By JOHN ANDERSON, photo gallery by TRICIA DAVENPORT
To get to the state finals, your best pitcher is going to get hit, the team has to make plays and timely hitting wins ballgames.
For the Wellsville Lions softball team, that timely hitting came in the Makenna Dunbar connected on a huge home run in the first inning with two outs.
Using that momentum, the Section V champion Lions (22-1) held on to win, 6-2 over Section III Marcellus (19-4) on Friday in Long Island.
Wellsville will play today (Saturday) against Section II champion Schuylerville at 1:30 p.m.
Schuylerville (20-5) defeated Section I’s Albutus Magnus (17-4), 4-1. The games were played in the Martha Avenue Recreational Park in Bellport, N.Y. on Field 1 and Field 3. The championship game will be on Field 2.
This will be the first trip to the state finals for both teams.
In that game, Sophia Wahl carried a no-hitter into the seventh and she singled and scored. She threw a two-hitter with eight strikeouts and no walks.
In the Wellsville game, as senor pitcher Makenzie Cowburn struck out 11 for the win, the hitting kept coming.
Dunbar had two hits, 2 RBI’s and scored a run, Natalie Adams had a two RBI single that scored Lindsay Stuck and Ayla Faulkner. Stuck reached on a single. Teagan Burke, who made impressive plays on the field in the Far West Regionals, had a single and scored.
Senior catcher Brazen Beckwith had a RBI while Averee Palmatier singled. Sawyer Burke and Marissa Ordway each extended innings with walks.
Wellsville co-coach Shelley Chaffe said “
“As soon as Makenna hit it, it was gone. We want to start early and put the runs on the board, and we’ve done that the last couple of games. To put the three-spot up there, it was a great momentum builder. For everyone to be ready no matter what happens, and to trust their instincts, it was amazing to see. We knew from day one that this was the goal. They wouldn’t have wanted anything less than to make this game, but we definitely want to win it. Now we have that chance.”
“They started to climb back into the game with some small ball after a couple of nice hits, but a key outfield play from Averee on a throw to home got a big out. It was an amazing play. The outfielders don’t get tested, but they’re always ready to make a play. That was an example of that.”
The game ended with a play that brought back memories of the 1980 World Series, when a foul ball catch sparked the Philadelphia Phillies to a win. The foul ball was tipped by catcher Bob Boone and caught by first baseman Pete Rose.
On Friday, with two outs in the seventh, a foul ball was hit and Beckwith raced toward it and as the ball came down, it was in the glove of Ordway who plays first. With the catch, the celebration was on.
Marcellus’ Ameilia Novitsky was awarded one of the the sportsmanship awards by NYSPHSAA Softball and Wellsville’s Natalie Adams received the same honor for Wellsville.
Marcellus 000 002 0 – 2 7 3
Wellsville 300 300 X – 6 8 0
MAR – Annabella Mondello (LP) (CG, 4K, 2BB) and Hannah Fagan.
WLSV – Makenzie Cowburn (WP) (CG, 11K, 4BB) and Brazen Beckwith.
Click through this amazing photo gallery by Tricia Davenport for the Wellsville Sun
