Jaxon Heffley (A-A), 10-1.
TRACK
GV/Belfast boys, B-R girls record split of meet in the Jungle
BELMONT — With the regular season beginning to wind down, Bolivar-Richburg and Genesee Valley/Belfast each were granted one last opportunity to make some noise before they make their appearance at the Wellsville Elks Spring Day meet — perhaps the biggest meet of the entire Spring season.
At the end of Tuesday’s clash in the Jungle, the Bolivar-Richburg girls team squeaked out a close victory from the grasp of Genesee Valley/Belfast, while the hosts saw complete dominance across the board with the boys team taking full advantage of the opportunity in front of them, as the two squads recorded a direct split down the middle.
Leading the way were the Bolivar-Richburg girls, who went on to score eight first place finishes to ignite a close battle with Genesee Valley/Belfast across all spectrums of competition, as they clinched a close 57-51 team victory behind the guidance of Raegan Giardini and her pair of wins in the distance events on the track — the 800 and 1500 runs.
Following behind was Brena Walp and her complete sweep of both throwing events from the pits, as she garnered the winning distances in both the shot put and discus. Kori Thomas provided her win on the track in the 100 hurdles, while Carmen Crowley and Hailey Gaines rounded out the triumphant individual finishes with gold in the triple jump and 3000 run, respectively.
The Lady Wolverines also put a claim to two relay victories along the way, collecting them in the 400 and 1600 relays.
Genesee Valley/Belfast countered Bolivar-Richburg’s eight victories with six of their own from two different competitors. Leading the way was Bayleigh Tallman, who had four of those victories — three of them on the track, as she placed first in the 100, 200 and 400 dashes to coincide with a winning distance from within the sand bunker, in the long jump.
Allyson Hazelton followed with the last two wins for the team, one in each field of competition, as she medaled in the 400 hurdles and in the high jump.
As for the boys matchup, Genesee Valley/Belfast scored first place finishes in all 13 of the events on the docket, with Brayden Cooper, Noah Miller and Callahan Tallman each placing first in a pair of events to catapult the team towards a dominant 112-13 win over the visiting Wolverines.
Cooper and Miller each led the way on the track for the hosts, as they each discovered gold at the finish line with their winning times in the 100 and 200 dashes, and 1600 and 3200 runs respectively to help lead the pack. Tallman took his talents into the field to record his first place finishes, scoring triumphs in the long and high jumps.
The team would also record a clean sweep of all three relay events, claiming first in the 400, 1600 and 3200 relays.
Other individual winners for Genesee Valley/Belfast include: Wyatt Weaver in the 110 hurdles, Bryce Davis in the shot put, Kenton Shultz in the discus, Lannden Tilton in the 400 dash, Damien Rinker in the 400 hurdles, Sal Gambino in the 800 run and Thayne Cobb in the triple jump.
Bolivar-Richburg 9, Coudersport 1
BOLIVAR — Having already encountered an 11-inning war with Port Allegany, Otto-Eldred in their home tournament and Cameron County this past weekend, the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg were in a position to sweep all four of their battles of the border when Monday night arrived in its entirety.
To finish off the docket, Class C2’s top seed embraced another challenge from within their exemplary and challenging docket: The Coudersport Falcons, winners in 11 of their 12 games entering the 30-mile road trip up north to the Wolverine Den.
It was as advertised across the first several innings of action between both squads, with the Wolverines quick start allowing them to jet into the lead right away. Although the Falcons remained hot on their trail, the hosts found a way to break it open in the biggest of ways.
Aydin Sisson carried the big stick.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth and looking to break the game wide open, the Bolivar-Richburg senior delivered by detonating the biggest piece of dynamite one could offer — a bases-clearing triple from within what was a five-run stanza to keep their foot down on the gas pedal, leaving Coudersport behind them to hang another colossal victory into the win column by a 9-1 count.
“It was a great game to be a part of. Coudersport is an excellent ball club and they’re really well-coached,” Wolverines coach Dustin Allen said. “They were 11-1 coming into this game, and we were able to get an excellent pitching performance from Landon (Barkley), along with some key hits early on leading up to the big inning down the stretch to help us out big time. Aydin’s triple in the fifth really found a way for us to break the floodgates open.”
