CENTRAL NEW YORK – Armed with strong bats and solid pitching, the Chittenango softball team is again making the case as a top OHSL Liberty division and Section III Class B title contender.
The Bears had won its first two games of the season before facing Solvay last Tuesday and seeing Caroline Porter throw a five-inning no-hitter in a 16-0 victory over the Bearcats.
Other than two walks, Porter kept Solvay off the basepaths, and 12 of the 15 outs she recorded were strikeouts.
Peaking with a nine-run fourth inning, Chittenango took advantage of six Bearcats errors as Anna Cavotta had a single, double and two RBIs. Stephanie Huckabee and Carmelia Furco also drove in runs as Lauren Machan scored four times and Savannah Drake scored three runs.
Good as Machan was against Solvay, she really stepped it up on Thursday afternoon against Mexico, when Chittenango again flourished at the plate and beat the Tigers 18-1, peaking with an eight-run sixth inning.
Twice, Machan connected for home runs, adding two singles and setting a career mark with six RBIs while scoring four times. Helping out, Cavotta was three-for-four, driving in three runs, while Huckabee and Mackenna Palko both gained two RBIs.
This 3-0 week concluded for Chittenango with a game Saturday against East Syracuse Minoa where, in prevailing 7-2 over the Spartans, the Bears used three-run rallies in the first and fourth innings to seize control.
Mackenna Palko’s pair of hits led to three RBIs. Drake, Huckabee, Anna Cavotta and Alivia Cavotta also had two-hit outings as Machan pitched a complete game, striking out eight.
Cazenovia opened its season against Hannibal last Tuesday and lost, 9-2, to the Warriors, who used a three-run second inning and four-run sixth inning off pitcher Paige Reilley to get away
The Lakers did lead 1-0 after a run in the top of the first and added a sixth-inning tally. Lucy Bliss and Riley Newcomb scored the runs, Bel Lazarsky earning an RBI. Zoey Derocha gave Hannibal two singles, a double and three RBIs.
Then Cazenovia went up against two-time defending sectional Class B champion Marcellus and was overwhelmeed in a 22-0 defeat, unable to get a hit against the pitching duo of Bella Mondello and Avrie Hammond as Carly Hopper led the Mustangs with a home run, two singles, three runs scored and five RBIs.
