In so many different ways, the Liverpool and Cicero-North Syracuse softball teams end up drawn to each other – especially at the end of the season, when the stakes are high.
For much of the last two decades, either the Warriors or Northstars have finished with a Section III title, with C-NS going all the way to the state Class AA championship in 2013 and Liverpool reaching the state title game last June.
Even in 2015, when the Northstars, dogged by injuries, youth and inconsistency, fell far below its normal standards, it still managed to split two tight regular-season games with the Warriors, adding anticipation should their paths cross again in the Section III tournament.
And it looked like it would happen again when C-NS, the no. 4 seed, shut out no. 5 seed Rome Free Academy 3-0 in Friday’s AA quarterfinal at the Gillette Road complex.
This means that, if Liverpool, the top seed, gets past West Genesee in its quarterfinal on Tuesday, the two rivals would gather at Gillette in the sectional semifinals next Thursday night.
C-NS first had to get through RFA, which didn’t prove that easy, despite another pitching gem from ace Meg Tully, who held the Black Knights to three hits and struck out seven.
For large stretches of the game, the Northstars’ bats were quiet, no doubt hurt by a cold, gusty wind that blew in from left field, giving an enormous advantage to the pitchers, Tully and RFA’s duo of Olivia Deraway and Alicia Swavely.
The bottom of the second inning would prove decisive. With the game still 0-0, Megan Callisto singled, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and then got to third on a groundout.
Then, following a walk, Tully stepped to the plate. On the first delivery, an illegal pitch was called on Deraway, allowing both runners to advance and Callisto to score. Seconds later, Tully drilled an RBI single to make it 2-0.
C-NS then loaded the bases in the fourth, and while it only produced a single run on a passed ball, Tully made that three-run margin hold up the rest of the way.
