CENTRAL NEW YORK – Though it has gone through plenty of ups and downs early this season, the wins the West Genesee softball team have put together are of high quality.
Having beat Cicero-North Syracuse and pushed Liverpool, the Wildcats claimed a neighborhood clash last Monday afternoon when it defeated Westhill by a score of 8-1.
Five runs in the first three innings gave WG control, and that was enough for pitcher Maria Brandt, who allowed eight hits (three by Sydney Medeiros, two each by Bella Johnson and Catie Cottrell) yet constantly escaped possible rallies.
The Wildcats got 11 hits off Westhill pitcher Samantha Snyder. Anna Drogo had three of them, leading to three RBIs, while Brynlee Elkins, Christina Guglielmi and Lorelai Leskoske joined Brandt with one RBI apiece.
Good as this was for the Wildcats, it could not get the same result against Marcellus later that same day, contained in a 2-0 defeat to the Mustangs.
All that Marcellus ace Bella Mondello allowed was one hit in five innings while she struck out seven before Carly Sears worked two scoreless innings of relief.
Leskoske, getting her turn in the pitcher’s circle, had a strong game, too, only surrendering five hits. But single runs in the first and third innings pulled Marcellus through as Bryn Goldsworthy doubled and scored and Chloe Kuttruff earned a double and RBI.
Another tense game followed against Fayetteville-Manlius a day later, with WG making quite a comeback to beat the Hornets 9-8.
After getting three runs in the top of the first, the Wildcats looked to be in trouble when F-M batted around in the bottom of the first and plated seven runs.
From there, though, Brandt, pitching in relief of Jenna Bookman, settled things down, and WG scored a run in the second before breaking out for five runs in the top of the fourth for an 8-6 lead.
Though F-M closed it to one, Brandt blanked the Hornets over the last three innings. Guglielmi singled, doubled and drove in three runs, with Alanna Bowman also getting three RBIs as Brandt drove in two runs. Drogo, Elkins, Bowman and Kyra Lynch scored two runs apiece.
WG also trailed early in Thursday’s game against Christian Brothers Academy before four runs in the third inning and four more runs in the next two frames led to an 8-4 victory and a climb back to the .500 mark (4-4).
The Wildcats amassed 15 hits, three each by Leskoske and Bowman, who drove in a pair of runs. Elkins twice came through, her single and double leading to four RBIs. Drogo, Elkins and Jenna Bookman had two hits apiece.
Yet another comeback happened on Saturday, WG trailing Central Square after a six-run Redhawks rally in the fourth inning but, down 7-3, finding its way back late to pull out a 12-7 victory.
Four runs in the sixth inning tied it, 7-7, and a five-run rally in the top of the seventh decided it, with two key singles from Leskoske and a clutch triple from Elkins among the key hits. All told, Elkins had three hits and scored four times, with Bowman, Lynch and Makayla Dunham each scoring twice.’
Westhill returned to the win column last Tuesday, stopping Cortland 7-2. Two-run rallies in the third and fourth innings put the Warriors in front of the Purple Tigers, and it got three more runs in the sixth and seventh.
Jocelyn Caputo bashed a home run as she joined Alexa Korrie and Cadence Ramsing earning two RBIs apiece, Korrie finishing with three hits. Snyder singled twice and scored twice as, pitching, she struck out nine and held Cortland to three hits.
Saturday brought Westhill at 15-0 shutout of East Syracuse Minoa, finished in five innings helped in no small part by Ramsing belting a grand slam that keyed an eight-run third inning.
It was already 3-0 when that rally started, and every single Westhill player drove in at least one run, with Sydney Medeiros getting a pair of RBIs. Korrie, Bella Johnson and Morgan Kohanski had two hits apiece.
