CENTRAL NEW YORK – Whether defending two championships in one class or holding the top seed in another, softball teams at Marcellus and Jordan-Elbridge never counted on seeing their seasons end in the Section III quarterfinals.
Yet that is exactly what happened last Thursday, the Mustangs’ two-year reign in Class B ended by its neighbors from Westhill in a 6-2 defeat as the Eagles, atop the Class C brackets, was upended by Port Byron 7-2.
The Warriors knew Marcellus well from league play, but had lost 10-1 to the Mustangs when they met early in May. Turning this around required a fine all-around effort.
And it started with pitcher Hannah Schmitz, who gave up a pair of first-inning runs as Bella Mondello brought home Bryn Goldsworthy and Hannah Fagan, but then shut out Marcellus the rest of the way, only giving up two hits and striking out nine.
Facing Mondello again, Westhill put across a run in the second and, in the top of the fourth, stunned the hosts with a five-run rally, the big blow a double by Catherine Cottrell as she finished with three RBIs and three hits.
Alexa Korrie and Isabella Johnson also drove in runs and Schmitz, displaying remarkable poise, got a shutout the rest of the way.
When unbeaten top seed Camden was stunned by Utica-Notre Dame, Westhill found itself hosting the May 27 semifinal against the no. 8 seed Jugglers – and the Warriors, not having a letdown, pulled out a 4-3 decision to advance to the title game against Chittenango.
With the game 0-0 in the bottom of the second, Westhill struck for all four of its runs, two of them racing home on a Sydney Medeiros double as Tori Militi and Bella Johnson also got RBIs.
Schmitz kept it 4-0 until UND nearly caught up in the top of the fifth with three runs, two getting home on Bella Roberts’ single. But Schmitz pitched scoreless sixth and seventh innings, overcoming eight Jugglers hits by earning 10 strikeouts.
Two days earlier, J-E was seeking to avenge its lone defeat of the regular season, to Port Byron on May 12, only to see the no. 8 seed Panthers pull it off again two weeks later.
All of it happened quickly, Port Byron getting to Eagles pitcher Abby DelFavero for three runs in the top of the first and three more runs in the second.
A run in the third made it 7-0 and Panthers pitcher Nicole Namisniak, who with teammate Sadie White would score twice, protected that margin the rest of the way, J-E only able to get single runs in the third and fifth innings.
Over in Class AA, West Genesee sought to oust defending champion Liverpool in a tense Class AA semifinal and got close to it, only to take a 4-2 defeat to the Warriors.
Having beat Liverpool 6-5 the last time they met May 11, the Wildcats got into early trouble here.
In the bottom of the first Maya Mills singled and Ava Falvo doubled her home. An inning later, with the bases loaded, Falvo again struck with a triple that cleared the bases.
Down 4-0, WG settled down. Two pitchers, Maria Brandt and Lorelai Leskoske, combined for two shutout innings apiece, forcing Liverpool ace Cassie Wiggins to defend the lead she got early.
Lexi Rydelek hit a solo home run in the top of the third to make it 4-1, and the Wildcats cut the margin to two in the sixth when Alanna Bowman doubled and then raced home on a Anna Drogo grounder.
Battling to the end, with two out in the top of the seventh singles by Brynlee Elkins and Sophia Van Horn put the tying runs on base, but Bowman look at strike three to end the game.
