CENTRAL NEW YORK – The weather cooperated, so the Jamesville-DeWitt and East Syracuse Minoa softball teams would meet for the first time last Tuesday afternoon, renewing their neighborhood rivalry.
And while the Spartans carried reasonable expectations into the game, the Red Rams dashed them in a hurry, producing at the plate throughout an 18-2 victory.
A three-run first inning got J-D in front, but the big rallies came later, the Rams batting around in a six-run fourth inning and eight-run sixth inning while capitalizing on six ESM errors.
Emma White went three-for-four, scoring twice. Emily Bulone drove in three runs as Kate Dorazio, Stella White, Kaira McMahon and Miriam Zoghby had two RBIs apiece. Morgan Ransom and Natalie Quonce led ESM, each getting two hits.
J-D was far more motivated, though, for the two games it would play later in the week against Auburn, the team that dethroned the Red Rams in last June’s Section III Class A title game.
And the first encounter in Auburn featured more frustration for the Rams, who could not hold on to two different leads and lost, 6-3, to the Maroons.
In the top of the second, J-D scored twice, only to have Auburn answer it in the bottom of the fourth with Elise Clifford’s two-run home run. The two sides then traded fifth-inning runs as Bulone drove in the go-ahead run, but again the Maroons got back even.
Finally, in the bottom of the sixth Auburn put two on base and Elise Marinelli drove them home with a clutch triple, then scored herself. J-D could not answer it.
However, the two sides gathered again 24 hours later on the Rams’ home turf, and both teams scored more runs – but J-D would prevail, 11-8, meaning the two sides were dead-even having each scored 14 times in their encounters.
The rematch was 1-1 when a wild fourth inning ensued. Auburn scored seven times to take an 8-1 lead, but the Rams nearly matched it with six runs of its own.
Just as important, J-D, trailing 8-7, this time took its turn with the winning rally as it plated four runs in the bottom of the sixth that the Maroons could not answer.
Bulone again was a force, her two triples and a double leading to five RBIs as Emma White drove in two runs. Dorazio, Zoghby, Amanda Aitken and Kayla McQuaid also drove in runs.
Before all this, J-D piled up runs in a 32-0 destruction of Fulton. An eight-run first inning was followed by 11-run outbursts in the second and fourth as Bulone notched six RBIs. Stella White drove in five runs, with Amanda Aitken getting three RBIs. Dorazio went five-for-five, scored six runs and joined McMahon with two RBIs.
ESM rebounded from the J-D loss by handling Fulton 16-1 on Thursday, which was yet another no-hitter for Olivia Goff, who struck out 11. Ava Burry broke out with three hits that led to a career-best five RBIs. Ransom smashed a home run and added three RBIs.
Then the Spartans got a 7-0 shutout of Whitesboro on Saturday afternoon, with all the runs coming in the first and third innings as Goff, aside from striking out 11 and holding the Warriors to five hits, got two RBIs at the plate. Burry, Madalynn Ryan and Sara Brefka also drove in runs.
