Photos by STEVE HARRISON, stories by CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
(Cutline: Carter Grover slides in safe after a RBI single by Tyler Rahr for Wellsville. In the photo gallery, you can see the next photo as he beat the throw. Photo by Steve Harrison)
BASEBALL
Class B Quarterfinals
No. 1 Wellsville 4, No. 8 Waterloo 2
HORNELL — The top-seeded Lions of Wellsville knew exactly what they were facing when they arrived to the Maple City, Tuesday night.
Opposite of them on the mound for their Class C2 Quarterfinal battle was a hurler who had an absolutely lights-out performance last round against No. 9 North Rose-Wolcott late last week.
That being Waterloo’s Xander Rogers, who handed out one chair after another until there was no more left to give, striking out 19 Cougars batters to help set up a dominant 6-0 shutout win at Finger Lakes Community College, as well as a date with the reigning Class B Champions down south in Hornell.
To counter Rogers, the Lions had a high-octane ace of their own — Aiden Cowburn.
In recent starts, the Wellsville senior has been absolutely dazzling on the bump, with his last coming at the expense of their Far West Regional opponent last Spring: the Medina Mustangs, as he struck out 11 and walked two to score a colossal 4-1 win against Class B’s top team in the Empire State back on May 10.
This time around, he was no different again.
In a game that showcased plenty of opportunity to shell out timely hitting, Cowburn was exceptional at keeping Waterloo off the board as much as he could. After the Lions lassoed a fine third inning of play behind a bushel of hits in consecutive fashion, the rest was history, as the senior closed the door on the Tigers from any further developments to officially put the lock on their trip back to the Class B Semifinal round, outlasting Waterloo with a 4-2 victory at Maple City Park.
“He’s been big for us all year, and he really spots his pitches well. He’s really savvy, and he’s definitely an asset to have out there. Thankfully he’s throwing for me,” said Lions coach Tom Delahunt. “Rogers pitched a really great game for them. He had 19 strikeouts in six innings against North Rose-Wolcott and he’s been averaging right around 12 a game for the season. He’s their top pitcher for a reason, and every at-bat today was a difficult one. We had to manufacture runs somehow, despite them being at a premium. Luckily, we strung four hits in a row in the third to make things happen and get us to breathe a bit easier.”
After a first two-inning sequence that saw Cowburn work efficiency sublimely with a nine-pitch first inning, the Lions (14-3) then clawed their out of the impasse and dug their way into the driver’s seat for the first time with two big runs in the bottom of the second inning.
When timely hits mattered the most, the top seeds made sure they came early, starting the frame with four of them in a row, led by Ty Vogel and Matt Ritter who both had an RBI on their single and double, respectively.
The response that Waterloo provided was almost immediate, as they came right back with an advantage-carving RBI single in the top of the fourth before Cowburn buckled down and went back to work again with back-to-back strikeouts to set up a 1-2-3 thereafter. The Lions fought back and regained traction on their now two-run lead behind a wild pitch that saw Karter Grover score from third.
With the offenses laying low for the fifth inning and entering the sixth inning, Wellsville garnered a humongous piece of advantage from Tyler Rahr during one of the team’s very last at-bats from the frame. Looking to branch their advantage out any way they could, Rahr delivered big time with a base hit straight overtop of the Waterloo shortstop’s head.
The Tigers were given one final opportunity to break the glass against the Lions, with runners occupying first and third base. But Cowburn, in another one of his best performances of the season, struck out the next two Waterloo batters in rapid succession to officially lock down the victory for the Lions.
Wellsville accumulated their four runs off seven hits, while Cowburn’s pitching kept Waterloo limited with just four hits. To pick up the victory, the senior struck out 14 and walked three during his time on the mound.
The Lions have now captured and filled in a vacancy from within the Class B Tournament, as they now officially transition to Thursday night back home in the Lion’s Den for what will be the very last time this Spring, preparing to welcome in the No. 4 Livonia Bulldogs at 5 p.m. for Class B2 Semifinal battle.
