by Braylon Noble
EAST SYRACUSE – On a beautiful Tuesday evening, Marcellus, the defending Section III Class B softball champion and this year’s top seed, faced upset-minded no. 11 seed Altmar-Parish-Williamstown – and had little trouble hanging on to the crown.
APW came in riding high, the Rebels having pulled off three straight upset victories over no. 6 seed Jordan-Elbridge, no. 3 seed Chittenago and no. 7 seed Westhill to get this far. On the other side, Marcellus entered Tuesday’s game on a six game win streak, outscoring their opponents 79-3 over that stretch.
And it would not stop here, either, the Mustangs blanking the Rebels 6-0 led by sure-armed senior Aubrey Fraher, who would only give up one hit.
That hit was recorded by fellow senior Alivia Turk in the top of the first inning, which pushed Ranasia Bailey into scoring position on third base after being walked earlier in the inning.
From there on Fraher was nearly perfect, as she would strike out seven APW batters and eight overall, bringing her total to an impressive 119 on the season.
Even as Fraher dominated, the Mustangs did not hit the ball all that well themselves, only recording seven hits. This was due to a valiant performance from APW junior hurler Christa Koagel, who struck out four Mustang batters.
Still, Emma MacLachlan would lead the way with two hits and three RBIs, starting in the bottom of the first inning as a routine hit turned into much more as MacLachlan rounded the bases for an inside-the-park home run, which also scored Fraher, putting the Mustangs up 2-0.
Three more runs followed in the second inning. Brooklyn Finarty led off with a triple, and two more singles followed, one of which would score Finnarty as MacLachlan got a third RBI and Jillian O’Connor also drove in a run.
The last run of the game would come from Fraher as she would race home from second base after an error at home plate. Marcellus was somewhat held in check from that point but the damage had already been done.
In three sectional games against APW, Mexico and Skaneateles, Marcellus never gave up a run, outscoring those teams a combined 23-0.
Now the Mustangs will get a chance to play for a state championship, something it could not do in 2021. All it needed was a win Friday against Section IV champion Chenango Valley at Union-Endicott High School to reach this Saturday’s state final four on Long Island – but got denied in an epic 4-1, 10-inning defeat.
Fraher again was masterful in the early going, and then helped her own cause when, in the top of the third, she connected for a solo home run to give the Mustangs a 1-0 lead.
That shutout held until the sixth, when CV tied it. Then, in the seventh, Annabella Mondello took over in the pitcher’s circle, able to send the game to extra frames.
Marcellus loaded the bases in the eighth but saw Katie MacLachlan’s drive to right field tracked down in foul territory. Two more runners got on base in the 10th but, again, the Mustangs couldn’t get in front, having by now accumulated eight hits, two each by Fraher, Emma MacLachlan and Elaine Grattan.
Moving to the bottom of the 10th, CV’s Madison Hargus beat out a bunt single. A walk followed and, with one out, Maddie Trisket stepped up. She promptly sent a Mondello pitch over the fence in left-center field, giving the Warriors the victory – and ending the Mustangs’ dreams of a state title.
