In the quick transition from cold winter to warm spring, the Jamesville-DeWitt baseball and softball teams both hit the diamonds on the last day of March.
And both would win big, with the baseball Red Rams ripping past Fowler 17-1 and J-D’s softball side toppling the Falcons by a 22-3 margin.
As the first Onondaga High School League team to take the field this spring, the J-D baseball squad (beaten by eventual champion Mexico in last year’s Section III Class A quarterfinals) pounded out 15 hits against Fowler’s pitching.
Two of those hits were home runs off the bat of varsity newcomer Mason Schoeneck, who finished with four RBIs. Anthony Dunn doubled and drove in two runs, while Justin Marzella also had two RBIs. Evan Kimber, Eric Schwartz, Eric Thompson, Tyler Kerwin and Mick Cariseo each drove in one run.
Marzella also pitched, going most of the way to earn the victory as he and Kimber combined to hold Fowler to three hits and a single fourth-inning run.
As this went on, J-D’s softball side was taking charge at the Lyndon diamond, expanding upon a 2-0 lead with nine runs in the bottom of the third inning. A four-run fifth and six-run sixth inning would follow.
Helped by seven Fowler errors, the Rams saw Rachel Honis pick up three RBIs as Avery Share, Jayla Green, Maddy Devereaux, Rachel Fagut, Tessa Devereaux, Deb Young, Ashley Thompson and Meghan Engstrom each drove in one run. Jenn Keeler split pitching duties with Engstrom, the pair combining on a three-hit effort.
A much bigger test came on Thursday, against Fulton – but again the Red Rams proved worthy, using one rally to push its way past the Red Raiders 3-2.
Against Fulton pitching ace Jessica Palmitesso, J-D could do little in the first four innings, as Palmitesso was working her way to 10 strikeouts.
However, in the bottom of the fifth, J-D got to Palmitesso and scored three times as Avery Share got credit for an RBI and Green, Sarah Gianni and Lateja Bryan scored the runs.
Meanwhile, Keeler, staked to a 3-1 lead, gave up half that margin in the top of the sixth, but still held for the win as, during her complete-game effort, she struck out 14 Fulton hitters and allowed just one walk.
