CENTRAL NEW YORK – What has proven to be a special season for the Jordan-Elbridge softball team mostly continued last week, while West Genesee tried to make its own mark on the spring, too.
After winning 13 in a row, the Eagles finally took a blemish last Friday when it fell 8-5 to Port Byron, the Panthers stunning J-E with four runs in the top of the seventh inning to erase a 5-4 advantage as Nikki Namisniak drove in six of Port Byron’s runs with two singles and a double. Riley Hill, in defeat, had a pair of RBIs.
With a chance to avenge that loss a day later, the Eagles did so, taking a 10-8 thriller where it scored six times in the first inning and three times in the second, enough to fend off all of Port Byron’s charges.
Erin LaVancha homered and finished with three RBIs. Heather Sorts and Cam Fraher each drove in two runs as Abby DelFavero, aside from pitcing a complete game, scored twice to match teammate Abby Ahern.
Before all this, J-E handled Weedsport 11-1 last Monday. DelFavero, who pitched six innings and struck out nine, also had two hits at the plate, matching Hill, Ahern and Isabella Jay equaling as Jay and Hill had two RBIs apiece.
Far more challenging was Tuesday’s game against Tully, where the Eagles twice fell behind but came back on both occasions to beat the Black Knights 8-5.
When Tully grabbed a 5-2 lead in the fifth, J-E answered with two runs in that frame and a decisive four-run outburst in the sixth. LaVancha keyed the comeback, going three-for-three and driving in three runs. Delfavero got two RBIs and handled two scoreless innings in relief of Ava Hildebrant.
Going to Cato-Meridian Wednesday, J-E found itself in another tight battle, but strong pitching from DelFavero and a couple of timely hits from Ahern subdued the Blue Devils 2-0.
Cato managed six hits, but DelFavero constantly pitched out of trouble and finished with 12 strikeouts. Ahern’s solo home was all the Eagles needed, but she also doubled and raced home with J-E’s other run
A 6-2 win over Pulaski on Thursday made it 13 in a row, the Eagles scoring in four straight innings starting in the second as DelFavero smacked a home run and Ahern went three-for-four.
Of all the games West Genesee played last week, none were bigger than last Thursday’s 6-5 win over defending sectional Class AA champion Liverpool.
WG appeared to be in trouble, trailing 5-2 after five innings. But the Wildcats rallied for three runs in the sixth and won it on Alana Bowman’s RBI single in the bottom of the seventh. Prior to that, Makyala Dunham had singled twice and produced four RBIs.
Back on Monday, WG hosted Baldwinsville and, with the pitching of Maria Brandt and the power of Lexi Rydelek, turned back the Bees 3-1.
B’ville’s Bella Hotchkiss singled home Jenna Martin in the top of the first inning, only to have WG get three runs off Hotchkiss in the bottom of the first, the key blow Rydelek’s two-run home run. Brandt held the Bees to six hits, earned three strikeouts and got strong defense behind her.
So began a stretch of four league games in as many days, the Wildcats taking on Fayetteville-Manlius Tuesday and again unleashing lots of power as, by a 12-5 margin, it avenged an April defeat to the Hornets.
Rydelek again homered, scored four times and joined Anna Drogo on three RBIs apiece as Maddie Barstow drove in four runs and Brandt had two RBIs. Together, they accounted for most of WG’s 13 hits as four-run rallies in the third and fourth innings provided a winning cushion. Sophia VanHorn and Emma Monaghan both scored twice.
Back home to meet Cicero-North Syracuse on Wednesday, C-NS led 2-1 early, but four-run outbursts in the second and fifth innings helped the Northstars prevail 13-6, Sydney Rockwell and Aubrey Coyle getting four hits apiece. In defeat, Rydelek and Alanna Bowman gave WG two RBIs apiece.
