CENTRAL NEW YORK – Except for the occasional stumble, the Marcellus softball team had displayed plenty of power and pitching, showing its capability of defending the Section III Class B championship.
What the state no. 5-ranked Mustangs hadn’t needed as much was patience and poise, which it put on display last Wednesday when it claimed a 2-1, 10-inning classic over state no. 17-ranked Jordan-Elbridge.
Even as it built an 11-1 record, J-E knew it had a lot to prove in this game, but did so in the way pitcher Alexis DelFavero mostly kept the potent Marcellus lineup quiet.
The Mustangs took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, Carly Hopper driving home Bella Mondello, but then for the next seven innings DelFavero shut out the Mustangs, recording seven strikeouts and not allowing a walk.
On the other end, Aubrey Fraher was blanking the Eagles until the top of the fourth, when Ava Hildebrant walked and ultimately came around to score and tie it, 1-1.
And there it stayed as DelFavero dueled with both Fraher and, once extra innings arrived, Mondello. Combined, the Mustangs pitchers amassed 17 strikeouts and held the Eagles to four hits, one each by DelFavero, Abby Ahern, Erin LaVancha and Riley Hill.
Then, in the bottom of the 10th, Brooklyn Finarty got her third single of the game, reached scoring position, and raced home with the winning run when Emma MacLachlan singled, her third hit of the afternoon.
A day earlier, Mustangs had a lot of fun in last Tuesday’s game against Cazenovia, stacking up 23 hits and netting 18 runs in the first two innings of a 23-1 victory.
An 11-run first inning set the tone as Emma MacLachlan went three-for-five, scored four runs and got five RBIs. Fraher, Mondello and Katie MacLachlan each drove in three runs, with Elaine Grattan, Bryn Goldsworthy and Hannah Fagan driving in two runs apiece.
J-E, meanwhile, had put up plenty of its own runs against Cato-Meridian, prevailing 15-1 as it scored in every inning except the fourth and had nine total runs in the sixth and seventh innings to get away.
And after the narrow defeat to Marcellus, J-E did pull out a 6-5, nine-inning decision over Altmar-Parish-Williamstown on Saturday, surrendering a 4-0 lead late in regulation but winning it with a run in the bottom of the ninth as Ahern and Abby DelFavero each got two RBIs, with Hildebrant and Riley Hill adding two hits apiece.
A strong late-season push by Skaneateles continued last Tuesday with a 17-2 victory over Fabius-Pompey where it scored multiple runs in every inning except the second, capped by a five-run third.
Carlee Pitman and Ayla Pas’cal both hit home runs, Pascal getting three RBIs and Pas’cal two RBIs. Ellie Walsh and Natalie Yokom also drove in three runs as Chelsea Metz and Cydney Pitman had two RBIs apiece.
Humbled on Wednesday, Skaneateles lost, 10-1, to Chittenango, but rebounded on Saturday to rout Solvay by that same 10-1 margin to clinch a winning record at 11-9.
The Lakers used a four-run second inning to take charge and saw Gaidis and Ellie Walsh both get three hits, with Ayla Pas’cal and Finny Pas’cal driving in two runs apiece and Gaidis holding the Bearcats to three hits overall.
Solvay defeated Homer 10-9 last Tuesday, building an 8-2 advantage by the fourth inning and hanging on late despite committing eight errors.
It was easier a day later, Solvay bashing Phoenix 23-1 with a 23-hit effort that included four hits from Jenna Wing. Susie Overend’s trio of hits led to four RBIs as Delaney Kaszubinski also drove in four runs. Gianna D’Eredita got three RBIs as Neveah Baker and Antoinette Sardo had two RBIs apiece.
But the Bearcats did not make the sectional Class B playoffs, where Marcellus has the top seed and a bye directly into Thursday’s quarterfinals, where it faces no. 8 seed Canastota or no. 9 seed Mexico.
Westhill, as the no. 7 seed, hosts no. 10 seed Central Valley Academy in Tuesday’s opening round just as no. 12 seed Skaneateles travels to no. 5 seed Holland Patent.
