Now the Jamesville-DeWitt softball team is humming, with its clear goal – toppling Oneida and reclaiming the Section III Class A championship – the only thing on its mind.
Having moved to no. 21 in the state Class A rankings, five spots behind Oneida, the Red Rams moved up to face Class AA West Genesee last Monday on the turf at Onondaga Community College and flourished, shutting out the Wildcats 4-0.
Amanda Sumida pitched one of her best games of the season, holding WG to three hits and overcoming four walks as she recorded six strikeouts. She also had a double and RBI as J-D grabbed a 2-0 first-inning lead, adding single runs in the fourth and sixth. Carly O’Hern drove in two of the Rams’ runs.
Another Class AA foe, Auburn, visited the Lyndon complex a day later, things turned around, J-D falling to the Maroons 6-2.
Reversing what happened against West Genesee, it was the Rams giving up two runs in the first inning. Then Auburn pulled away in the top of the fifth, when it got three more runs off Shayna Myshrall before tacking on a run in the sixth.
Sumida and Sarina Alexander drove in runs, but despite drawing nine walks, J-D couldn’t put together a big rally as Maroons pitcher Katie Feocco kept escaping trouble, limiting the Rams to four hits and striking out nine.
Then, to close the regular season, J-D hosted Fulton on Friday afternoon and blanked the Red Raiders 12-0, getting another gem from Sumida, who threw a three-hitter and piled up 12 strikeouts.
Four-run rallies in the second and fourth innings helped the Rams, who finished with 17 hits. Hannah Gunther had two of those hits, driving in three runs as O’Hern and Makenzie Keeler got two RBIs apiece. Sumida scored three runs, with Myshrall, Paige Keeler and Sara Gow earning one RBI apiece.
East Syracuse Minoa visited Christian Brothers Academy last Tuesday afternoon, and the Spartans got off to the hot start – but it was the Brothers who finished it off, leaning on the sister tandem of eighth-graders Tori and Emily Hall to rally for an 8-7 victory..
During the top of the first, ESM batted around against CBA pitcher Bridget O’Hern, piling up six runs. From there, though, O’Hern settled down, and started getting help when the Brothers scored twice in the bottom of the second on Abigail Benware’s double.
Two innings later, with the bases loaded, Emily Hall sent Shaina Brilbeck’s pitch over the fence for a grand slam, tying it, 6-6, with one swing of the bat. ESM regained the lead with a run in the sixth, but in the bottom of the seventh, three outs from defeat, the Brothers came back once more, tying it on Emily Hall’s single and then winning it when Tori Hall’s single brought Rosalee Winderl home with the decisive run.
All told, Emily Hall had five RBIs and three hits,, with Emily Hanson going three-for-three with three runs scored. Benware also had three hits as Winderl, O’Hern, Claire Pierret and Julia Sullivan got two hits apiece.
A day earlier, CBA had started well at Central Square. Other than that, though, little went right for the Brothers in a 10-2 defeat to the Redhawks.
First-inning hits by Catherine Burns and Bridget O’Hern allowed Victoria Hall and Maria Oliva to score, and CBA led, 2-0. Thanks to Julia Boule’s pitching, the Brothers stayed in front, 2-1, until Central Square chased Boule during a seven-run fourth inning that proved the difference.
Though O’Hern did a solid job in relief of Boule, the damage was rendered. Erin McCarthy paced the Redhawks with three hits, while Taylor House had two hits and three RBIs. Abby House and Alyssa Payne drove in two runs apiece.
Right after the the ESM comeback, CBA would meet up with Cazenovia on Wednesday and spare itself any late drama, routing the Lakers 17-2 as Burns pulled off the cycle – a home run, triple, double and single – as part of a five-for-five effort that included five RBIs.
O’Hern also went deep, adding two doubles and a triple on her way to four RBIs. Tori Hall and Emily Hanson each got three hits and drove in two runs as part of a 25-hit attack where Benware, Julia Boule, Julia Sullivan and Erin Hall got two hits apiece.
ESM, meanwhile, took another close defeat on Wednesday, falling to Mexico 5-4. All of the Tigers’ runs came in the first two innings before pitcher Alissa Daly settled down as Alissa Seaburger led her side with two RBIs.
Trailing 5-3 going to the top of the seventh, the Spartans pulled within one, but Tigers pitcher Brianne Clark got the final outs. Julia Jackson, Courtney Burgun and Aubrey Williams had two hits apiece for ESM as Burgun got two RBIs and Jackson also drove in a run.
The skid ended Thursday with the Spartans outscoring Oswego 15-10 in a wild affair where ESM scored five runs in the first inning, yet trailed the Buccaneers 7-5 before erupting for 10 runs in the bottom of the third, all that it would need.
Burgun, Brilbeck, Aubrey Williams and Taylor Cassella each got three hits, with Burgun and Cassella earning four RBIs apiece. Jackson and Aricia Williams each drove in two runs as Franchescha Polcaro joined Burgun and Aubrey and Aricia Williams in scoring a pair of runs.
When the sectional tournament starts on Tuesday, CBA moves down to Class B and picks up the no. 11 seed, going north to face no. 6 Lowville in the opening round, with the winner to face no. 3 seed Altmar-Parish-Williamstown.
Back in Class A, J-D got the no. 2 seed, After a first-round bye, the Red Rams woill meet Vernon-Verona-Sherrill or New Hartford in Thursday’s quarterfinals, a place no. 8 seed ESM hoped to reach as it hosts Fulton with a berth against top seed Oneida in the quarterfinals at stake.
