Most seasons, the softball games between Cicero-North Syracuse and Liverpool offer up all kinds of storylines, with the balance of power in the area Section III Class AA ranks often on the line.
Yet when these two rivals met last Monday afternoon at the Gillette Road complex, the gap between them was quite large as the Northstars only took five innings to power past the Warriors 18-3.
It didn’t help Liverpool that C-NS was in a feisty mood, having taken a 7-3 defeat to Oneida on April 25 and then seeing its subsequent Northstar Elite Tournament canceled by bad weather.
Things began to unravel in the bottom of the second inning. The Warriors were tied, 1-1, but C-NS struck for six runs in that frame, and then added six runs in the fourth and four runs in the fifth.
Amid the barrage, Brandi Feeney hit a grand slam, added a double and single, and piled up a season-best six RBIs. Ally Ciafratta and Francesca LaRobardiere had three hits apiece, each scoring three runs.
Mackenzie White earned three RBIs, with LaRobardiere, Giana Wameling and Alana Harbaugh driving in two runs apiece. Jordyn Maldonado added two doubles and an RBI.
In defeat, the Warriors did manage seven hits off Ariana Corasaniti, including Makayla Sweeting’s double. Julia Wike and Emma Terzini had one RBI apiece.
As this was going on, Baldwinsville was engaged in a far closer contest against West Genesee, but pulled it out, the Bees defeating the Wildcats 5-4.
B’ville struck first with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second. Kayla Young pitched and kept it that way until WG struck for a run in the fifth and three runs in the sixth to grab a 4-2 advantage, Rachel Shackleton’s two-run triple the key blow.
Yet the Bees staged a comeback of its own, with a run in the sixth to make it 4-3 and then, in the bottom of the seventh, putting across the tying run and then winning it on Young’s RBI single.
Young struck out nine in her complete-game effort. Emma Johnson contributed a solo home run, with Chloe Branshaw getting a single and double as Madison Ascioti and Alyssa Dybacz also drove in runs.
Wet weather caused all sorts of postponements later in the week, C-NS hoping that it would dry up in time to have its own game against West Genesee on Saturday afternoon – but that got pushed back, too.
