Thursday Roundup: Lions end season strong on links despite loss to Class B powerhouse Addison at home; B-R sweeps home twinbill with GV to clinch share of D-I title
WELLSVILLE — On a rainy Thursday afternoon, it was the very last day on the links for the Lions at the Wellsville Country Club, as they hosted perhaps their toughest test of the season — Class B perennial, the Knights of Addison.
The Lions would also celebrate Senior Night honoring their two lone graduates — Aidan Hart and Lance Grantier, who recorded their best rounds of the season. Despite falling to the Knights at the end of the day, Wellsville recorded one of their best rounds on the slate, coming together for a team round of 183 in their 149-183 defeat to the visitors.
“Addison is probably the best team we’ve faced all season, and this was maybe the best team I’ve faced in my career coaching golf,” said Lions coach Brian Meyers. “It was Senior Night for both Aidan and Lance, and they shot their best rounds of the season tonight, which was awesome to see. I feel bad that we missed the cut for Sectionals, and we were really close to making it. But overall, we had a great season after a year off because of COVID. The kids all golfed well, and a lot of the new kids caught on quick as the season went on.”
Grantier and Hart led the way at the top of the scorecard for the Lions (12-4) with team-low rounds of 39. Ethan Bailey added in a round of 47, while Kailob Phelps rounded off with a round of 58.
Wellsville’s 2021 season on the links has officially come to a close, as they wrap up with a record of 12-4 overall.
BASEBALL
Wolverines clinch share of D-I title with sweep of GV
BOLIVAR — There is a chance that the Allegany County Division I championship this season could be shared amongst three different teams at the top — those being Fillmore, Cuba-Rushford and Bolivar-Richburg. That scenario would come to fruition if all three teams were able to win out their remaining games this weekend, with the Wolverines up first to close out their regular season at home on Thursday.
With Genesee Valley in town for a pair to close out their regular season, Bolivar-Richburg did what they could to make sure they earned a piece of the Division I crown, as they swept the Jaguars in both games by holding them to a single hit across the board while scoring a myriad of runs along the way to record 10-0 and 14-0 shutouts.
In game one, the Wolverines (11-4) scored all 10 runs in the first three innings of play to set the tone almost immediately on offense, with Wyatt Karnuth leading the way with four runs driven in off two hits, while Landon Danaher provided two hits of his own and one RBI. Darien Champlin added in a hit of his own.
On defense, Logan Bess and Danaher took command of the mound by holding Genesee Valley (2-7) to a single hit — a Trent Scott lead-off single in the first inning, as Bess tallied the win behind three strikeouts and three walks.
In game two, the Wolverines were highlighted by Trey Buchholz, who recorded the no-hit performance on the mound with nine strikeouts and two walks. The bats would continue their momentum at the plate, recording 14 runs off 12 total hits to spark an early 4-0 lead after the first inning, extending it in each inning to pull away toward the series-sweeping victory.
Brayden Ellis, Landon Danaher and Wayne Karnuth all recorded at least a pair of hits at the plate, with Ellis going 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Danaher added in a triple within his two-hit effort, driving in two runs in the process while Wayne Karnuth contributed a pair of singles.
The Wolverines will now await Sectional seeding which begins this weekend, as they finish with a record of 11-4 overall. As for the Jaguars, their regular season will end with back-to-back home games beginning tonight with a 5 p.m. meeting against Fillmore before hosting Andover to close the book on their slate at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Game 1
Genesee Valley 000 00 – 0 1 5
Bolivar-Richburg 244 0X – 10 9 0
GV – Thai Norasethaporn (LP) (2K, 5BB), Joe Ward (4), and Jesse Babbitt.
B-R – Logan Bess (WP) (3K, 3BB), Landon Danaher (5) (2K, 2BB), and Brayden Ellis.
Game 2
Bolivar-Richburg 431 60 – 14 12 2
Genesee Valley 000 00 – 0 0 0
B-R – Trey Buchholz (WP) (CG, 9K, 2BB), and Wayne Karnuth.
GV – Joe Ward (LP) (3BB), Jesse Babbitt (1) (3BB), Max Wedge (2) (2BB), Trent Scott (4) (2BB), and Thai Norasethaporn.
Belfast 18, Archbishop Walsh 0 (F-5)
BELFAST — The bats for the Bulldogs of Belfast were an uncontrollable brushfire at the plate, as they continued their momentum from their road win at Whitesville back home on Thursday when they scored 16 of their 18 runs in the second inning of play to coast past visiting Archbishop Walsh with an 18-0 shutout in five innings.