The Wolverines (14-1) struck first following the authoring of a defensive first inning between the two foes, as they used a massive triple from Caden Allen to set the dinner table, followed by some key special teams play around the bases to scratch across both scores.
Coudersport would not let it go unanswered however, as they cut the deficit in half with their lone run of the game stemming in the third.
For the remainder of the game, Bolivar-Richburg would then take complete and utter command of the Falcons by scoring the last seven runs in a row — five of them in the bottom of the fifth which saw the Wolverines load the bases up for Aydin Sisson to hit the jackpot with, clearing all three bags up with an absolute missile to left field, reaching the back of the fence for a gargantuan triple to break it open.
Caden Allen added an RBI single a short time later to plate Sisson.
The hosts in white and red stripes would finish off the scoring with two more runs in the bottom of the sixth before Landon Barkley put a bow on what was his best outing of the season to keep the Falcons off-balance from start to finish.
After walking the first two batters he faced, the Bolivar-Richburg junior advanced towards a three-hit victory, shelling out a dozen chairs to Coudersport in his complete game. On offense, Sisson and Allen each led the Wolverines with two hits, as the team recorded six in all.
Before their titanic showdown with red hot Wellsville the following night, Bolivar-Richburg will look to send their Seniors out in style in quick turnaround fashion tonight with a 5 p.m. first pitch against Friendship/Scio.
Coudersport 001 000 0 – 1 3 3
Bolivar-Richburg 020 052 X – 9 6 1
COU – Mitchell Taylor (LP) (5K, 4BB), Viggo Brown (5) (BB) and Quinn Kratzer.
B-R – Landon Barkley (WP) (CG, 12K, 2BB) and Aydin Sisson.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 8, Fillmore 4
FILLMORE — In a game that saw a little bit of everything unravel at the Town Park in Fillmore on Monday, Genesee Valley/Belfast and Fillmore came together for another close encounter on the diamond. With the early stages seeing a defensive battle develop in thin air, there was little room for error.
With the host Eagles continuing to chase down and close in on Genesee Valley/Belfast any way they could, the visitors would need to formulate a quick response. In the third inning, Matt Cater came to the rescue.
The score was all tied up at one, but that would change at an instant, as the Genesee Valley/Belfast senior unloaded on a bomb to deep left field that showed no signs of coming back, helping start a strand of seven unanswered runs for the Class D heavyweights to solidify their advantage on the host Eagles in permanent fashion with an 8-4 victory to split their season series on each other’s home fields.
“It was a tense ballgame and that is something important for us to experience,” said GV/Belfast coach Dennis Miles. “We’re still learning how to play under pressure, but we had to make a lot of plays because Ryan (Daciw) only had four strikeouts. Sometimes, defense can be deceiving, because we had to make the rest of the outs behind him. Some of them were fly balls, some of them were routine. We held up pretty well and Fillmore never quit either. They have a great tradition of baseball over here and it’s been like that for quite some time. They didn’t go away by any means.”
In what was a game of retribution for Genesee Valley/Belfast after enduring a 7-5 come-from-behind victory in Fillmore’s favor earlier this year, the festivities would begin with two quick runs in the opening pair of frames from each team, with the Eagles claiming the game’s first run before the visitors in black came right back to tie the game in the top half of the second.
The Eagles would remain at a standstill going ahead in time, as Genesee Valley/Belfast (12-2) brought the firepower to the table during their next several appearances at the plate, beginning with a go-ahead three-run third inning paced by Cater’s two-run jack to left field to propel them ahead, ultimately for good.
The stanza would allow Genesee Valley/Belfast to begin a 7-0 run of Fillmore (6-6), with two more runs in each of the next two frames to stretch their advantage to six. The Eagles would not display any quit however, as they remained in the game with a two-run answer in the fifth to close the gap, before formulating one final comeback effort in the seventh.
But the second inning would manage to hold in place for Genesee Valley/Belfast in the driver’s seat, claiming the victory that awaited at the end of the battle.
Genesee Valley/Belfast assembled eight runs off nine hits on the attack, with Ryan Daciw and his 3-for-4 outing leading the way, posting a double and driving in a run. Nolan Hunter chipped in with two hits of his own.
On the rubber, Daciw went all seven innings, fanning four and walking three to pick up the win.
