Within a full week of work, the Cazenovia softball team had a chance to establish itself as a main contender in the OHSL Liberty division race.
The Lakers moved to 3-0 in league play last Monday afternoon, when it went to Hannibal and rolled past the Warriors 13-2.
In a patient pitching effort, Alyssa Boswell surrendered 10 hits, yet kept on escaping trouble and only allowed single runs in the second and third innings.
Cazenovia led all the way, thanks to a four-run first inning, and pulled clear with nine unanswered runs from the fifth inning onward.
Kara Stalder tripled and finished with three RBIs. Belle Hoagland doubled twice, with Taylor Malmsheimer and Abby Eschen each driving in two runs. Alissa Easterly and Lindsey Smith earned one RBI apiece.
Back home Wednesday to face Marcellus, the Lakers continued its hot play, using a huge second inning as the foundation for an 8-4 victory over the Mustangs.
Trailing 1-0, Cazenovia got to Marcellus ace Gina Cardarelli in the bottom of the second, batting around and earning all eight of its runs.
Smith and Malmsheimer both smacked two-run singles during this rally, while Korena Fenton’s triple produced two more RBIs. Easterly drove in a run, too.
When Smith gave up three runs in the top of the third, Boswell replaced her and blanked Marcellus over the last four innings to pick up the win.
Cazenovia’s first game action in May was to come Friday, at Jordan-Elbridge, and some late offense helped push the Lakers past the Eagles 10-2.
Boswell and her J-E counterpart, Jenn Gasparek, gave up two runs apiece in the first inning, then settled down for a while as it remained even until the sixth innings.
But in the top of the sixth, Cazenovia solved Gasparek for five runs, then tacked on three more runs an inning later as Boswell gave up three hits in her complete-game effort.
Smith tripled, as did Fenton. Both Smith and Malmsheimer drove in two runs as Kara Stadler, Melanie Arehart, Lindsey Easterly and Emily Mastropaolo put up one RBI apiece.
First place in the OHSL Liberty division would be at stake Wednesday, when Cazenovia hosts Westhill, in between trips to Skaneateles and Solvay.