ONONDAGA COUNTY – Though it took a few innings for the bats to warm up, the East Syracuse Minoa softball team would find a successful groove in a hurry during last Thursday’s season opener against Fayetteville-Manlius.

As a result, the Spartans prevailed 12-3 over the Hornets, indicating that, once again, ESM has the capability to challenge Jamesville-DeWitt and other top sides in the area Class A ranks.

It was F-M who got the jump, scoring twice in the bottom of the second inning on Alexis Hamilton’s home run, and the Spartans were quiet until the fourth, when it put across a run.

Then, in the top of the fifth, ESM broke out, batting around and battering the Hornets pitchers, Hamilton and Natalie Mayne, for seven runs before adding five runs in the sixth.

Madeline Marquart’s home run was the big blow as she finished with three RBIs. Olivia Goff had three hits as she, along with Ava Burry and Ava Meyer, drove in two runs apiece.

Maya Boots and Mya Quonce had two hits apiece, joining Brooke Kirkpatrick in the RBI column as Goff pitched well, striking out 11 and limiting F-M to two hits from Megan Woodridge aside from Hamilton’s long ball.

F-M managed to turn all of this around on Saturday and, against Christian Brothers Academy, put up its own big run totals while defeating the Brothers 14-5.

A five-run first inning set the Hornets’ tone, but it added four-run rallies in the fourth and fifth as Natalie Mayne reached base four times with two walks and two singles and scored three runs.

Mayne, Avery Howe and Kalyna Dannenberg earned two RBIs apiece. Woodridge and Gwen O’Connor also drove in runs. On CBA’s side, Maricatherine Giamartino got two hits and scored twice, RBIs going to Julia Achuff, Avery Bowman and Juliette Zimmerman.