If he had a chance to think about a dream scenario that would produce a career milestone, Liverpool softball head coach Nick Spataro may have offered up something dramatic, perhaps close, perhaps outlandish.
In other words, the dream might match what really happened Monday at the Gillette Road complex, when the undefeated Warriors erased a six-run deficit to knock off its biggest rival, Cicero-North Syracuse, by a score of 8-6.
Liverpool’s three-year run atop the CNY Counties League and Section III Class AA ranks has taken place largely at the expense of C-NS, and the two were supposed to meet April 11, but it got rained out.
During the 13-day wait for the rescheduled game, Spataro’s win total climbed to 499, mostly based on Liverpool’s perfect run through tournament play last week in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where the Northstars had also gone and played well, losing just once.
Now facing each other, C-NS jumped all over Liverpool starting pitcher Jenna Wike for five runs in the bottom of the first inning, all with two outs. Ally Ciafrotta and Gabriella Corasaniti each hit triples, combining to bring in three of those runs, while Julianna Vassallo and Jessica Gonzalski added run-scoring singles.
Corasaniti returned in the bottom of the second and singled home another run that made it 6-0 in the Northstars’ favor, and she pitched well at the outset, too, retiring nine in a row at one point.
Then, in the top of the fourth, Liverpool struck back. Delanie Alberici and Wike each doubled, Ashley Teixeira drove in Wike and Gina Meyers tripled before a throwing error cut C-NS’s lead to 6-4.
When Sophia Harris connected on a two-run double in the sixth inning, Liverpool tied it, 6-6. Then, in the top of the seventh, Alberici walked and Wike singled before a double steal and wild pitch brought home the go-ahead run and Giana LaValle added an RBI single off reliever Ariana Corasaniti.
All the while, Wike, hit hard in the early going, settled down and, over the last five innings, blanked C-NS, finishing with five strikeouts. When Vassallo doubled in the bottom of the seventh to bring up the possible tying run, Wike induced Morgan Iacuo to fly out to end the game.