The Bulldogs (6-5) blasted three home runs to propel the offense, with Matt Weaver recording a pair of them in the team’s massive second inning — his first as a solo shot, and his second as a two-run blast to finish his two-hit day at the plate. Matt Cater led the bats with a perfect 4-for-4 outing at the plate, blasting a two-run home run of his own to help further the team’s cause.
On the field, it was Stephen Struckmann and Garrett Miller that led the way by combining to hold Archbishop Walsh to just two hits, with Struckmann’s five strikeouts picking up the victory, while Miller added six more strikeouts and one walk in relief.
Belfast’s regular season will close up Saturday morning with a 10 a.m. road trip to Hinsdale.
Archbishop Walsh 0 0 0 00 – 0 2 2
Belfast 0 (16)0 2X – 18 14 0
AW – Luca Quinn (LP) (7BB), Shane Croker (2) (4K, 7BB), and Greg Carl.
BEL – Stephen Struckmann (WP) (5K), Garrett Miller (3) (6K, BB), and Justin Hill.
SOFTBALL
Belfast 6, Fillmore 3
BELFAST — Crosstown rivals converged in Belfast for the first and only time this season on Thursday, and for Fillmore and Belfast, it was a footrace to the finish line. After an exchanging of leads in the early-going, a front-runner began to emerge. That being the Lady Bulldogs after taking the 2-1 lead over the Lady Eagles, they would avoid a late stand by scoring two big runs to branch their lead out for good to hold the 6-3 edge in the end.
The Lady Bulldogs (7-5) were able to get on the board after Fillmore initially took the 1-0 lead to begin the night, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the second to take the lead away, ultimately for good, as they added to it later on in the bottom of the fourth with another two-run frame to extend their advantage to three.
The Lady Eagles (5-6) would attempt to cut away their lead by knocking in their last two runs off of a Preslee Miller double to the deep portion of the outfield in the top of the fifth, cutting their deficit to a single run. After Belfast pushed their lead back out to a pair of runs as a response in the bottom half, the 5-3 lead was extended one last time with Abby Sullivan doing the honors with a big RBI single to seal the deal on the victory.
Emma Sullivan would pick up the win in the circle for the Lady Bulldogs, striking out seven and walking three. On offense, Sondra Guilford led the team with two of their six hits, both on singles, while Sullivan pitched in with a double.
On the other side, Fillmore was led by the bat of Lizzy Nugent, who went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Torann Wolfer had two more hits to add in. Kirstin Frazier struck out three and walked three in her complete game for the Lady Eagles, whose regular season officially closes with a record of 5-6, as they now await Sectional seeding.
Belfast’s regular season will close Saturday afternoon over the road, as they prepare to visit the Lady Panthers of Andover for a 12 p.m. first pitch.
Fillmore 100 020 0 – 3 7 3
Belfast 020 211 X – 6 6 3
FIL – Kirstin Frazier (LP) (CG, 3K, 3BB), and Kada Frazier.
BEL – Emma Sullivan (WP) (CG, 7K, 3BB), and Harley Proctor.
BOYS TENNIS
Fillmore 4, Cuba-Rushford 1
HOUGHTON — Perhaps the hottest team on the tennis court since the beginning of the season — the Eagles of Fillmore, made sure that they remained red hot to close out their regular season slate back home at Houghton College, as they rolled toward victory with two wins in each the singles and doubles realms to record the 4-1 win, their eighth in a row, over visiting Cuba-Rushford on Thursday.
In the singles department, Colby Wolfer led the way for the Eagles (8-3) with a 6-0, 6-0 straight set shutout of Cuba-Rushford’s Ayden Kameck at third singles. At second singles, Carter Sisson followed with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Aaron Kumpf. Fillmore’s last two wins came via forfeit in both doubles matches, as the teams of Henry Decker and Zach Herring, and Ryan Ballard and Joe Derck provided those triumphs.
The Rebels (2-4-1) were led by Nate Cole at first singles, as he challenged Fillmore’s Eben Schilke through three sets of play, ultimately winning the back and forth battle by a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory.
Both teams have concluded their regular seasons.
Singles
1. Nate Cole (C-R) def. Eben Schilke (FIL), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.
2. Carter Sisson (FIL) def. Aaron Kumpf (C-R), 6-2, 6-1.
3. Colby Wolfer (FIL) def. Ayden Kameck (C-R), 6-0, 6-0.
Doubles
1. Henry Decker/Zach Herring (FIL) by for.
2. Ryan Ballard/Joe Derck (FIL) by for.