Livonia coach Scott Gillman won his 399th game in the 2-0 victory over #5 Addison to move him into Livonia school history first place over Gene Baker.
The winner will go on to face either No. 3 Wayland-Cohocton or No. 2 LeRoy in the finals later on Saturday at Hornell or Dwyer Stadium in Batavia.
Waterloo 000 100 1 — 2 4 1
Wellsville 002 101 X — 4 7 3
WAT – Xander Rogers (LP) (CG, 7K, 3BB) and Jayden Mansell.
WLSV – Aiden Cowburn (WP) (CG, 14K, 3BB) and Matt Ritter.
Fillmore story after photo gallery:
Class D Quarterfinals
No. 6 Fillmore 3, No. 3 Elba 1 (F-9)
ELBA — Fresh off a monstrous first round victory over Hammondsport at Houghton University right before the weekend kicked into gear, the Eagles of Fillmore were in a high-speed chase all the way to the bitter end against No. 3 Elba on Tuesday.
With teams having scratched across just one run all through regulation play, the idea of extra innings soon became a reality.
It was a long grind for the Eagles right alongside the Lancers across much of their Class D Quarterfinal in Elba. With the pitching staffs dueling feverishly and the hits coming in limited quantities as well, it all came down to a matter of who would blink first.
For Damon Potter, the Fillmore aces’ night was simply remarkable, as he went all in after the offense navigated their way ahead late in extra innings, holding Elba to just a single run on just one hit at the plate across all nine innings featured between the two foes along the way.
With the host Lancers looking for one last chance to provide a threat, the Eagles avoided it at all costs and punched their tickets to the Class D Semifinal round, all while confirming that Cinderella’s slipper indeed still fits following their 3-1 upset victory.
“It really was a true pitcher’s battle,” Eagles coach Kaiden Bowers said. “We knew with Damon on the mound, we only needed a few runs. We jumped out on them early on, and then their pitcher and defense did a great job of limiting us. Jack (Boon) had a huge hit in the nine to get us started, and then Connor (McCumiskey) stepped up with his RBI. I’m proud of the boys for making big plays at big moments. Elab is a loud, chirpy team. I’m proud of the way we didn’t let that affect us as we stuck to our game.”
Both Fillmore (12-7) and Elba each registered a run in regulation play to propel their offenses, with the No. 6 seeds connecting right off the hop in the top of the first inning behind an RBI from Potter. The pitcher’s duel then ensued leading into the bottom of the fourth, which allowed Elba to tie the game directly at one.
The game-tying deadlock remained untouched heading down the stretch, and ultimately into extra innings, where Fillmore put together one more exhilarating race to the finish line with Jack Boon’s go-ahead RBI double in the top of the ninth inning that scored Potter served as the team’s opening act before Connor McCumiskey’s RBI single later on to score Boon aided in branching out the advantage for good.
The Eagles collected their three runs off five total hits at the plate, with Potter, Boon and Jared Boon each recording a double.
In addition to his hit, Potter was outstanding on the rubber, displaying every single reason why he’s one of the best pitchers in Allegany County by handing out nine chairs and walking just three to score the massive upset victory for the No. 6 seeds in the Class D Playoffs.
Fillmore will now head for the Rymer Complex in Nunda on Thursday for the Class D Semifinal round, as they now prepare to square off with No. 2 Keshequa at the very site the Eagles last won the Section V championship back in 2022.
First pitch between the Eagles and Wildcats is tentatively set for a 5 p.m. start.
The winner will face either No. 4 Naples or No. 1 Arkport-Canaseraga this weekend in the Class D Finals.
Fillmore 100 000 002 — 3 5 1
Elba 000 100 000 — 1 1 4
FIL – Damon Potter (WP) (CG, 9K, 3BB) and Isaac Wilcox .
ELBA – Nick Scott (7K, BB), Mason Vigiano (LP, 9) (2K) and Brendan Porey.
