CENTRAL NEW YORK – Even as other area softball teams struggled to find a consistent winning form, Jamesville-DeWitt remained sharp in all phases of the game.
The state Class A no. 20-ranked Red Rams rolled past Central Square 13-0 last Monday afternoon, notching four runs in the first inning and three-run rallies in the second, third and fifth innings, helped in no small part by six Redhawks errors.
Savannah Schnoor went three-for-four and scored four time. Amanda Aitken scored three runs, with Emily Bulone getting a double, single and four RBIs. Kayla McQuaid and Kiara McMahon each drove in two runs, with McQuaid allowing three hits but still preserving the shutout.
Far different, and far bigger, was a 6-5 J-D victory in the rematch which proved the Rams’ comeback ability.
Central Square used two runs in the fourth and three runs in the fifth to gain a 5-1 lead. Yet McMahon led the rally, J-D closing within 5-3 in the sixth and then scoring three times in the top of the seventh.
McMahon’s pair of singles led to three RBIs as she also struck out 11 Redhawks batters. Celia Linkiewicz and Sophia Zoghby also drove in runs as McQuaid walked three times and scored each time she got on base.
J-D followed on Thursday with a 15-1 romp over Fulton that featured a six-run fourth inning and 14 hits, three each by Aitken and Linkiewicz as they both produced three RBIs. Zoghby doubled, singled and drove in four runs.
In a Saturday doubleheader, J-D split the games, losing 7-1 to Webster Thomas but routing Rush-Henrietta 18-2 as, in the latter of these games, the Rams pounded out 22 hits, four each by Bulone and McMahon as Hannah Trevisani and Lyla Commandeur joined Bulone in earning three RBIs.
Two local teams met that same Saturday, and Fayetteville-Manlius got the best of it, outscoring East Syracuse Minoa 17-11.
The Hornets managed runs in every single inning, with four different three-run rallies on the way to 24 hits. Megan Woodridge, Alexis Hamilton and Avery Howe led with three hits apiece, with Anna Arthur driving in three runs as Keelin Coates joined Howe with two RBIs.
Falling behind 10-0 at one point, the Spartans still battled to the end. Juliana Orcutt hit a home run, added two singles and got three RBIs, while Sydney Gurniak set a career mark with five RBIs thanks to a double and triple.
Before this, ESM won last Monday against Oswego, where it blasted past the Buccaneers 11-5 with plenty of late-inning production.
Trailing 4-1 going to the bottom of the fourth, the Spartans scored twice in that frame, then put together five runs in the fifth and three in the sixth as Maya Boots homered and Maddy Marquart tripled, both finishing with three RBIs.
Even wilder was Tuesday’s 16-14 win over Fulton, where a seven-run first inning sparked ESM to build a 12-0 margin by the third, yet still require a two-run sixth and a run in the seventh to fend off the Red Dragons’ furious comeback.
Gurniak and Brooke Kirkpatrick each earned three hits and scored six runs between them. Boots singled, doubled and drove in a run as Gurniak got two RBIs.
F-M faced Auburn last Monday and it would go 7-3 in the Maroons’ favor based on a single big inning.
In the top of the second Auburn batted around and produced six runs, with Grace Hoey (three RBIs) and Kelsie Janiewski (two RBIs) leading the charge. In defeat, the Hornets got two hits from Woodridge, with RBIs credited to Anna Egan, Lilian Fowler and Emily Wilson.
Even more frustrating was an 8-7 defeat to West Genesee on Thursday where the Hornets, trailing 8-0 through three innings, nearly made a massive comeback.
A run in the fourth, five runs in the fifth and a run in the sixth made up most of the ground. Howe and Avilene Terry both got two RBIs and Samanatha Monroe drove in a run as Egan and Woodridge both scored twice.
Christian Brothers Academy absorbed a 5-3 defeat to Cortland last Tuesday night at Gutchess Park, the Brothers gaining a 3-2 lead in the fifth only to have the Purple Tigers score three times in the bottom of the fifth to go in front for good. Aubrey Vincentini had two hits as Maricatherine Giamartino, Gracie Battles and Giana Anderson drove in CBA’s runs.
In Thursday’s rematch, CBA turned it around, bashing Cortland 15-3 with multiple runs in five different innings and 18 hits overall. Juliette Zimmerman and Allison Boule had four hits apiece and each scored three times, with Grace Bertone-Nicotra adding three hits as she joined Giamartino and Avery Bowman with two-RBI efforts.
