Based on the numbers alone, it’s clear that the Baldwinsville softball team is making up ground on three-time defending Section III Class AA champion Liverpool. The question is whether the Bees will catch up to the Warriors at the end.
Last Monday’s game at Liverpool saw both sides struggle in the chilly, damp conditions, but B’ville displayed some resolve by chipping away at an eight-run deficit before ultimately taking a 12-8 defeat.
Briefly, the Bees led 1-0 after getting a first-inning run off Warriors pitcher Jenna Wike. But Liverpool answered with single runs in the second and third innings and appeared to put it away with seven runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Down 9-1, B’ville started to get to Wike with a run in the fifth, and then tacked on three runs in the sixth and seventh innings, which may have made things quite close had Liverpool not earned three runs in the bottom of the sixth to pad its earlier cushion.
Madelyn Shuler and Shelby Stisser both earned three hits and two RBIs to lead the Bees’ attack. Madison Ascioti also doubled and Allie Hotchkiss tripled as they both drove in one run, as did Kayla Young and Jillian Dunn. Ashley Teixeira led Liverpool with three hits and three RBIs as Alicia Nash drove in two runs.
Wednesday’s game, where B’ville hosted Cicero-North Syracuse, did not feature as much offense, but it carried the same result for the Bees, who fell to the Northstars 4-2.
Avenging an 8-3 defeat it suffered April 26 at the Gillette Road complex, C-NS scored twice in the top of the third inning, only to have B’ville get single runs in the third and fourth innings to pull even, 2-2, as Madelyn Shuler hit a solo home run and Kaycee Hawk had the other RBI. Hotchkiss added three hits.
Still, C-NS regained the lead in the top of the sixth, and those two runs proved the difference as pitcher Ariana Corasaniti shut out B’ville in the last three innings of her complete-game effort. Young took the loss depite holding the Northstars to four hits and striking out seven.
Despite these setbacks, B’ville kept working, and on Friday that work paid off when it ended Oneida’s 11-game win streak with a dramatic 8-7victory.
Both teams had two-run rallies before the Indians, with four runs in the top of the third, went in front 6-2. B’ville kept battling back, scoring twice in the bottom of the third and twice more in the sixth to forge a 6-6 tie.
Oneida went back in front in the top of the seventh, but the Bees made one more comeback, pushing across the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the seventh as Hawk, with three hits, and Claire McAllister, with two hits and two RBIs, led the effort. Shuler also had two hits as Hawk, Shelby Stisser and Brittany Cole had one RBI apiece.
