To some degree, the Solvay softball team is not the dominant unit that stomped through the OHSL Liberty division for most of the last half-decade.

Still, the Bearcats are a winning force, as it proved again last Monday afternoon when it came from behind in the bottom of the seventh inning and pulled out a 4-3 victory over Marcellus, one of its main challengers for league supremacy.

At first, it was a pitcher’s duel between Solvay ace Lauren Nichols and Marcellus counterpart Isabel Rodolico, neither side giving in until the bottom of the fourth, when the Bearcats scored twice.

That 2-0 deficit for the Mustangs got erased in the sixth, when Nichols, who hadn’t allowed a hit and struck out 11, got replaced by Delana Thomas. Marcellus jumped on Thomas as Emily Welch, Emily Durand and Evelyn Webster each drove in runs to give Marcellus a 3-2 lead.

But Thomas settled down and tossed a scoreless seventh inning. Then, in the bottom of the seventh, the Bearcats evened it up off Rodolico and won it on a run-scoring single by Nadea Davis, her fourth hit of the afternoon. Prior to that, Aleah Yaizzo, Althea Davies and Caitlin McCann each had RBIs for Solvay.

This was supposed to lead to Tuesday’s big showdown with Altmar-Parish-Williamstown, the team that snatched the Section III Class B title from the Bearcats a year ago, but that game was rained out, as were others that day involving local sides.

Solvay did play at Phoenix on Wednesday, though, and blanked the Firebirds 13-0. Nichols gave up two hits and two walks, but amassed 16 strikeouts while also recording three hits and three RBIs at the plate.

Jumping out early, the Bearcats got five runs in the first inning and three more in the second to take control. Thomas matched Nichols with three hits, scoring twice as Davis scored three runs. Davies earned a pair of RBIs as Riviera earned a double and RBI.

Bishop Ludden was impressive in last Monday’s season opener, routing McGraw 22-3 in five innings, the Gaelic Knights storming out of the gate with eight runs in the first inning after the Eagles scored three times in the top of the first.

Then Ludden added 11 runs in the second inning as Ally Weigand homered and finished with three hits and four RBIs. Bridget Brogan also went deep, doubling twice and driving in three runs as Taylor Fink got two RBIs. Nicole Noreault, Kaitlyn Kibling and Angela Rotundo each drove in one run.

Two days later, the Gaelic Knights lost, 10-5, to Cato-Meridian, the game scoreless until the Blue Devils exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the fourth, eventually building a 10-0 lead before Ludden tried to rally late, Brogan tripling in two runs as Sam Scheer added an RBI.

Meanwhile, Westhill saw its scheduled road game at East Syracuse Minoa last Monday moved to the Warriors’ home diamond, but that didn’t help as Westhill still took an 11-3 loss to the Spartans.

ESM took control with four-run rallies in the second and fourth innings. All of the Warriors’ runs came in the fifth courtesy of Leah Diefendorf’s bases-clearing triple that followed Tess Hogan’s double, the only hits Westhill would manage. Spartans pitcher Sam Short tossed a complete game and got two RBIs at the plate.

The Warriors turned around on Wednesday with a 14-1 win over Cazenovia, set up by scoring 11 runs in the first three innings. Katie Lobello doubled three times as part of a four-for-four effort as Hogan and Rachel Daniul each got three hits and three runs scored. Bella Lavigne, Janea Ricks, Katie MacBain and Gabriella Wicker had two hits apiece.

Things turned again on Saturday, only this time it was Westhill on the wrong end of a lopsided decision. The 12-1 loss to Oswego saw the Buccaneers score three times in the second, third and fifth innings after two runs in the first. Janea Ricks had two hits for the Warriors, including the one that plated Lobello with her team’s lone run in the sixth.

At Onondaga Community College on Thursday, Jordan-Elbridge lost to Phoenix 12-2. Both of the Eagles’ runs came in the first two innings, scored by Bailey Van Gorden and Annie Altwarg, with Megan Whalen earning an RBI and Mia Arms getting both of her team’s hits.

But the Firebirds scored in every single inning and broke out of a 2-2 tie with two runs in the third and fourth frames, putting it away with four more runs in the sixth as Isabella Garofalo led with a triple and three RBIs. J-E pitcher Liz Baker took the loss.