ONONDAGA COUNTY – Perhaps establishing itself as the favorite in the Section III Class AA picture, the Liverpool softball team continued to put together impressive efforts during its most crowded stretch of the season.
Liverpool had started the week with 7-2 win over East Syracuse Minoa last Monday that featured another late-game comeback.
For five innings, Spartans pitcher Olivia Goff had stymied the Warriors, but it changed in the top of the sixth when Liverpool batted around and struck for all of its runs.
Mackenzie Frani, the winning pitcher, also had an RBI in that decisive sixth, joining Joelle Wike, Lily Stevens, Cassie Wiggins and Ava Falvo driving in runs. Stevens was the only Liverpool batter with two hits off Goff.
This momentum carried over into a doubleheader sweep of West Genesee a day later.
A close opening game went 4-2 in Liverpool’s favor, Wiggins striking out 12 and limiting the Wildcats to five hits. Lauren Ragonese had two hits at the plate as she, along with Joelle and Julia Wike, drove in runs.
It was far more lopsided in the second game, the Warriors bashing WG 14-4 as Frani pitched, struck out eight and also had three hits and three RBIs.
Wiggins went four-for-four, scored three times and drove in three runs. Joelle Wike’s trio of hits led to two RBIs as Gracie Zankowski also got three hits and scored four runs.
In Saturday’s action at Carrier Park, Liverpool was shut out 7-0 by Section V’s Fairport, unable to get on the board despite earning six hits, two each by Stevens and Joelle Wike, one each by Frani and Ragonese.
Next game Section II’s Ballston Spa, who also managed to beat the Warriors 7-0. Wiggins struck out six, but Liverpool again could not get a run, even with Julia Wike going three-for-three.
Cicero-North Syracuse was still going through its fair share of struggles, symbolized by last Thursday’s 13-0 defeat to Baldiwnsville at the Gillette Road complex.
A five-run first inning got the Bees in front, and it kept adding to the margin, notching 17 hits. Bella Nazdan went five-for-five and scored five runs as Leah VerSchneider’s double and two singles led to five RBIs.
Even better was the way B’ville pitcher Taylor Tripodi shut down the Northstars, limiting it to just one hit, by Sydney Puttkamer, and four walks while recording 10 strikeouts.
Like Liverpool, C-NS would also play twice Saturday, but do so at the Mudville Sports Complex, where it split those games.
Against Fontbonne Hall Academy, a private school from Brooklyn, C-NS won 22-4, peaking with a nine-run second inning, but it lost the other game 11-0 to Section II’s Ichabod Crane.
