SYRACUSE – For a long time, it was close to a foregone conclusion that the Section III Class AA softball championship would get settled between Cicero-North Syracuse and Liverpool.

Not in 2022, though. Baldwinsville made sure of this.

The 17-1, state no. 14-ranked Bees almost was denied by C-NS in Saturday’s sectional semifinal at Onondaga Community College, but made a timely late comeback to topple the defending champion Northstars 3-2.

This followed a first semifinal where top-seeded Liverpool had a far easier time of it with no. 4 seed Rome Free Academy, piling up runs in a 10-1 victory over the Black Knights.

B’ville’s game with C-NS did not, on the surface, expect to be close. The young Northstars squad was 6-12 in the regular season and, in two games against the Bees, were outscored by a combined 30-1 margin.

Here, though, Lillian Hotaling, C-NS’s freshman pitcher, did a terrific job from the outset containing B’ville’s potent lineup, pitching four shutout innings that gave her team a chance to go in front.

And the Northstars, who could not convert in a bases-loaded situation in the second inning, did score in the top of the fourth, Aubrey Coyle doubling off Taylor Tripodi, reaching third and then scoring on a throwing error.

Keeping its poise, the Bees waited and, in the bottom of the fifth, finally got to Hotaling. Leah VerSchneider tripled and scored on Hadlei Parnell’s double, with Grace Branshaw adding a run-scoring single.

Another run put B’ville in front 3-1, and Tripodi protected that margin until the top of the seventh, when Riley Barrett reached on a single, moved into scoring position and, when Danielle Filapello singled, scored to cut the deficit to one.

But helped by a big catch from Hadley Michaels, Tripodi was able to record the final outs, having earned 13 strikeouts overall to overcome six walks and five hits. Coyle and Aubrey Barrett each got two hits for the Northstars.

Now, in Wednesday’s sectional final at Carrier Park, it’s B’ville against Liverpool, the only team to beat the Bees in the regular season.

Against RFA, the Warriors wasted little time taking control. In the bottom of the second, Liverpool picked up five runs, three of them racing home on Cassie Wiggins’ bases-loaded double.

Five more runs followed over the next three innings, including a three-run fifth as Katia Flavin hit a home run, Gracie Zankowski’s pair of singles led to two RBIs and Wiggins added a third RBI. Julia Wike, Tristen LaForte, Lauren Ragonese and Lily Stevens each drove in runs, too.

Wiggins pitched and, having buoyed her own effort, proceeded to limit RFA without a hit until the sixth inning. Ultimately, the Black Knights got just two hits and a single run while Wiggins amassed 14 strikeouts.