The irony of April’s terrible spell of weather for area high school baseball and softball teams was that it never really improved, or warmed up, until students left (many of them going out of town) for the school break.
And the sun was out on Saturday for West Genesee’s softball team s it took on Auburn. Eager to get going again, the Wildcats quickly erased an early deficit and went on to handle the Maroons 10-1.
Auburn notched a lone run in the top of the second inning, but WG answered with four runs in the bottom of the second. Six more runs followed as Katie Drogo doubled twice and scored twice.
Kayla Hoovler singled, doubled and earned an RBI, with Maddy Lux and Teagan Dow driving in two runs apiece. Olivia Pontello, Abbey VanHorn and Kaylee Shackleton also contributed RBIs.
Shackleton also pitched most of the way, a five-inning stint where she overcame six walks to limit Auburn to two hits. Hoovler did not allow a hit in two innings of relief.
A few hours later, West Genesee’s baseball team made its return, against Niskayuna (Section II), and the sunshine seemed to agree with the Wildcats, who promptly defeated the Silver Warriors 12-1 with a combination of production at the plate throughout its lineup and a fine effort on the mound from Liam Barry.
Immediately, Barry was staked to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but WG didn’t stop there, answering Niskayuna’s lone run in the third inning with one of its own and then waiting until the bottom of the sixth, where it erupted for eight runs to put the game away.
Tyler Gould had a pair of RBIs and scored three runs. Matt Kot singled, doubled, scored twice and matched Gould’s two-RBI output as Nick Chemotti scored twice, joining Tim Winn, Gavin Leahy, Joe Comins and Tyler Kensey in driving in single runs.
Meanwhile, Barry, who had a single, double and two runs scored, was solid in his second start of the season, giving up five hits and two walks while hitting a pair of Niskayuna batters, but also earning five strikeouts.
