With just one game in the books, the Jamesville-DeWitt softball team was quite eager to plunge into the heart of its schedule against tough opposition inside and outside the SCAC Metro division.
After several rainouts, the Red Rams went east to Ballston Spa for the Grand Slam Tournament, where it played twice against Section II foes and split those games.
It began well, J-D shutting out Holy Trinity (Long Island) 9-0 in the opener . A run in the first inning and three runs in the second put the Rams in control, and it more than doubled that margin in the sixth and seventh innings.
Kaira McMahon allowed eight hits but struck out nine and kept getting out of jams to preserve the shutout and dazzled at the plate, too, tripling twice and driving in four runs. Emily Bulone went three-for-four with a single, double, triple and three RBIs, while Celia Linkiewicz and Sophia Zoghby also drove in runs.
The second game went in the other direction as J-D lost, 5-0, to South Glens Falls. The Rams got just three hits, one each by Bulone, Zoghby and Stella White, while Kayla McQuaid pitched in her first start of the spring.
Fayetteville-Manlius, who entered the week 0-2, gave head coach Mike Curro his first victory at the helm in a wild affair with Auburn at Carrier Park that ended with the Hornets prevailing 20-16.
Much of the game belonged to F-M as it put across five runs in the first inning, seven runs in the third and three in the fifth before a five-run sixth created a 20-6 margin, which allowed it to withstand 10 Auburn runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Megan Woodridge led the way with a home run, double and two singles, which led to three RBIs as she scored four times. Avery Howe, Anna Egan and Alexis Hamilton scored three runs apiece, while, Samantha Monroe, Katie Knapp and Evie Russell each drove in three runs. Egan, Lillian Fowler and Malea Coates all finished with two RBIs.
Far easier was the Hornets’ 12-0 shutout of Indian River a day later. Hamilton pitched a one-hitter, striking out 10 IR batters to overcome five walks.
A seven-run first inning was all F-M needed. Egan went three-for-four, including a double, and got three RBIs, while Fowler, Coates and Howe each scored twice and Woodridge scored three runs.
In a pair of games against Section II opponents on Saturday, F-M took defeats, the closer of them a 3-2 loss to Catholic Central where Woodridge singled, doubled and drove in both runs and Egan added two hits. Then the Hornets fell 15-5 to Schuylerville, though Woodridge added two more hits, joining Egan, Howe and Hamilton in the RBI column.
Coming off back-to-back defeats to Westhill the week before, Christian Brothers Academy turned it around in a big way last Tuesday against Mexico, piling up runs and shutting out the Tigers 17-0.
All told, the Brothers had 18 hits, Avery Bowman going four-for-four and scoring three times. Giana Anderson, Allison Boule and Abby Benzinger had three hits apiece, Juliette Zimmerman adding two hits as she and Gracie Battles combined on a one-hit shutout. Lauren Zollo and Aubrey Vincentini each scored twice, equaling Boule, Zimmerman, Zollo and Giana Anderson.
East Syracuse Minoa got contained last Tuesday in an 8-1 defeat to Auburn, the Spartans’ lone run coming in the third inning. Grace Hoey gave the Maroons a home run and two RBIs as pitcher Lainey Lowe limited ESM to five hits.
Back on Monday afternoon, Bishop Grimes/MPH took a 9-2 defeat to Weedsport, getting both of its runs in the top of the sixth, but seeing Weedsport decide it with four-run rallies in the second and sixth as pitcher Mallory Munn struck out 13 Cobras hitters. A 22-0 loss to Port Byron followed two days later.
