CENTRAL NEW YORK – A strong regular season means that the Chittenango softball team carried high aspirations into the tough Section III Class B playoff bracket.
And those feelings only got stronger after what the Bears did last Thursday afternoon, going to Marcellus and shutting down the two-time defending sectional Class B champion Mustangs 8-0.
Much of the story was about pitcher Caroline Porter, who quieted the potent Marcellus bats. Tossing a complete game, Porter only allowed two hits, each of them to Carly Hopper, and walked one while striking out 13.
Marcellus had its ace, Bella Mondello, pitching, but Chittenango got to her for two runs in the third and fifth innings, a run in the sixth and another in the seventh.
Stephanie Huckabee led the attack with a triple, single and two RBIs. Alivia Cavotta scored three times as she singled and triple, joining Brianna Tooke in the RBI column as Anna Cavotta scored two runs.
Moving to 14-1 on the season last Tuesday afternoon, the Bears toyed with its neighbors from Cazenovia as it needed just two big rallies to put away the Lakers 15-0.
Chittenango only led 1-0 going to the bottom of the third, but promptly batted around and struck for six runs. Then it did even better in the fourth, with eight runs crossing the plate.
Lauren Machan went three-for-three, scoring twice and getting a pair of RBIs. Huckabee and Mackenna Palko also drove in a pair of runs as Tooke added an RBI and Alivia Cavotta scored three times.
Sophie Wilmot, Abby Falso and Cailee Fenton did manage hits for Cazenovia, but none of them translated to runs against Machan, who pitched and struck out seven.
A day before it met Chittenango, Cazenovia had its latest Laker duel with Sknaeateles and came out on the wrong end of a 20-5 defeat.
Ayla Pas’cal led Skaenateles, going four-for-four with three RBIs, while Lainey Lowe had a home run, triple and five RBIs and Katie Combs also drove in three runs.
Then Cazenovia lost 10-1 to Solvay on Friday afternoon, a three-run third inning and seven-run fifth inning overcoming an early 1-0 lead the Lakers got when Wilmot singled home Fenton.
Just before the playoff bracket was announced, Chittenango added another win on Saturday, pounding Skaneateles 18-3. Although the shutout streak ended, the Bears saw Anna Spencer hit a home run, add a single and amass five RBIs as Huckabee also drove in five runs. Palko had three hits as she and Porter had two RBIs apiece.
With its 16-1 mark, Chittenango secured the no. 2 seed in the sectional Class B playoffs and, on Tuesday, meets the winner of the opening-round game between no. 15 seed Cortland and no. 18 seed Homer, while Cazenovia, as the no. 19 seed, is at no. 14 seed Hannibal on Monday.
