Heavy rain that fell last Tuesday kept the Marcellus softball team from meeting up with Solvay. But there were plenty of games to account for in the days before and after.
Right before the rainout, both Marcellus and Solvay took the field, with the Mustangs holding off Altmar-Parish-Williamstown 10-7 and the Bearcats taking a 3-2, eight-inning defeat to Phoenix.
Solvay had gone in front of Phoenix 2-0 with single runs in the second and fourth innings, Nadea Davis scoring both of them after a pair of hits as Hope Rivera was credited with an RBI.
Delana Thomas had a shutout going until the bottom of the sixth, when the Firebirds used Erika Brown’s clutch single to tie it, 2-2. It stayed that way until the eighth, Phoenix getting the winning run with two outs on Caitlyn Connolly’s single that brought home Isabella Garofalo.
Meanwhile, Marcellus built a 5-0 lead through two innings against APW and was still up 8-2 when the Rebels made a late comeback that fell just short.
Emily Weeks was spectacular at the plate with a home run, triple, double and four RBIs. Hannah Durand drove in two runs as Evelyn Webster scored three times, joining Aubrey Fraher and Isabella Rodolico by driving in single runs.
Solvay took its turn against APW on Wednesday and won, 8-5, coming from behind as it trailed 4-3 before a run in the sixth tied it and four runs in the seventh proved decisive for pitcher Izzy Lambert, who threw a complete game.
Of the Bearcats’ 11 hits, three came from Hannah Martineau as she also scored three runs. Allie Posnick had two hits and two RBIs as Caitlin McCann and Aleah Yaizzo also had two hits, with Rivera contributing an RBI.
Against the same Phoenix team Solvay lost to, Westhill prevailed by that same 3-2 margin on Wednesday afternoon to give itself some late-season momentum.
Both of the Firebirds’ runs came in the first inning, but after that Ariel Cassidy blanked Phoenix, allowing just two hits and recording 11 strikeouts.
The Warriors pulled even with single runs in the third and fourth innings, and went in front with a run in the sixth. Rae Daniel and Janae Ricks led with two hits apiece as Cassidy, Tess Hogan and Leah Diefendorf scored the runs.
Then Westhill shut out Jordan-Elbridge 2-0 on Thursday, a game that may have proved frustrating for the Warriors since it accumulated 10 hits off Eagles pitcher Alexis Delfavero, yet constantly left runners on base.
Fortunately, the single runs produced in the second and fourth innings, both scored by Hogan, proved enough for Cassidy, who struck out 10 J-E batters and only allowed three hits. She also had two hits at the plate to match Hogan and Bella Lavigne.
As that went on, Marcellus had its own duel with Phoenix and pulled it out 2-1, taking the lead on Webster’s first-inning single that scored Caroline Trytek, but seeing the Firebirds get even in the fourth at Taylor Matlock scored that run.
It stayed 1-1 until the sixth, when Weeks doubled home Shannon Kellar, and Fraher closed it out, having thrown three innings without allowing a hit after relieving Rodolico.
The Friday action saw Westhill and Hannibal both win by big margins, with the Warriors blanking its namesakes from Hannibal 22-0 and the Bearcats hammering Mexico 21-0.
In only five innings, Westhill put Hannibal away as every batter got at least one hit, with 20 in all. Cassidy doubled twice as she and Lavigne both earned four RBIs, with Ricks, Gabby Wicker and Emma Shampine getting three RBIs apiece. Rae Daniul also had an RBI.
At Solvay, the Bearcats scored eight runs on Mexico in the first inning and nine runs in the fourth. Thomas and Yaizzo both got four RBIs, combining for three doubles and a triple as McCann drove in three runs. Lauren Hurd and Hannah Martineau both had a double and two RBIs.
J-E ran into Homer last Monday and got shut out, 4-0, by pitcher Nicole Hotchkiss, who held the Eagles to two hits. Caley Cornwell paced the Trojans at the plate with three hits.
All of these teams would enter the Section III Class B playoffs, with Marcellus the no. 3 seed awaiting Lowville or Chittenango and Solvay the no. 5 seed, drawing Homer or Canastota.
Westhill, as the no. 9 seed, would go north to face no. 8 seed South Jefferson in the round of 16, with J-E, as the no. 11 seed, just looking to get to that spot as it took on no. 20 seed Mexico.