Fillmore was led by Nolan Krzeminski, who had two of the team’s eight hits. On the mound, Brayden Hennard saw two appearances at the beginning and in the seventh to help close the game out, combining to record two strikeouts and a walk.
Both teams will march back onto the field tonight in a pair of 5 p.m. first pitches, with Genesee Valley/Belfast heading back into the Jungle in Belmont to welcome in Hinsdale, while Fillmore hits the road for a colossal visit to Arkport-Canaseraga.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 013 220 0 – 8 9 3
Fillmore 100 020 1 – 4 8 2
GVB – Ryan Daciw (WP) (CG, 4K, 3BB) and Evan Turybury.
FIL – Brayden Hennard (LP) (BB), Kalen Beardsley (3) (2K, BB), Wade DeRock (5) (2BB), Hennard (7) (2K) and Nolan Krzeminski.
Alfred-Almond 11, Andover/Whitesville 6
ANDOVER — Both Alfred-Almond and Andover/Whitesville provided mirroring images in the first inning to remain stride for stride with one another. But then the visiting Eagles built some momentum to break away towards the game’s largest advantageous margin. But the hosts in purple did not back down, chasing down their coattails all the way to the end.
In the seventh inning however, Alfred-Almond would leave Andover/Whitesville in the rearview mirror completely, as they scored four humongous runs to take a one-run lead and turn it into an 11-6 road victory in Andover, Monday night.
Following the Eagles claiming an early 2-0 lead, Andover/Whitesville (3-9) would take matters into their own hands immediately off the hop. With a lead-off walk being issued to Brody Vance, Colton Calladine would step to the plate on the very next at-bat and go yard, crushing a game-tying two-run homer to create level playing ground once again.
Each team would go back and forth in trading a 1-2-3 after Alfred-Almond was able to reclaim the lead with another quick response in the top of the second, posting two more runs to go up by a 4-2 count. It would commence a scoreless run that the Eagles would carve out on the scoreboard, as they went on to score the next five in a row to claim a 7-2 advantage in the fourth.
It was the first of two occasions that the Eagles would take a lead of five runs on Andover/Whitesville, with the first being whittled down to a single run with a four-run bottom of the fourth in return, led by a bases-loaded walk and then back-to-back RBI singles from Vance and Calladine to keep them within reach.
The pitching staffs would keep one another at bay across the next two innings before the seventh took full effect, as the Eagles managed to create one final opening to exploit against Andover/Whitesville and veer towards victory for good by posting four clutch runs to ensure that their lead remained untouchable.
The Eagles would go on to close out the game with a rapid 1-2-3 of Andover/Whitesville at the plate to cement the win.
Andover/Whitesville posted six runs off just five hits, with Calladine leading the sticks with two of them. Vance, Vinny Joyce and Rogan Perkins each had one to chip in. On the mound, Calladine came on for an exceptional outing of relief, fanning eight and walking four.
Up next is a quick turnaround for Andover/Whitesville over the road, as they prepare for a 5 p.m. visit to Cuba-Rushford tonight.
Alfred-Almond 220 300 4 – 11 13 0
Andover/Whitesville 200 400 0 – 6 5 1
A-A – Jonas Lockner (5K, 6BB), Peyton Barnes (4) (7K, 2BB) and Nathan Munson.
A/W – Vinny Joyce (4K, 2BB), Colton Calladine (3) (8K, 4BB) and Calladine, Jake Mattison (3).
Canisteo-Greenwood 25, Friendship/Scio 3 (F-5)
SCIO — A humongous 12-run stanza during their opening at-bats was issued to visiting Canisteo-Greenwood to set the tone at an instant during Monday’s road trip to Scio, as they jumped out front and remained in complete command to close up shop with a five-inning victory by a 25-3 count over host Friendship/Scio.
Canisteo-Greenwood mustered 10 hits on offense while capitalizing on key special teams along the way to get the party started at the plate. Leading the way was James Smith, who posted two hits.
On the mound, the win was awarded to Garrett Charles, who fanned five and walked two during his start into the fourth inning of play.
Friendship/Scio (0-11) collected seven hits at the plate to propel their offense. Leading the way was a perfect 3-for-3 outing from Nick Sortore that featured a triple. Tyler Nickerson followed with two hits of his own, driving home two of the team’s three runs.
