ONONDAGA COUNTY – One lopsided victory over a long-time nemesis was satisfying enough, but the Baldwinsville softball team wanted much more.
It was in that spirit that the Bees traveled to the Gillette Road complex last Thursday to take on Cicero-North Syracuse, a team it beat 17-1 the last time they met on April 26.
Here, the effort was complete as Bella Nazdan and Leah VerSchneider were unstoppable at the plate and Taylor Tripodi pitched one of the best games of her varsity career in a 13-0 romp over the Northstars.
A five-run first inning set the tone and B’ville led 9-0 through three innings. More followed as Nazdan torched C-NS pitching with five hits in five at-bats, scoring five runs.
VerSchneider doubled, singled twice and set a career mark with five RBIs. Hannah Caughey, Bianca DeSellems and Grace Branshaw each scored twice as DeSellems, Branshaw, Bella Hotchkiss, Ayla Fleming and Hadley Michaels also drove in runs, Hotchkiss going three-for-five.
Of course, Tripodi only needed a single run of support. She held C-NS to one hit, by Sydney Puttkamer, and recorded four walks, but amassed 10 strikeouts in her complete-game effort.
Prior to this, B’ville got its bats going against Fayetteville-Manlius last Tuesday afternoon, rolling to a 16-2 victory over the Hornets, more lopsided than the previous two encounters.
Then, after handling C-NS, the Bees faced reigning sectional Class A champion Auburn on Saturday afternoon and, with a fast start and a steady conclusion, was able to beat the Maroons 5-3.
All of B’ville’s runs came in the top of the first inning, when it got to Auburn pitcher Madison Lowe and batted around to seize a 5-0 advantage. Fleming’s two-run single was the key blow as VerSchneider, Hotchkiss and Michaels drove in the other runs.
Ultimately picking up 10 hits (three by Fleming, two each by VerSchneider, Hotchkiss and Nazdan), the Bees saw the Maroons score twice in the bottom of the first and again in the third, but get no closer as DeSellems pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and three walks but striking out five.
On Wednesday, B’ville would get a chance to avenge its lone defeat of the season at home against Liverpool, but only after games against Marcellus and West Genesee as a rematch with the Wildcats on Friday closes the regular season.
