The Solvay softball team still hadn’t lost a game, and was intent on keeping that perfect mark as long as possible as its great first half of the regular season has led to a climb to no. 2 in the state Class B rankings, trailing only Long Island power Babylon.
But the Bearcats’ 11-game win streak came to a halt during Saturday’s appearance in the Mudville Tournament in Herkimer. Solvay first ran into Pearl River (no. 8 in the state in Class A) and lost, 3-1.
These teams traded third-inning runs, Delana Thomas driving home Aleah Yaizzo to get Solvay on the board, but Pearl River went in front for good with single runs in the fourth and sixth innings, overcoming Lauren Nichols’ nine-strikeout pitching effort as she allowed six hits. All told, the Bearcats managed just four hits, two of them by Thomas.
Then, against another Section I school, John Jay-East Fishkill (no. 16 in the state in Class AA), the Bearcats dropped a 6-3 decision, Again, Solvay had just four hits, unable to recover from giving up four runs in the bottom of the first, despite some late production that included run-scoring hits by Yaizzo and Nadea Davis.
Before all this, the Bearcats would face West Genesee last Thursday at Onondaga Community College’s turf field, which could absorb the rain that fell – and also bear witness to the latest Solvay hitting display in a 15-6 victory over the Wildcats.
Solvay scored in every inning except the fourth, including Maya Martineau’s home run as she scored four runs and matched Hope Rivera with three RBIs, Caitlin McCann drove in four runs as Thomas tripled, drove in a run and matched Yaizzo in scoring three runs.
WG did score five runs in the sixth inning off Nichols as Olivia Davoli drove in two of those runs, with Kaylee Shackleton adding an RBI. Nichols allowed seven hits and five walks while striking out six.
Before that, Solvay made it nine in a row last Monday with a 17-0 romp over Chittenango. Before the weather hit, Solvay built a 6-0 lead on the Bears and then piled up 11 runs in the fifth inning to evoke the mercy rule.
Nichols, who struck out 10 in her one-hit shutout, doubled twice at the plate, scored three times and got four RBIs. McCann, Martineau, Davis and Lauren Hurd had two RBIs apiece as Yaizzo, Rivera, Thomas and Sam Farruggio also drove in runs, Thomas and Martineau each scoring three runs.
A 21-0 shutout of Pulaski followed on Wednesday to spread the win streak to double digits, with the Bearcats scoring in every inning except the fourth and Nichols not allowing a hit in her five innings of work, striking out 12 before Thomas pitched the rest of the way.
McCann finished with four hits, including a triple, while Nichols and Rivera drove in three runs apiece. Althea Davies doubled and joined McCann in the two-RBI column as Martineau scored four runs thanks to her two hits and two walks. Thomas, Farruggio and Yaizzo had one RBI apiece.
Bishop Ludden managed to get in last Monday’s game against Tully before the weather hit, taking a 15-3 defeat to the Black Knights, who used six-run rallies in the third and fourth innings to pull away.
The Gaelic Knights managed just three hits, one each by Ally Weigand, Ally Royal and Taylor Frink as Weigand and Royal earned RBIs, too. Emily Lantiegne led Tully’s attack with two hits and four RBIs.
A 22-5 loss to Fabius-Pompey followed on Wednesday with the Falcons jumping all over Ludden with 12 runs in the first inning. A five-run fourth kept it from getting worse for the Gaelic Knights as Bridget Brogan drove in two runs. Wiegand added an RBI. Eight different F-P players had at least two RBIs.
Westhill played last Wednesday and took a 6-2 defeat to the combined Syracuse City team, held to one hit, a Katie Lobello double as Syracuse pitcher Adonia Wade struck out five. Leah Diefendorf and Rachel Danilu scored the runs as Helena Cory led Syracuse with three hits, including a triple, and two RBIs.
Rebounding at home on Thursday afternoon, the Warriors routed Skaneateles 16-1, needing just five innings to accumulate those runs as it recorded 15 hits overall to improve its record to 7-5 and all but clinch a playoff berth.