On the hill, Deacon Brown provided a solid showing of relief, striking out four and walking two.
Friendship/Scio hits the road for a 5 p.m. visit to the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines this evening.
Canisteo-Greenwood (12)07 60 – 25 10 2
Friendship/Scio 2 01 00 – 3 7 2
C-G – Garrett Charles (WP) (5K, 2BB), Brenden Ackerman (4) (3K), Collin Cox (5) (2K, BB) and Colby Lamphier.
F/S – Cooper Greenman (LP) (2K, 13BB), Deacon Brown (1) (4K, 2BB), Aiden Golden (4) (3BB), Charlie Taylor (4) (2K, 7BB), Nick Sortore (5) (3K, BB) and Sortore, Taylor (5).
Tuesday Roundup: B-R claims massive victory off back-to-back 6th inning RBIs to end Fri/Scio’s 10-game win streak; Potter outlasts Ark-Can’s Marvin to deliver massive 3-0 shutout for Fillmore baseball
RICHBURG — After another dynamic pitching spectacle took the surrounding area by storm this past weekend, Nevaeh Ross would engage in another duel to the finish on Tuesday.
Next on the docket: Rylee Whiting and the Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg, a team that Friendship/Scio has not defeated over the road since Ross’ arrival to the Varsity scene.Like the battles that the two three-peat Section V champions have had in the past, it was no different again, as Friendship/Scio and Bolivar-Richburg kept it close each and every single step of the way.
Compared to their most recent battle against Genesee Valley/Belfast, it would narrow down to who blinked first. With the go-ahead run right out of the gate in their back pocket, the game was Ross’ to control for the next several innings.
But then, a revelation for the Lady Wolverines.
After being held to one hit in their previous battle against Friendship/Scio, Bolivar-Richburg would go on to take their hits and runs in any way, shape or form they could get them. They would use a dropped third strike to their advantage to tie the game, and then two innings later, the bats emerged, as they recorded three straight hits in the top of the sixth inning — their first hits of the contest, to create their inaugural degree of separation from the Class D champions permanently, as they went on to pull ahead and ultimately towards an incredible 3-1 victory at Stan Harris Field.
“Friendship/Scio is a good team with the best pitcher in the area, so being able to pull off the win is huge,” said Lady Wolverines coach Brooke Lovell. “Rylee (Whiting) threw a great game and mixed her pitches well, keeping hitters off balance. We made the plays behind her and it gave us an all-around team effort. I am proud we were able to execute when we got the chance.”
Off back-to-back hits to open the ledger on the contest, Friendship/Scio was able to garner the first run right away off an RBI from Morghyn Ross to the left side of the infield, plating Nevaeh Ross from third base to break open the scoring.
With the lead in hand, the game would rest with the defense to play with the advantage intact, as Ross shelled out nine straight strikeouts to the Lady Wolverines (9-8) across the first three scoreless frames.
It would close up however in the bottom of the fourth with some massive special teams play, as Rylee Whiting came home from third to score on a dropped third strike issued to her younger sister Kylee, tying the game at one on each side.
The run would also serve as a large piece of momentum they now carried until the very end of the game.
When the sixth inning settled in, the Whiting sisters came in through the clutch, posting back-to-back RBI singles off their three-hit frame to push Bolivar-Richburg towards ultimate victory that had awaited in the end. To aid in closing out the game for good, Rylee Whiting went back into the circle and took care of business with a 1-2-3 all with her arm to secure a monumental victory.
The Lady Wolverines posted three runs off just three hits, while Friendship/Scio scored their lone run in the first inning off four hits. Whiting captained the battery for the winning team in black and red, as she struck out 11 batters in all to complete a four-hit victory in the circle.
As for Friendship/Scio, Ross delivered another outstanding performance, holding Bolivar-Richburg to just three hits across 14 strikeouts.
Both teams will look to do it all over again tonight in a pair of 5 p.m. battles, as Bolivar-Richburg looks to eclipse the 10-win mark with a visit to Avoca-Prattsburgh, while Friendship/Scio prepares to welcome in Fillmore — winners of five of their last seven games, for battle in Scio.
