ONONDAGA COUNTY – Nearly 23 months had passed since the Jamesville-DeWitt softball team was last on the field, having just secured the latest of its long string of Section III Class A championship banners.
And it looked like the Red Rams were intent on more glory in 2021, as judged by the way it took apart Cortland in last Monday’s season opener, eventually blanking the Purple Tigers 20-0.
A three-run first inning got J-D started off well, but then it batted around twice in the second inning and finished with 11 runs, adding three more runs in the fourth and fifth innings.
Katherine Dorazio’s home run, two doubles and four RBIs were part of a four-hit effort as Miriam Zoghby went five-for-five at the plate and scored four runs. Emily Bulone and Katie White both had three RBIs as Emma White drove in a pair of runs.
Then J-D hammered Oswego 24-2, another game shortened to five innings by the mercy rule. A seven-run first inning and eight-run third inning proved highlights.
Dorazio went four-for-four with a triple, double, two singles, two RBIs and four runs scored. Madilyn Ancone also went four-for-four, earning a home run, double and three RBIs as Bulone also went deep and drove in two runs. Amanda Aitken added three RBIs as Kaira McMahon pitched and got two RBIs.
Only on Friday did J-D finally have a close game, against Central Square, but the Red Rams would hang on to beat the Redhawks 5-3.
Scoring a run in the first, J-D tacked on three runs in the top of the second, seeing KatieWhite score twice as she, along with McMahon and Bulone, earned RBIs.
Staked to that 4-0 edge, McMahon pitched and, though she gave up two runs in the fourth and a run in the fifth, blanked Central Square the rest of the way, ultimately earning six strikeouts.
That same night, East Syracuse Minoa pitcher Morgan Ransom threw a perfect game against Cortland – 15 batters faced, 15 batters retired – as the Spartans won 15-0.
Of the 15 outs, nine were strikeouts, so it was fitting that ESM peaked with a nine-run second inning. Ransom joined four others – Alana Day, Olivia Goff, Sierra Daly and Raychel Underwood – in producing two RBIs apiece. Katie Schmidt, Abby Herrington and Natalie Quonce also drove in runs.
While J-D flourished, so did Fayetteville-Manlius, who moved to 2-0 on the season last Monday with a fine all-around effort at Baldwinsville, which led to a 10-3 victory over the Bees.
Already up 1-0, the Hornets broke it open with four runs in the top of the third, then adding three runs in the sixth in bewteen single tallies in the fourth and seventh innings.
Paige Murphy pitched and struck out 10, only allowing three B’ville runs in the fifth inning while Gracie Bishop set the tone at the plate by singling, doubling and scoring twice.
Sophie Woodridge and Katrina Rivera each scored three runs as Paige Graves and Gwen O’Connor both had a double and two RBIs. Kaleigh Hamilton and Morgan Napier also drove in runs.
Christian Brothers Academy took the field for the first time last Tuesday, facing Homer, and it finished with 18 hits overall as the Brothers pounded the Trojans 16-4.
Those hits were spread around, too, as four ifferent CBA batters – Julia Griffith, Erin Nardella, Avery Bowman and Sierra Burke – got three hits apiece, while Kenzie Witz got a pair of hits and Allie Boule scored three times.
More runs followed in Thursday’s 16-1 romp over Solvay, with the Brothers plating seven runs in the first inning and then multiple-run rallies in four of the next five innings to match its Homer totals.
Griffith hit a solo home run, one of her three hits. Bowman and Nardella got four hits apiece, Bowman scoring three times and Witz plating four runs to go with her pair of hits, which Mackenzie Halstead matched.
