The Christian Brothers Academy softball team’s penchant for high drama continued during last Monday’s game against Cortland, where one big blow helped the Brothers beat the Purple Tigers 9-6.
They were tied, 6-6, in the bottom of the seventh when, with two on, Catherine Burns stepped up to the plate. Already with two doubles and two RBIs on the day, Burns capped her big day by taking Cady Walts’ offering over the fence for a three-run walk-off home run to win it, six days after CBA won in its last at-bat over Homer on April 14.
Prior to that, the Brothers and Purple Tigers had gone back and forth all game. Aside from Burns, Julia Boule, who pitched a complete game, managed a pair of RBIs, while Gabby Damico doubled twice and drove in a run. Jessica Valerino scored three times.
Even more excitement was generated a day later, when the Brothers this time closed things out with a defensive gem to beat the Oswego Buccaneers 4-3.
Tied 2-2 at the end of the first inning, the two sides traded zeroes until CBA grabbed a 3-2 lead in the fourth. Oswego pulled back even, 3-3, in the top of the sixth, only to have the Brothers go back in front with a run in the bottom of the sixth.
With two out in the top of the seventh, a long drive threatened to pull the Bucs back even. But Hannah Morris, playing in centerfield, made a running catch and plowed into the fence, keeping the ball in her glove for the final out.
Boule limited Oswego to six hits, also earning an RBI at the plate. Valerino got three hits, and Sydney Wind added two hits, plus two runs scored. Annie Carhart had an RBI.
Yet even CBA could not stop the snows from postponing Thursday’s game against Fulton, not to mention Jamesville-DeWitt’s meeting with Oswego and ESM’s encounter with Central Square.
Accustomed to sitting atop the OHSL Freedom division, J-D knew that East Syracuse Minoa and CBA were chasing them, and had to keep on winning. In last Monday’s visit to Homer, the Red Rams steadily put things away with consistent run production during a 14-4 victory over the Trojans.
Five different times, J-D had multiple runs in an inning, capped by a four-run fourth, as it never trailed and picked up 16 hits by game’s end.
Amid a fierce power display, Carly O’Hern, Erika Siegel and Emily Clapper each hit home runs, with O’Hern getting four RBIS. Siegel and Clapper drove in two runs apiece.
Clapper scored four times as Amanda Sumida added a triple and also drove in a pair of runs, while also pitching five innings before Julia Fairbanks took over in the sixth. Makenzie Keeler scored three times as she and Hannah Gunther had one RBI apiece.
Then J-D’s game with East Syracuse Minoa was postponed on Tuesday. ESM also saw a game with Homer rained out a day later. But the Spartans did play Friday and lost, 21-4, to Central Square, the Redhawks using an eight-run third inning and seven-run sixth inning to pull away.
All that led to weekend action at the Gillette Road Complex in Cicero, where J-D would play three times – and not win any of them.
The Red Rams met up with reigning state Class B champion Eden (Section VI) and take an 8-0 defeat to the Raiders, while also falling 10-0 to the same Bethlehem (Section II) squad that knocked off state Class AA no. 1-ranked Liverpool earlier that same day. A day later, J-D lost to Fairport (Section V) by a 14-4 m argin.
Bishop Grimes took a 6-1 defeat to Weedsport last Monday, most of the damage rendered when the Warriors scored four times in the top of the third, ruining an otherwise solid pitching effort from Danielle Erwin.
Maria Gronau drove in the Cobras’ lone run in the fourth, but for the most part Grimes had a tough time with Weedsport ace Abby Marsden, who held Grimes to three hits and amassed 16 strikeouts. Kaylee Steiner, Brianna Squier and Alissa Warner had the Cobras’ hits.
Fayeteville-Manlius ran into Central Square last Monday and lost, 7-1, to the Redhawks, who continued its hot play by getting five runs in the third inning to erase the Hornets’ early 1-0 lead.
Alex Monashefsky’s hit led to that lone run, but despite two hits apiece from Teagan Shaw, Bella Bastian and Sarah Vaccaro, F-M could not capitalize against Central Square pitcher Abby House, who overcame eight hits and six walks and constantly escaped trouble in her complete-game effort.
Rain postponed Tuesday’s game between F-M and Baldwinsville, but the Hornets resumed later in the week, falling 13-8 to Utica Proctor on Saturday afternoon.
