Though it waited a bit longer than some others to take the field, the Jamesville-DeWitt softball team easily made up for it.
The Red Rams, who have most of its lineup back from 2011, were eager to start the 2012 season after making it to last May’s Section III Class A semifinal, only to fall to Phoenix 3-2 as the Firebirds went on to claim the sectional title.
With that as a backdrop, J-D competed in Monday’s Fayetteville-Manlius Tournament and swept to the title, blanking Cazenovia 13-0 in the opening round and toppling Rome Free Academy 7-2 in the championship game.
First, the Rams met the Lakers, who had already played twice and had a 1-1 mark. Single runs in the first and second innings put J-D in front, but the real fun lay ahead.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Rams broke it open with five runs, tacking on four more runs in the fifth and two runs in the sixth, aided in no small part by Cazenovia committing six errors.
Lateja Bryant tripled, walked and scored four runs, while leadoff hitter Tessa Devereaux crossed the plate three times. Deb Toscano managed two hits, including a triple, while Maddy Devereaux had two RBIs and two runs scored. Maggie Austin also scored twice.
Amid all this, pitcher Kerri Keeler shut down Cazenovia’s bats, only giving up three hits, all singles, and striking out 17 batters in her complete-game shutout.
This set up the final between J-D and Rome Free Academy, who had beaten host F-M 9-5 in the other part of the opening round.
After allowing a run in the top of the first inning, J-D surged in front with three runs in the bottom of the first. Single runs in the next two innings followed, and the Rams added to its cushion by scoring twice in the fifth.
Keeler, who struck out nine to negate the five hits and six walks allowed, starred at the plate, too, with two RBIs. Bryant, Toscano and Alexis Cantor also drove in runs, with Bryant, Austin and Tessa Devereaux managing two hits apiece.
F-M recovered from its loss to RFA by winning the consolation game over Cazenovia 2-1. And it was done in a dramatic manner, the Hornets erasing a 1-0 deficit with a run in the sixth inning and another run in the bottom of the seventh to pull it out.
Brittany Hill and Anna Porter each had two hits and drove in the decisive runs, scored by Kara Kapozza and Alex Lunderman. Sam Guillaume doubled as pitcher Madeline Gerbig held the Lakers to two hits and amassed eight strikeouts.
During F-M’s lost to RFA, All of the Hornets’ runs against the Black Knights came in the final three innings, after RFA had built a 7-0 lead, mostly through five runs in the top of the third.
During that late rally, Lunderman managed two hits and two RBIs, while Hill, Porter and Marissa Duval drove in one run apiece.
