On many different fronts, Solvay’s softball team enjoyed the course of events during Saturday’s Section III Class B quarterfinals.
Not only did the no. 2 seed Bearcats eliminate no. 7 seed Marcellus 4-0, it saw top seed Adirondack, who beat Solvay in last year’s sectional final, get knocked out by South Jefferson, the same side that ended Westhill’s season in the first round.
The end result of all this is that Solvay is the highest remaining seed in the tournament, inheriting the favorite’s role. To some degree, the Bearcats have already handled this situation, since in the quarterfinals it was facing a Marcellus side it had beaten twice this month, by margins of 6-4 and 9-3.
A run in the first inning quickly put the Bearcats in front, but the real damage was done in the bottom of the third, when Solvay scored three times against Marcellus ace Molly MacLachlan, all it would need.
Chelsie Delperuto led the way with a triple and two RBIs. Julie Gardner also tripled, adding a single and driving in a run as Nicole Antonacci added a double and run scored.
Jackie Gardner pitched, and was quite efficient. In barely an hour, she finished her complete-game shutout, holding Marcellus to three hits and striking out four.
The Bearcats are bound for a semifinal Wednesday against no 11 seed CBA, who has taken out Homer and General Brown on the road. The winner plays South Jefferson or APW for the sectional title Saturday at Hopkins Road Park in Liverpool.
As this went on, Bishop Ludden, the no. 2 seed in the Class C-1 tournament, was on the brink in its semifinal game against no. 6 seed Thousand Islands before one big hit produced a 3-1 victory over the Vikings.
While not matching her no-hitter from the previous round against Pulaski, Kayla Kibling still kept TI off the board for four innings. Kayla Fitchette did the same for the Vikings, though, and it remained 0-0.
In the top of the fifth, Allie Barton’s single scored Mariah Calhoun, and Ludden trailed 1-0. And there it stayed until the bottom of the sixth, when Sara Hayes, Korey Kibling and Kayla Kibling reached to load the bases.
Up stepped Lauren Roy, who promptly drilled a triple of Fitchette that cleared the bases and put the Gaelic Knights ahead. From there, Korey Kibling got the final three outs, finishing with nine strikeouts against seven hits allowed.
This puts Ludden into the Class C-1 final, where it will face Sauquoit Valley Wednesday night at 7:30 at the Gillette Road complex in Cicero. Sauquoit has, in the playoffs so far, knocked off defending champion South Lewis and top seed Herkimer, an impressive run.
