Now in pursuit of a third consecutive Section III Class AA championship, the Cicero-North Syracuse softball team got the jump on all of its league rivals with a trip south in the first week of April.
Instead of the usual destinations, such as Myrtle Beach or the Disney complex in Florida, the Northstars this time found itself in Tenneseee, set for a series of games against opponents from different states – and beat all five of them.
It all began for C-NS last Wednesday as it faced Bullitt East, from Kentucky, and saw pitcher Ariana Corasaniti throw a one-hit shutout as the Northstars prevailed 10-0.
In her five innings of work, Corasaniti recorded four strikeouts without a walk, and C-NS supported her with at least one run in all five innings, capped by a three-run third.
Brooke Nicolaos drove in three runs, with Giana Wameling also getting a pair of hits as she earned two RBIs. Brandi Feeney and Jenna Imbesi joined Corasaniti in getting single RBIs as Wameling, Imbesi and Shannon Sisco each scored twice.
Two games followed on Thursday afternoon, and C-NS won them both, in vastly different manners.
Against Ballard Memorial (Kentucky), the Northstars’ bats produced a 19-4 victory, getting those runs in just four innings, including six-run outbursts in the first and third innings.
Feeney, in particular, had a memorable game, smashing three home runs in her four at-bats and getting six RBIs. Wameling went four-for-four, while Jordyn Maldonado also went deep as she and Alayna Harbaugh each drove in two runs. Adriana Houston added a pair of hits.
Later in the day, C-NS had a far closer game against a Tennessee opponent, Hickman County, but still won 5-2, erasing an early 2-0 deficit by scoring twice in the third inning and going in front with a three-run rally in the top of the fifth.
Feeney and Nicolaos had the key hits as they both earned two RBIs, with Wameling getting two hits and scoring twice. And after some early struggles, Corasaniti blanked Hickman County over her last five innings, allowing just four hits and three walks while striking out five.
Two more games followed on Friday, and each of them were easy C-NS wins as it took out Taft High School 14-3 and then shut out Maryvale Prep (Maryland) 14-0 to cap the perfect week.
The Taft High game featured Wameling’s three hits, three runs scored and three RBIs as Feeney and Corasaniti each drove in two runs. Ally Ciafratta got two hits and scored twice as Imbesi and Nicolaos also scored twice.
An eight-run third inning highlighted the Maryvale Prep game as Corasaniti did it all, from pitching a complete-game shutout to getting a home run, double and six RBIs at the plate. Feeney also homered as Francesca LaRobardiere added three RBIs
Meanwhile, back home, it warmed up and dried up enough on Saturday for the C-NS varsity baseball team to open its season and earned a 5-0 victory over the Syracuse City squad.
Four runs in the top of the first inning was all the Northstars needed, though it added a run in the third as Justin DelVecchio did it all, limiting Syracuse to three hits on the mound while striking out 11 in a complete-game effort, while, at the plate, earning two hits and two RBIs. Tim Taladay also drove in a run.
