This is not a typical season for the area’s pair of softball superpowers.
Both Cicero-North Syracuse and Liverpool are expected, as usual, to fight for Section III Class AA honors, but they’ll do so under new head coaches with very familiar names.
After Mary Beebe stepped down at C-NS, Morgan Nandin, a Northstars alum, took over and immediately brought on, as her assistants, two other former C-NS greats, Lucia Meola and Nicole Cummings. All were part of the 2006 state Class AA championship team.
Meanwhile, with Cummings moving over from Liverpool, a veteran name took over – Phil DeAugustine, who in 18 years at Jamesville-DeWitt led the Red Rams to eight sectional titles.
Liverpool would take the field first in 2022 for game action, venturing to the Rochester area last Saturday to face Webster Thomas and getting a 7-1 victory over the Titans.
They were still 0-0 when, in the fourth inning, the Warriors struck for five runs, tacking on two more runs in the fifth, more than enough for pitcher Cassie Wiggins, who held Webster Thomas to two hits and struck out seven.
Joelle Wike tripled, singled and drove in two runs, with Wiggins going three-for four. Tristen LaForte and Lily Stevens had one RBI apiece and Mackenzie Frani scored twice.
Unlike many years, Liverpool would not travel south for the school break, instead hoping to have games his week against Maine-Endwell, Rome Free Academy, J-D and East Syracus Miona (where Meola coached last year) as C-NS travels late this week to Oneida and RFA.
Over on the baseball diamond, Cicero-North Syracusewill only feel satisfaction in 2022 if its season concludes with league and Section III Class AA honors in hand.
The Northstars, who went 12-7 a season ago, began its season hosting traditional Class B power Westhill at the Gillette Road complex and, helped by a big fifth inning, won 6-2 over the Warriors.
Single runs in the third and fourth innings erased Westhill’s early 1-0 edge, but the real blow came in the bottom of the fifth, C-NS scoring four times off Warriors relief pitcher Tyler Campbell.
Carter King walked and scored a pair of runs. Logan Karowski’s single led to a pair of RBIs as Nick Klamm and Corey Cartier got one RBI apiece.
Battista Wood had a strong showing on the mound, going six innings while limiting Westhill to two hits, overcoming five walks with four strikeouts. Bryce Zicaro and Sam Shaw worked the last inning of relief.
