Perry’s gem, rapid 1st inning genesis, Hallock’s insurance-bolstering homer permits 5-0 start for State Champion Lady Lions, roll past C-R with 9-0 shutout at Tullar Field

WELLSVILLE — The weather that we have been presented with through the first two weeks of April has been less than exemplary. After yet another whirlwind of precipitation, along with a continuing declination of temperatures walloped the area again, most of the action scheduled on the Friday night docket was tabled once more.

All except for one, at Tullar Field — the home of the defending Class B State Champion Lady Lions of Wellsville.

After many volunteers gathered at the historic grounds earlier in the morning to pull the tarp off the field, the preparations soon followed. After many hours of field maintenance, the hard-working deed was done in time for the Lady Lions to play in front of their home fans for the very first time this Spring.

Although it was their only game before they exchange in the gloomy, overcast skies that have surrounded Wellsville for some bright sun and sand on the shore in North Myrtle Beach next week, the Lady Lions wanted to make sure that their first game was just as fiery as their red-hot start to their title defense.

They would deliver on their promise with the visiting Cuba-Rushford Lady Rebels in town for a visit, as the Lady Lions utilized a dominant complete game gem from Kennedy Perry in the circle, along with a rapid first inning commencement and an insurance-bolstering three-run nuke off the bat of Brynn Hallock to lay the foundation down for their fifth straight win of the campaign in their return home, cruising towards an eventual 9-0 shutout.

It was an advantage that the Lady Lions (5-0) were granted right from the very beginning following one of many 1-2-3 innings on the field, propelling their way out in front with an early array of base-runners which loaded the bases against Cuba-Rushford on three different occasions. Some of the occupancy on the bags was relieved from within a four-run bottom of the first, a frame that served as the offense’s bedrock, captained by the first two of Brynn Hallock’s five RBI in the contest on a single up the middle to break the ice.

For the next three and a half innings, the bats were silent between both teams, as Cuba-Rushford (1-3) and Wellsville combined for just four hits across that span. That included the two lone knocks for the visitors in gray and blue — a single each from both Emma Bunk in the second inning, and later, a single off the bat of Jordyn Radomski in the top of the third.

In the midst of seven straight retirements by Perry with her arm in the middle frames, the Wellsville sticks reignited to provide even more cushion to their advantage, as they stacked four more runs onto the board in a bottom of the fifth inning that was powered by Hallock once again, as she blistered a three-run bomb to deep center field to break the floodgates open.

Wellsville would press on to score one final run in the sixth on an RBI single from Perry into shallow right field, plating Makenna Dunbar. The Lady Lions bats finished with nine runs off 10 total hits against the Lady Rebels, with four different hitters — Hallock, Perry, Dunbar and Teagan Burke, all posting two hits.

As for Perry in the circle, she was nothing short of exceptional, as she twirled a sterling two-hit blank of her opposition, finishing with 13 strikeouts.

For the Lady Rebels, Jordyn Radomski went the first four innings on the mound, fanning three and walking five before being relieved by Emma Bunk, who added three more strikeouts in her two innings of relief. Cuba-Rushford is now off until after Spring Break, when they return to their home field on April 22 for a 5 p.m. first pitch against the Lady Eagles of Fillmore.

The Lady Lions will now pack their bags and prepare for a long bus ride down south for the week, as they hit the road for North Myrtle Beach for a trio of contests on the field beginning on Monday, as they take on Lake Braddock of Virginia first at 10 a.m.

Cuba-Rushford 000 000 0 – 0 2 2

Wellsville 400 041 X – 9 10 1

C-R – Jordyn Radomski (LP) (3K, 5BB), Emma Bunk (5) (3K) and Arlah Shaffer.

WLSV – Kennedy Perry (WP) (CG, 13K) and Lindsay Stuck.