Year after year, the Jamesville-DeWitt softball team gets itself in a position to claim championships, both of the league and sectional variety, a trend that other local sides wish to emulate.

None wants that more than East Syracuse Minoa, so it only figured that the Red Rams’ weather-delayed season opener last Wednesday afternoon would come against the Spartans, and one big rally made all the difference as J-D prevailed 5-1.

ESM had gone in front with a run in the top of the second. But that was all it could get on the board against J-D pitchers Shayna Myshrall and Amanda Sumida, who again split the duties and, between them, held the Spartans to four hits, Marshall striking out five.

Meanwhile, ESM pitcher Shaina Brilbeck, charged with that 1-0 lead, was fine until the bottom of the third, when the Rams got to her for all five of its runs, three of them brought home when Sumida smashed a home run. Carly O’Hern and Makenzie Keeler also earned RBIs in that inning.

A day later, ESM took on another tough foe, Central Square, and lost, 8-2, to the Redhawks. Most of that deficit was built in the first and third innings, when the Spartans fell behind 5-0.

ESM only got on the board in the bottom of the fifth when Alissa Daly’s two-run single scored Aricia Williams and Aubrey Williams. Sam Short pitched and took the loss as Hannah Croteau twice went deep for home runs for Central Square and finished with four RBIs. Franchesca Polcaro was the lone Spartans player to notch two hits.

This busy week ended with the Spartans handling Chittenango 9-2 on Friday afternoon, scoring in every inning except the fourth and amassing 13 hits in support of Daly and Brilbeck, who combined to hold the Bears to four hits.

Sami Wysocki went three-for-three as Daly, Taylor Cassella and Alicia Williams had two hits apiece. Polcaro and Samantha Dablock each finished with a pair of RBIs

Christian Brothers Academy also plays in the OHSL Freedom division, but started its season last Wednesday against Mexico, overcoming some early struggles with steady production at the plate in a 10-5 victory over the Tigers.

Down 4-0 going to the bottom of the second, the Brothers chipped way until it led, 6-4, through three innings. Then it used a run in the fifth and three runs in the sixth to put Mexico away.

Victoria Hall notched three of CBA’s 10 hits, driving in two runs and scoring twice. Catherine Burns added two hits and two runs scored, with Bridget O’Hern and Claire Pierret also scoring two runs. Pitcher Juila Soule earned six strikeouts and overcame eight Mexico hits to earn a complete-game win.

Then CBA made it back-to-back wins on Thursday by edging Oswego 3-2, setting up Saturday’s game against the combined Syracuse City team, who was off to its own hot start – which it maintained by defeating the Brothers 9-4.

Syracuse was steady and productive, converting a run in five of the first six innings. CBA couldn’t quite match that pace, though O’Hern and Emily Hall earned two RBIs apiece  and Burns scored twice, matching O’Hern. Adonia wade pitched and earned eight strikeouts in her complete-game effort.

Fayetteville-Manlius struggled in its season opener Thursday afternoon, a 13-1 defeat to Baldwinsville where it managed just four hits, two of them by Sara Arthur, who double and scored the Hornets’ lone run.

Sarah Vaccaro and Isabella Bastian had the other hits as the Bees got hits from nine different players, including Keeanna Wolcik, who drove in a pair of runs. Then defending Section III Class AA champion Liverpool shut out F-M 8-0 on Saturday afternoon.

Bishop Grimes had its own rough start last Wednesday afternoon, falling to Fabius-Pompey 17-5.  The Falcons scored at least one run in every single inning, eventually getting 18 hits as Nicole June led with a single, double, triple and four RBIs.

For its part, the Cobras did manage seven hits, two of them by Becca Vinciguerra. Alyssa Cavallo, Marissa Curtis, Kendall Mancuso and Mariah Ronaldi drove in one run apiece as Kaylee Steiner, Veronica Ansbrow and Brianna Squier scored runs.

Turning it around, the Cobras beat Tully 7-5 on Friday, using five total runs in the second and third innings to go ahead for good. Squier (who pitched a complete game, striking out five_ and Ronaldi did most of the damage, earning three RBIs apiece as Ansbrow also drove in a run.

In a doubleheader against Utica-Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon, the Cobras earned a split, winning the first game over the Jugglers 6-5 before it lost the second game 10-7.

During that second game, Grimes, trying for the sweep, rallied from a 6-1 deficit to tie it, 7-7, only to surrender three runs in the sixth inning. Brianna Squier and McKenna Squier had two hits apiece as the Jugglers’ Sam Fluty and Brook Mucurio had three RBIs apiece.