Continuing to be effective within the OHSL Liberty division, the Westhill softball team withstood the challenges of two of its neighbors.
Of them, the Warriors’ battle with Solvay last Wednesday proved far more exciting, as nine innings were required to beat the Bearcats 1-0.
Two terrific pitchers dominated most of the afternoon. On Westhill’s side, Toni Secreti struck out 18 Solvay hitters and didn’t allow a hit until Shannon Slowik singled in the top of the seventh.
Yet Secreti’s Bearcats counterpart, Gabrielle Nurod, proved just as stingy, giving up five hits in her first eight innings of work and keeping the game 0-0.
Only in the bottom of the ninth did Westhill solve Nurod for good. Secreti singled, got to second base, and raced home with the winning run when Brittany Kaiser singled.
Two days earlier, Westhill dominated last Monday’s trip to Jordan-Elbridge, beating the Eagles 8-1.
Secreti only allowed two hits in her complete-game effort. The Warriors went ahead for good with a two-run second inning, then really got away with five total runs off Jenn Gasparek in the sixth and seventh innings.
Before she was done, Mary Bailey had three RBIs, while Shannon Flattery drove in two runs. Andrea Golembiewski added an RBI as Kaiser and Nicole Totti doubled amid an 11-hit attack. Sarah Fordyce’s hit produced J-E’s lone run in the fourth inning.
A day later, the Warriors beat Skaneateles 7-1, getting five runs in the first two innings to give Emily Mangicaro all the help she needed. Still, Mangicaro threw a one-hitter as Kaiser earned two RBIs, with Courtney Morgan and Alyssa Reale each driving in one run.
J-E made a quick recovery on Wednesday, going to Hannibal and beating the Warriors 7-0 as Gasparek spun a three-hit shutout.
The Eagles used two-run rallies in the first, third and seventh innings as a winning foundation. Liz Caspari, Sarah Fordyce and Lindsy Geery each had one RBI as J-E strung together 11 hits.