It proved to be a vastly successful week for the Baldwinsville softball team — four victories, in all, capped by a division title at Saturday’s Morabito Tournament at the BAGSAI complex near Binghamton. The Bees were placed in the Larry Lash division and met Brewster in the opening round. Drawing upon its experience of facing tough CNY Counties League competition, B’ville earned a 3-1 victory. For four innings, neither side could break through. But after Brewster took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth, B’ville tied it in the bottom of that frame, then watched pitcher Lizi Campbell load the bases with nobody out in the sixth — but escape without allowing a run.
Then Jessica Testa, a varsity newcomer up from the JV ranks, singled to start a two-run rally in the bottom of the sixth that proved decisive. Campbell held Brewster to five hits. Katrina Conklin had a crucial triple that brought home a run as Kaitlyn Massett added an RBI. This moved the Bees into the division final, against Vestal, where it again came from behind and again won by a 3-1 margin in a game shortened to six innings when the Golden Bears ran out of healthy pitcher. Vestal scored first, in the bottom of the second, with the Bees tying it in the fourth and getting the decisive runs in the fifth inning. Massett and Sarah Kelly earned RBIs as Lindsay Varga and Katie Dobkowski contributed crucial hits. Williams limited Vestal to three hits. Just before this, in one of the season’s most exciting games, the Bees went to Central Square last Thursday and, after nine innings of tense play, edged past the Red Hawks 4-3 in a game postponed from two days earlier. The win completed a tough-minded comeback on the Bees’ part. It trailed, 3-0, after three innings as Central Square’s Kristie Jones hit a solo home run to lead the home side. But in the top of the fourth, B’ville tied it with a three-run outburst. From there, the game settled down as the two pitchers, Williams and the Red Hawks’ Mackenzie Sherlock, traded zeroes into extra frames. Finally, in the top of the ninth, the Bees inched in front, and Williams recorded the final three outs as she allowed six hits while striking out five. Conklin had two hits, including a double, as Varga, Massett, Kelly and Kristen Biedermann joined Williams by scoring runs.
What was a close game last Monday against Corcoran broke open in the homestretch as the Bees defeated the Cougars 10-2. Single runs in the first, fourth and fifth innings put B’ville ahead 3-0, but it got worrisome when Corcoran got to Williams for both of its runs in the bottom of the sixth. All that worry went away, though, when the Bees batted around in the top of the seventh and put up seven runs. Biedermann and Kristen Baldino each had two hits, with Kelly and Katie Ducharme both scoring a pair of runs. Williams finished with five strikeouts in her complete-game effort. Now riding a four-game win streak after its Morabito sweep, the Bees met Nottingham Monday and looked forward to a Thursday showdown with defending Class AA champion Liverpool.