Important games remained for some of the area’s high school softball teams before the Section III playoffs could get underway – and it led to some spectacular individual and team performances.
That included Marcellus facing Westhill last Monday afternoon, and the two neighbors battled all afternoon before the Mustangs prevailed, 5-0, over the Warriors.
As she had done throughout the late portion of the regular season, Marcellus ace Molly MacLachlan pitched well, limiting Westhill to six hits and overcoming Melissa Newcomb’s triple and Katie Lobello’s double to maintain the shutout thanks to error-free defense.
For its part, the Mustangs got nine hits off Warrior pitcher Nina Scramale, scoring twice in the second inning and adding single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh frames.
Rylie Spicer had three of those hits, earning an RBI, while Meghan Witkowski hit a solo home run and scored twice. Jennie Delia added an RBI.
Witkowski was just getting warmed up, though, for she delivered a prime performance at the plate a day later as the Mustangs rolled past rival Skaneateles 18-2.
Working her way past 100 career hits by going four-for-four, Witkowski hit a three-run home run and would also smash a grand slam, eventually earning a career-best eight RBIs.
And while that was going on, Solvay, heading toward the top seed in the Class B sectional tournament, unloaded in a way it never had done before against Hannibal, beating the Warriors by an astonishing 40-0 margin.
The carnage included eight runs in the first inning, 12 runs in the second inning and 13 runs in the sixth, the Bearcats picking up 32 hits and capitalizing on eight Hannibal errors.
Kiersten DiBello produced six hits, scored six runs and earned four RBIs, while Chelsie Delperuto’s triple and two doubles led to seven RBIs. Sydney Cimini doubled twice, tripled and drove in five runs as Molly McGuire and Jordan Micheletti had three RBIs apiece.
Just before that, Jordan-Elbridge swept last Monday’s doubleheader with Hannibal with a pair of shutouts to clinch a playoff berth. The first game went 2-0 in the Eagles’ favor, and then in the nightcap the bats broke out for J-E as it won, 9-0, to improve to
Bishop Ludden, who had just gone through a brutal gauntlet of regular-season foes like Solvay and Marcellus, welcomed seeing Skaneateles last Monday afternoon and beat the Lakers 10-5.
A four-run first inning appeared to put the Gaelic Knights in control, but Skaneateles tied it, 5-5, in the top of the third, requiring Ludden to do more – which it accomplished with single runs in the third and fifth innings, plus a three-run rally in the fourth.
Ally Weigand went deep, hitting a home run, reached base four times and finished with three RBIs. Emma Greenfield’s pair of hits led to driving in two runs, whle Amanda Brogan, Sara Hayes and Rachel Marten had one RBI apiece. Weigand, Hayes and Aubrie Murray scored two runs apiece.
