ONONDAGA COUNTY – Once more, the Liverpool and Cicero-North Syracuse softball teams were squaring off, one more big test before they each headed into the Section III Class AA playoffs.
Yet here at the Gillette Road Complex on a sunny Thursday afternoon the show belonged mostly to pitcher Mackenzie Frani, who kept the Northstars’ bats quiet in a 6-0 shutout.
It helped that Liverpool got off to a quick start, pushing across a first-inning run and then striking for four runs in the top of the second off Lilian Hotaling, two of them racing home on Frani’s single as Joelle Wike added an RBI double.
All that Frani needed was that first run, though. She didn’t allow a hit until Mia Farone singled in the fifth. That, along with Tahlia Gerardi’s single, were left stranded as Frani amassed 14 strikeouts and only allowed one walk.
Already it had proven an eventful week, especially for Liverpool, who once again got the best of Baldwinsville in an extra-inning classic when it prevailed 2-1 last Tuesday at Carrier Park.
Having defeated Liverpool 5-2 when they last met April 27, B’ville again had Bella Hotchkiss on the mound and, again, Cassie Wiggins started against her.
The pair soon found themselves in a tight duel, going through seven regulation innings with neither side able to push across a run.
Hotchkiss kept going into the ninth as, for Liverpool Frani relieved Wiggins. They stayed 0-0 through that frame, too, leading to a 10th inning where a runner would get placed on second base.
B’ville was able to get a run home to lead 1-0, only to have Liverpool have Frani reach base and then have Tristan LaForte single home both runs to win it. Frani and Lily Stevens finished with two hits apiece.
Contrasting this was C-NS taking on Fayetteville-Manlius and, with both pitchers struggling, having to rely on its bats to deliver an 11-7 victory over the Hornets.
Between them, Peyton Bach and Lilian Hotaling allowed 11 hits, but the Northstars made up for it by piling up 17 hits of its own, led by Erica Hibbard, who was four-for-four with two doubles and an RBI.
Eva Farone and Aubrey Coyle had three hits apiece, Farone scoring three times to equal Sydney Rockwell, who had a single, double and RBI. Isabella Moya doubled home another run.
Even an 8-12 overall record, C-NS landed the no. 2 seed for the sectional Class AA tournament and meets no. 7 seed Fayetteville-Manlius Thursday in the quarterfinal round, the winner to get B’ville or Rome Free Academy in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Liverpool, as the top seed, has a bye straight into the semifinal, which it will host Saturday against no. 4 seed Auburn or no. 5 seed West Genesee. The finals are May 31 at 7 p.m. at Carrier Park.
