The Marcellus softball team had started with a pair of impressive OHSL Liberty division victories before making the trek south to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for games during the April school break.
Once there, the competition picked up, and the Mustangs took its first defeat of the season last Monday, falling 6-4 to Elmira (Section IV).
A four-run first inning got Marcellus in front, Ellie Mahoney’s RBI double the key blow as Hannah Durand, Emily Durand and Elaine Grattan also drove in runs.
But Elmira chipped away against Mustangs pitcher Aubrey Fraher, scoring single runs in three straight innings before going in front with two runs in the bottom of the fifth and tacking on an insurance run in the sixth.
Marcellus rebounded a day later by pounding Chesterfield (South Carolina) 10-2, much of the damage done in the first two innings when the Mustangs put across seven runs.
Emily Durand’s three hits led to two RBIs as Emma MacLachlan drove in three runs and tripled. Evelyn Webster and Caroline Trytek had two hits apiece as Fraher pitched a complete game, striking out five.
Then Marcellus lost 7-1 to Butler High on Wednesday, only managing three hits as Fraher drove in the Mustangs’ lone run in the seventh inning and a four-run second inning helped put Butler in front to stay.
Back in Central New York, Solvay returned to action Thursday for a doubleheader against Phoenix and swept it, scoring 36 runs in the two games.
The 20-4 opener saw the Bearcats trail the Firebirds 2-0 before a three-run second inning began an onslaught that included nine total runs in the fourth and fifth innings and eight more runs in the sixth.
Hannah Martineau, Ryleigh Bidwell and Bre Kuhles each hit home runs, Martineau getting six RBIs as Bidwell, Kuhles, Emily Britton and Izzy Lambert each drove in three runs. Jordan Bamba added two doubles and two RBIs.
The second game was closer, but Solvay outscored Phoenix 16-10, helped mostly by a five-run first inning and seven-run third inning as it accumulated 17 more hits.
Again, Martineau and Bidwell went deep, Martineau’s five RBIs giving her 11 for the day. Bidwell drove in three runs as Sidney Chaffee went three-for-three, scoring three times, and Allie Posnick added a pair of RBIs.
West Genesee, who also stayed at home, met defending sectional Class A champion Jamesville-DeWitt last Tuesday and held up well, even though it lost to the Red Rams 5-2.
For five innings, Rachel Shackleton matched J-D ace Shayna Myshrall and kept it 0-0, eventually getting six strikeouts. But the Rams got to Shackleton for two runs in the top of the sixth and three more runs in the seventh to get away.
WG did manage single runs in those last two innings, Abbey VanHorn getting two hits and scoring a run as Sophia VanHorn was credited with an RBI.
Turning it around on Saturday, WG defeated East Syracuse Minoa 5-3, mostly due to a four-run fifth inning as Kayla Hoovler pitched a complete game, doubled and got two RBIs. VanHorn and Maddy Tibbetts also drove in runs.
Westhill took a 5-3 defeat to Christian Brothers Academy last Tuesday afternoon, falling behind 3-0 in the third inning but getting on the track in the fourth and fifth inning as Ariel Cassidy, Janae Ricks and Abigail Edgar drove in runs.
But it was the Brothers’ two-run rally in the top of the fifth that made the difference, Cassidy taking the loss despite six strikeouts. Abby Benware had two RBIs and scored twice to lead CBA.
A day later, the Warriors defeated Chittenango 8-3, using four runs in the third inning to wipe out an early 1-0 deficit and then adding two-run rallies in the fourth and seventh innings.
Ricks’ pair of hits led to three RBIs, while Belle Cassidy drove in two runs. Tatiana Wicker scored twice as she, along with Ariel Cassidy and Sarah Balduzzi, drove in one run apiece.
A 15-5 win over Mexico followed on Thursday afternoon, Westhill bolting out to a 7-0 lead by the end of the second inning and adding on from there, Ariel Cassidy picking up five RBIs from her three hits.
Ricks, Edgar and Wicker each had two hits, with Jaida Welch earning a double and three RBIs. Emma Shampine doubled and drove in two runs as Belle Cassidy added an RBI.
