ONONDAGA COUNTY – Unlike many years past, when the Westhill and Solvay softball teams faced each other in 2021, it was the Warriors in the far better position in the league standings.
On a hot Thursday afternoon, the two-game series began with the Bearcats starting strong, but Westhill taking over late to prevail by an 11-4 margin.
Solvay got three runs off Warriors pitcher Alexa Korrie in the third inning, only to have Hannah Schmitz relieve Korrie and, in the remaining 4 1/3 innings, give up just one run while striking out five.
In the top of the fourth, Westhill scored four times to take the lead, but didn’t pull away until a five-run sixth inning while seeing many of its hitters contribute to the effort.
Tori Militi got two hits as she, along with Schmitz and Sarah Balduzzi, scored twice. Abby Cottrell had a pair of RBIs as Belle Cassidy and Jaida Welch also drove in runs. Ava Kosecki led Solvay with two hits and an RBI.
In the rematch 24 hours later, Westhill produced the same number of runs but was more stingy surrendering them in the course of defeating Solvay 11-1.
Other than Brianna Kuhles driving in Maggie Kemp in the top of the second, the Bearcats were kept off the board by Schmitz, who pitched a complete game.
A five-run third inning and four-run fifth inning accounted for most of the Warriors’ damage. Korrie and Balduzzi both smacked home runs, with Abby Cottrell and Catherine Cottrell earning one RBI apiece.
Before all this, Westhill handled Mexico 12-5 last Tuesday with multiple runs in four of the first five innings. Schmitz singled, tripled and drove in three runs as Balduzzi walked four times and scored four runs. Welch and Korrie had two RBIs apiece.
Solvay scored lots of runs in its game at Homer, but still lost 24-13 to the Trojans, who used an 11-run fifth inning to build a cushion.
Kosecki hit a home run and triple to highlight the Bearcats’ efforts as she and Ryleigh Bidwell both got three RBIs. Kaya Watts drove in two runs as Catherine Apker went deep for Homer and had five RBIs.
Then Solvay broke its five-game skid by outscoring Hannibal 15-10 last Tuesday, not taking the lead for good until it scored three times in the fourth and fifth innings to break out of a 6-6 tie.
Toni Sardo singled, doubled and drove in three runs to pace the Bearcats’ attack. Bidwell added two hits as she, along with Delaney Kaszubinski, Brianna Kuhles and Jordan Bamba, drove in single runs.
West Genesee fell to 1-7 in the wake of a 16-1 defeat to Baldwinsville last Monday as an 11-run fifth inning broke the game open.
What followed, on Thursday afternoon, was a doubleheader against Liverpool, who managed to sweep both ends of it.
At least WG got runs in the first game, a 10-4 defeat where Sophia Van Horn and Rachael Shackleton both got two hits and combined to drive in all the Wildcats’ runs.
The second game went 12-0 in the Warriors’ favor as, in four different innings, Liverpool put together three-run rallies and limited the Wildcats to two hits, one each by Van Horn and Shackleton.
In the weekend that followed, WG took a pair of one-run losses, including an 8-7 decision to Rome Free Academy where it scored in five different innings, yet never led, with the Black Knights constantly thwarting those comebacks.
