Even if it has a large advantage over most of its possible challengers in the Section III Class A ranks, the Jamesville-DeWitt softball team cannot feel completely safe.
The Red Rams, whose first loss of the season came May 4 against Victor to end a nine-game win streak, found itself pushed hard by East Syracuse Minoa last Monday at Carrier Park before a late surge at the plate, plus Shayna Myshrall’s pitching, put away the Spartans 6-0.
This wasn’t a big surprise, since J-D and ESM had played a close one April 18 that the Rams won 5-4 after trailing 4-0 early, needing three runs in the fourth inning and two more runs in the bottom of the seventh to pull it out.
For five innings in the rematch, it remained 0-0, Myshrall matched by ESM counterpart Shaina Brilbeck. J-D had plenty of early opportunities, yet could not convert on any of them.
But in the top of the sixth, the Rams broke through against Brilbeck, scoring twice, and just to be sure tacked on four runs in the seventh inning.
Madi Ancone doubled twice and Emma White also doubled, each of them getting a pair of RBIs. Ancone scored twice as Miriam Zoghby also drove in a run. Paige Keeler contributed two hits.
Myshrall also had two hits while putting together a complete-game shutout. She struck out five and limited the Spartans to five hits, one each by Morgan Ransom, Gianna Quonce, Gillianne McCarthy, Holly Carr and Bella Pickard.
Back on May 4, J-D had beaten Williamsville North 6-2. Katie White hit a home run and got three RBIs, with Andrea Sumida adding a triple as she drove in two runs.
Victor, though, beat the Rams 3-1, getting single runs off Myshrall in the second, fifth and sixth innings and blanking J-D until Avery Young drove in Katie Dorazio in the top of the seventh.
After the defeat to J-D, the Spartans had its game with Syracuse last Tuesday rained out and another one with Cicero-North Syracuse on Thursday moved back to May 20.
When it returned on Wednesday, ESM could not get on the board in an 8-0 defeat to Syracuse, who used a five-run first inning and three-run fourth inning to support pitcher Adonia Wade.
All Wade did was hold the Spartans to three hits while striking out 10. Ransom had two of those hits, while also pitching as Wade and Donyeasha Bacon each had two RBIs for Syracuse.
J-D, meanwhile, was mostly contained in last Wednesday’s game against Fulton, but with Myshrall nearly carrying the team, the Red Rams beat the Red Raiders 5-1.
Much of the reason why J-D built a 5-0 advantage through five innings was that Fulton couldn’t get Myshrall out. She homered, doubled, tripled and earned four RBIs, also scoring a pair of runs.
Keeler added four hits as Kate Dorazio scored twice and Ancone added two hits. Myshrall lost her shutout in the top of the sixth, but still limited Fulton to three hits and earned eight strikeouts.
It was easier for J-D on Thursday as it blanked Cortland 12-0, Myshrall limiting the Purple Tigers to one hit while striking out five while watching her teammates excel at the plate, though Myshrall did have a double and RBI.
Dorazio, in particular, had a big day, going four-for-five with a double and three RBIs. Sumida had three hits, scored four times and drove in two runs, with Keeler adding a double and three RBIs.
