Going into the regular-season homestretch, the Cazenovia softball team had one of its best moments of the spring when it swept last Tuesday afternoon’s doubleheader against the Hannibal Warriors.
In the first of two five-inning contests, the Lakers prevailed 3-1, scoring all of its runs in the first two innings and then depending on solid pitching from Samantha Morgan, who only allowed Hannibal to muster a single run in the bottom of the fourth.
Cazenovia went on to claim the second game, too, though by an 8-4 margin as it broke out at the plate for five runs in the bottom of the first inning and then tacked on three runs in the third to prevent the Warriors from rallying.
Delaney Yorks led the Lakers by going three-for-four, earning an RBI. Morgan drove in two runs as Hannah Matteson, Jenay Griffin and McKenzie Giordano had one RBI apiece. Janie Kempf scored twice and also pitched, earning six strikeouts to overcome four Hannibal hits and issuing five walks.
Things turned around a day later in a twin bill against defending Section III Class B champion Solvay. In the first game, the Lakers lost, 13-0, as Kempf notched the only hit off Delana Thomas after Lauren Nichols struck out eight of the nine batters she faced. Nichols and Ashley Bosco drove in three runs apiece.
But that proved closer than the second game, which produced a 21-0 margin despite hits from Kempf, Samantha Morgan and Danielle Tedesco. An 11-run first inning settled matters as Nichols, Bosco and Nadea Davis each got three RBIs on Solvay’s behalf.
Yet another doubleheader followed on Friday and again, Cazenovia got shut out in both ends of it. Altmar-Parish-Williamstown topped the Lakers 7-0 in the opening game as Rebels pitcher Amber Rice struck out 11 and only allowed one hit, to Matteson. Lacey Saucier hit a home run for APW and got two RBIs.
The 13-0 nightcap won by the Rebels saw the Lakers again held to one hit, this time by Helaina Hale, who surrendered a single to Carli Cunningham, but nothing else as she struck out six. Hale also hit a home run as Rice went three-for-three with a double and three RBIs.
Chittenango started its week taking on East Syracuse Minoa, now coached by former Cicero-North Syracuse and Cortland State star Lucia Meola. The Spartans proceeded to win 20-4, unloading 19 hits and pouncing on the Bears’ defensive struggles as the hosts made nine errors.
All four of Chittenango’s runs came in the fourth inning, when Shayla Muncy got a two-run single as Sydney Bennett and Anna Geiler drove in the other runs. Each of the 11 ESM players that saw action got at least one hit, with Aricia Williams picking up a team-best three hits and Aubrey Williams earning three RBIs.
A day later, the Bears got hit hard again in an 18-2 defeat to Fulton, who were up 5-2 when it scored seven runs in the fifth inning and added five more runs in the seventh. Trisha Whaley had a double and RBI as Fulton’s Madison Gilmore went five-for-six with two doubles and five RBIs to lead her side.
Little changed on Friday, when Chittenango fell to Jamesville-DeWitt 21-2, the Red Rams getting nine runs in the third inning and six more runs in the sixth on its way to 27 hits, with Paige Sherling going six-for-six and scoring five runs as Shayna Myshrall went four-for-five and Carly O’Hern’s three hits led to five RBIs.
Both of the Bears’ runs came in the fifth inning, scored by Geiler and Nicole Myers as Morgan Shoemaker got credit for an RBI.
It was a lot closer Saturday afternoon, but the Bears lost to Mexico 7-6, unable to make it all the way back despite three runs in the top of the seventh inning that nearly erased a 7-3 deficit.
Whaley tripled and got four RBIs, while Shoemaker had two hits and drove in a run. Alexa Rossi contributed three hits and scored twice as Bennett managed a pair of hits, but Chittenango’s record fell to 2-12 entering the last week of the regular season.