Friendship/Scio 100 000 0 – 1 4 2
Bolivar-Richburg 000 102 X – 3 3 0
F/S – Nevaeh Ross (LP) (CG, 14K) and Morghyn Ross.
B-R – Rylee Whiting (WP) (CG, 11K) and Sydney Faulkner.
Cuba-Rushford 5, Andover/Whitesville 1
CUBA — Clutch defense can win big games.
In another tight battle right alongside Andover/Whitesville, the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford would need every bit of it if they wanted to keep the momentum swinging in their direction following a strong performance up north at Pioneer this past weekend.
On Tuesday, Molly Kunz helped that cause out.
With a 1-1 tie on the board and Andover/Whitesville threatening with a fourth-inning look, a line drive zapped to the right side of the Cuba-Rushford infield where Kunz made a remarkable heads-up play on the ball, catching the caboose runner at first base off guard in the same swing with a quick throw to the primary bag to record the double play.
That stand of defense would allow the Lady Rebels to push back at the plate, as they wound up finishing the contest with the game’s last three runs after taking the 2-1 lead away from their opposition, solidifying it for good to record the season-series split with Andover/Whitesville by a 5-1 count.
“We picked up a good win tonight and I hope we can keep it rolling,” Lady Rebels coach Mary Keesler said. “It took awhile for our bats to get going, but we just kept working to score runs. We had two great double plays, with Molly’s helping lead us off to turn the momentum in our favor a bit. Aubrey (Williams) also had one later on in the game that really helped bail us out again. I’m really happy with how these young kids are maturing and making big time defensive plays.”
Andover/Whitesville, despite two quick outs from Jordyn Radomski near the circle for the Lady Rebels, amplified some early pressure during their first stance at the plate, placing a pair of two-out runners on base, including Olivia Waters who reached on a big double to the outfield gap. Both runners would be left on after a groundout to the right side closed up the frame.
Cuba-Rushford (6-7) would come right back with an aggressive approach of their own. With one runner waiting on base, Aubrey Williams placed down a bunt straight in front of the plate, reaching in the midst of a defensive error that saw the ball squirt wide of first base.
In the midst of it, Arlah Shaffer would navigate her way home, beating out the throw in the same direction to get the engines for the Lady Rebels off and running.
Both teams would continue to apply their fair share of pressure across a scoreless second inning before the scoring resumed a short time later, with Andover/Whitesville (3-9) tying the game at one each side on an error in the infield following a Lilly Ordway bunt, as the throw went wide of first base to score a speedy Ava Grice.
The Lady Rebels would respond by loading up the bases behind the Andover/Whitesville defense for the first time in the bottom half of the stanza, as Gianna Loiacono slugged a sacrifice fly to deep center field, scoring one run from third to give them the 2-1 lead right back.
The sacrifice along with Kunz’s huge double play turned in the field to start the fourth inning allowed the hosts in gray and blue to syphon a big burst of momentum out of it, as they overcame another scoreless transaction to account for the game’s final three runs in a two-inning span — two of them off a single issued by Sydney Howard in the bottom of the sixth inning to officially put the game away for good.
Cuba-Rushford posted five runs off eight hits, with a pair of Lady Rebels both scoring two hits each. Leading the charge was Williams, who recorded a double in the midst of her two-hit tenure, an RBI and two runs scored. Mireya Rutkowski chipped in with two hits of her own.
On the mound, Radomski was given the win in her four-inning start, fanning two and walking just one.
Andover/Whitesville was led by Ordway and Olivia Waters, who each posted a double in their four-hit presence at the plate. In the circle, Makaila Brewster went all seven innings, fanning two and walking one. The team will return to action on Thursday back home in Whitesville for a 5 p.m. visit from Genesee Valley/Belfast.
Next Tuesday night, the Lady Rebels are back in action over the road with a field trip to the east, as they pay a visit to the Campbell-Savona Lady Panthers in a 5 p.m. first pitch of their own.
Andover/Whitesville 001 000 0 – 1 4 2
Cuba-Rushford 101 012 X – 5 8 3
A/W – Makaila Brewster (LP) (CG, 2K, BB) and Reece Winters.
C-R – Jordyn Radomski (WP) (2K, BB), Sydney Howard (5) (K) and Arlah Shaffer.
