ONONDAGA COUNTY – Now the Marcellus softball team was finding its form, which has to make future opponents wary.
The Mustangs went to the turf at Onondaga Community College last Monday to face Jordan-Elbridge and, getting another shutout from ace Bella Mondello, blanked the Eagles 6-0.
Against a strong J-E lineup, Mondello gave up just one hit, a single to Abby DelFavero, and three walks, recording eight strikeouts along the way.
Marcellus earned a run in the first inning on Bryn Goldsworthy’s triple, two in the third and three in the fifth against DelFavero. Goldsworthy and Mondello both scored twice, with Chloe Kuttruff adding an RBI.
As a follow-up, the Mustangs meet Cazenovia at OCC a night later and outscored the Lakers 15-6, getting a triple and two RBIs from both Mondello and Amelia Novitsky as it built a 12-3 lead through three innings.
Janzen Long also drove in a pair of runs, with Goldsworthy, Novitsky and Jillian O’Connor each scoring three times. Carly Sears scored twice and also pitched five innings, surrendering four hits and six walks but striking out four.
J-E, meanwhile, was off until Friday, again at OCC, where against Skaneateles it pulled off a remarkable comeback, giving up 10 runs in the first inning – and still making it all the way back to shock the Lakers 13-12 in nine innings.
That 10-run first included big hits from Ayla Pas’cal, who homered and finished with four RBIs, and Grace Wagner, who drove in three runs as it looked like Skaneateles had struck a decisive blow.
J-E started to rally, though, scoring twice in the third and five times in the fourth to cut it to 10-7. Then, after the Lakers netted a run in the top of the seventh, the Eagles, trailing 11-7, kept it going with a four-run outburst in the bottom of the seventh.
They stayed 10-10 until the top of the ninth, with Skaneateles pushing across a run to regain the lead, only to have J-E answer with the tying and winning runs.
To lead the comeback, DelFavero and Abbie Ahern each drove in three runs as they combined for seven hits. Erin LaVancha added three hits as she and Cameron Fraher had one RBI apiece. Riley Hill drove in two runs as Heather Sorts and Isabella Jay each got a pair of hits.
Skaneateles lost despite gaining 18 hits. The power from Pas’cal and Wagner was supplemented by Reese Gaidis, Cydney Pitman and Ellie Walsh earning three hits apiece, Skyler Simmons adding two hits.
Prior to this, the Lakers unloaded last Monday in a 19-2 victory over Homer, breaking out of an early 1-1 tie with six runs in the second and third innings and then getting away with an eight-run outburst in the top of the fifth.
A 14-hit total included four from Walsh, who drove in two runs. Olivia Eller’s trio of hits included a triple as Simmons and Gaidis also got three hits. Carly Schell scored four runs and Pitman scored three times.
A 13-5 win over Phoenix followed a day later, With Skaneateles putting across runs in five consecutive innings starting with a three-run third and capping with a four-run outburst in the top of the seventh.
Walsh went four-for-five with a double and two RBIs. Eller also drove in a pair of runs as she and Gaidis had three hits apiece. Schell scored four runs as Pitman andWagner scored three runs apiece.
