CENTRAL NEW YORK – Early-week rains quickly subsided and area high school softball teams returned to the diamond, bent on improving from what it had shown so far.
And no one showed more, especially on the weekend, than Fayetteville-Manlius, who earned a pair of memorable victories less than 24 hours apart.
It all began last Friday against West Genesee when the Hornets trailed 5-2 before rattling off three runs in the fourth and fifth innings, followed by a five-run outburst in the top of the seventh.
All of it was needed to hold off the Wildcats 13-11 as Anna Egan, Gwen O’Connor and Kalyna Dannenberg had three hits apiece. Egan drove in three runs as Dannenberg got two RBIs and F-M overcame two home runs and four RBIs from WG’s Lexi Rydelek.
A day later, in the ALS Tournament at the Gillette Road Complex, the Hornets made another trademark comeback and, by doing so, handed 7-0 Chittenango its first defeat of the season in a 3-2 decision.
The Bears led 2-0 when the Hornets struck for a run in the bottom of the third. It remained that way until the fifth, when Egan scored the tying run.
Then, the top of the seventh, Egan singled, moved to second, got to third on Megan Woodridge’s infield hit and scored on Olivia Szcerbaniewicz’s single that proved to be the game-winner when the Bears were shut down in the bottom of the seventh.
All of this more than made up for a 10-0 defeat to Liverpool on Thursday, a game where only Egan, Woodridge and Alexis Hamilton managed hits off Liverpool ace Cassie Wiggins, who struck out 12.
East Syracuse Minoa rebounded from an April 15 defeat to Chittenango by going to Fulton and, despite the chilly temperatures, getting a memorable performance from Olivia Goff in a 16-2 victory.
All that Goff did was pitch a complete game, striking out 15 against seven hits allowed, while at the plate striking for a pair of home runs, adding a single and piling up a career-best seven RBIs.
Sara Brefka had two singles, a double and two RBIs.Ava Burry, Brooke Kirkpatrick and Natalie Quonce each scored three times, Maddie Marquart and Mya Boots both driving in runs.
In a non-league game on Thursday, ESM lost, 7-3, to West Genesee, seeing Alanna Bowman and Makayla Dunham both hit home runs for the Wildcats as Bowman got four RBIs and Sophia VanHorn went four-for-four. Goff, in defeat, was three-for-four and drove in two runs, Marquart adding an RBI.
A 4-3 defeat to Whitesboro followed on Friday, the Spartans getting two more hits and an RBI from Goff as Mya Quonce also drove in a run.
Christian Brothers Academy prevailed 7-1 over Mexico on Thursday, getting all of its runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings. Avery Bowman and Giana Anderson had two hits apiece, with Allison Boule scoring twice and pitcher Juliette Zimmerman only allowing one hit in five innings of work.
Bishop Grimes took a 10-0 defeat to Jordan-Elbridge last Monday in a game where Eagles pitcher Abby DelFavero threw a no-hitter and teammate Abby Ahern hit for the cycle and finished with four RBIs.
At least Grimes got on the board Thursday in a 13-8 defeat to Weedsport, where it built a 7-2 lead thanks to a six-run fourth inning before Weedsport rallied with four runs in the fifth and seven in the sixth. Rainbow Butler drove in two runs as Elizabeth Corl tripled, joining Isabella Esquivel and Isabella Cubero with one RBI apiece.
More runs came on Friday, yet Grimes lost again, 17-10, to Fabius-Pompey. Myla Plankow tripled, singled twice and drove in three runs as Sabrina Loop added an RBI. A 15-0 loss to Solvay followed on Saturday afternoon.
