Christian Brothers Academy’s best chance at softball success in 2012 hinges on pitcher Jordan Sheridan winning duels against other top hurlers, which she did twice in a span of three days.
In Thursday’s game against defending Section III Class A champion Phoenix, Sheridan matched her talents against the Firebirds’ Brittney Sears and emerged with a 1-0 victory.
Through four innings, it remained 0-0. Phoenix would notch five hits off Sheridan, but not get any of them to cross the plate as the CBA ace drew just one walk and struck out 10.
For her part, Sears, pitching for the first time in a week (she had pulled a hamstring in an April 18 loss to East Syracuse-Minoa), had nine strikeouts shut down the Brothers until the fifth inning.
Sheridan singled and raced home on Jessica Valerino’s double, accounting for two of the three hits CBA got off Sears – and all that it would need.
Two days later, when CBA hosted East Syracuse-Minoa, it turned into another tense battle that bled into eight innings before the Brothers prevailed 2-1.
Sheridan and her Spartans counterpart, Danielle Ventrone, went through the first five innings 0-0, each side getting people on base but unable to score them thanks to terrific defense.
ESM’s Julie Maselli made a diving catch in the bottom of the fifth. Then, in the sixth, with Haley Wodarczyk on first base and one out, Maselli laid down a sacrifice bunt. Wodarczyk took off for third on the forceout and a wild throw back to third allowed Wodarczyk to score.
Ventrone clung to that 1-0 lead until the bottom of the seventh. Monica Hanson led off with a walk, and then took off for second on a stolen-base attempt.
Originally, it looked like Jamie Gallardo’s throw nailed Hanson, but after a protest and an umpire’s conference, Hanson was ruled safe. She went to third on a groundout and scored the tying run on Clare Gollegly’s sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the eighth, O’Brien reached base on a hard-hit grounder. After a sacrifice bunt moved her to second, O’Brien raced home with the winning run when Kelly Bewley’s grounder led to a throwing error.
Before this, ESM resumed action against Mexico, needing to hang on in the homestretch to beat the Tigers 6-5.
After squandering an early 2-0 lead, the Spartans, trailing 3-2, regained control with three runs in the bottom of the third inning. Danielle Hobb
Another run followed in the fifth – which proved crucial as, in the top of the seventh, Mexico scored twice and had the tying run on base before pitcher Danielle Ventrone managed to record the final out.
At the plate, Danielle Hobb smashed a home run and earned two RBIs. Ventrone was the only Spartan to record two hits, scoring twice as Haley Wodarcyzk and Nikki Cassella drove in one run apiece. Julie Maselli added a double.
Jamesville-DeWitt did not return to action until Friday, but it quickly asserted itself with a 17-2 romp over Chittenango that included five-run rallies in the second, fifth and sixth innings.
Mary Young took over at the plate again, as her single, double and triple each cleared the bases and led to a season-best eight RBIs. Lexi Lerman smashed a home run, scored three times and finished with three RBIs as Ashley Thompson, Tessa Devereaux and Rachel Honis also drove in runs.
The Red Rams were quite impressive on Saturday, too, blanking New Hartford 8-0 to improve its record to 9-1 overall.
Kerri Keeler pitched a two-hit shutout, recording eight strikeouts. At the plate, J-D stayed patient until getting six runs in the sixth and seventh innings to pull away as Thompson scored two runs earned a pair of RBIs. Lateja Bryant and Lexi Lerman drove in one run apiece as Honis and Bryant scored twice.
Fayetteville-Manlius took a 7-1 defeat to Liverpool, unable to get on the board until the seventh inning, when Emma Billmyer’s hit drove home Patricia Miller.
Madeline Gerbig pitched the whole way for the Hornets, giving up 10 hits. For Liverpool, Allyse Burgos had a triple, two doubles, while Brianna Harris doubled and drove in two runs.
But the Hornets rebounded to beat Chittenango 7-0 on Saturday, Gerbig holding the Bears to two hits in her complete-game shutout. She also drove in two runs as Miller, Alex Lunderman and Rachel O’Byrne had one RBI apiece.
