Just looking at the numbers, the Liverpool softball team has made up some ground on Cicero-North Syracuse – but has not yet caught up.
In last Friday’s battle at Gillette Field, the Warriors’ pitching duo of Dana Nicoletti and Peyton Bellrose mostly contained the Northstars, but it still wasn’t enough as Liverpool lost a 4-0 decision.
Getting the start, Nicoletti got through the first inning fine. But in the second, C-NS struck for a pair of runs, both coming home on Khalyia Flournory’s single, and doubled that 2-0 margin in the third when Morgan Phillips smacked a two-run single.
Bellrose replaced Nicoletti and kept C-NS off the board the rest of the way, despite surrendering six hits and two walks, as fine Warrior defense helped keep it within sight.
However, Liverpool, like so many others, found O’Hara in top form. Allowing just two hits (one each to Bellrose and Alicia Hansen) and three walks, the Syracuse University-bound senior recorded 17 strikeouts, all of them important to keep the pesky Warriors off the board.
This clash culminated a week full of league games, which started last Monday when Sydney O’Hara neared perfection as C-NS blanked West Genesee 13-0 and Liverpool rallied past Baldwinsville 11-5.
O’Hara wasted little time jumping on the Wildcats, following a leadoff single and walk by smashing a three-run home run over the left-field fence in the top of the first inning. Later, in the fifth, O’Hara doubled to start a two-run rally, and in the seventh it got out of hand with seven runs, bookended by two more O’Hara doubles as she ran her total to five RBIs.
And all the while, O’Hara worked on a perfect game, retiring the first 18 WG batters she faced, 16 of them through strikeouts, before Kaleigh Churchill and Tess Andrews got seventh-inning singles to break up the gem. But O’Hara still got her 17th and 18th strikeouts to close it out.
Phillips, Flournory and Lindsey Silfer each drove in two runs as Amy Van Hoven, Lauren Floyd, Beth Bonin and Kelly Corbin drove in one run apiece.
Meanwhile, Liverpool, in its first game since that 13-inning defeat to WG on April 25, got in early trouble at Baldwinsville, falling behind 4-0.
But the Bees’ six errors led to a turnaround as Liverpool scored twice in the third inning and three times in the fifth for a 5-4 lead, and pulled away with a five-run outburst in the top of the seventh.
Taylor Charles doubled, tripled and drove in three runs, while Nicole Cerrone also had three RBIs. Bellrose drove in two runs as Nicoletti, Allyse Burgos and Dominique LaRose also drove in runs. Nicoletti, pitching the whole way, settled down after a rough start to strike out six.
C-NS took its turn at B’ville on Wednesday night at Gillette, and it turned into a genuine scare before O’Hara rescued the contest as the Northstars edged past the Bees 2-1.
B’ville freshman Keeanna Wolcik got the start and B’ville had the good fortune (at least at the outset) of not having to face O’Hara, as Kalet Lenart took her turn in the pitcher’s circle.
C-NS got a run in the bottom of the first, aided by a series of wild pitches, but Wolcik settled down and followed it up with a scoreless second, getting strong defensive play behind her.
Then, in the top of the third, B’ville went right after Lenart as it loaded the bases with one out, and Isabella May bunted and reached base, scoring Maggie D’Eredita scored to tie it, 1-1.
Having seen enough, C-NS coach Mary Beebe removed Lenart and put in O’Hara, who struck out Danielle Sayler, and then Wolcik, to escape the jam.
A dropped pop fly in the bottom of the third led to the Northstars’ go-ahead run, Van Hoven driven home on Floyd’s single, but again Wolcik got out of further trouble.
In the fourth, Liz Campbell took over, and she didn’t allow a run the rest of the way. This gave B’ville a chance to pull even – if it could get to O’Hara.
But it only got one good chance, in the fifth, where Campbell reached base on a dropped third strike, and pinch-runner Madeline moved to third base on a wild pitch and steal, but was stranded there when May struck out.
In fact, O’Hara, in her 4 2/3 innings of work, recorded 13 strikeouts, including three more in the seventh to close it out, leaving B’ville fans disappointed, but proud that it had made the Northstars work to the end to salvage this one.
Liverpool also ripped Oswego 13-2 last Tuesday, breaking the game open with eight runs in the bottom of the second as it claimed an 11-0 edge through four innings, more than enough for Bellrose, who held the Buccaneers to five hits in her complete-game effort.
Nicoletti, Cerrone and Allyse Burgos each managed two RBIs, while Taylor Charles went three-for-four with an RBI and two runs scored. Hansen, Jenna Bush, Kylie Spado and Ericka Sadowski drove in one run apiece as Bellrose doubled and scored twice.
And after the loss to C-NS, the Warriors rebounded Saturday to beat Fayettville-Manlius 4-1. A pair of runs in both the third and sixth innings proved enough as Hansen, Spado and Burgos each earned one RBI and Bellrose doubled. Nicoletti, pitching the whole way, limited the Hornets to four hits and earned nine strikeouts.
