JUST ONE MORE: Dunbar’s 1st inning homer, Cowburn’s 11 Ks leads Wellsville to Class B State Finals with 6-2 win over Section III’s Marcellus; will play Section II’s Schuylerville today for title

[PHOTOS BY TRICIA DAVENPORT]

By John Anderson/Wellsville Sun

BELLPORT — To get to the state finals, your best pitcher is going to get hit, the team has to make plays and timely hitting wins ballgames.

For the Wellsville Lions softball team, that timely hitting came in the Makenna Dunbar connected on a huge home run in the first inning with two outs.

Using that momentum, the Section V champion Lions (22-1) held on to win, 6-2 over Section III Marcellus (19-4) on Friday in Long Island.

“As soon as Makenna hit it, it was gone,” Lady Lions co-coach Shelley Chaffee said. “We want to start early and put the runs on the board, and we've done that the last couple of games. To put the three-spot up there, it was a great momentum builder. For everyone to be ready no matter what happens, and to trust their instincts, it was amazing to see. We knew from day one that this was the goal. They wouldn't have wanted anything less than to make this game, but we definitely want to win it. Now we have that chance.”

Wellsville will play today (Saturday) against Section II champion Schuylerville at 1:30 p.m.

Schuylerville (20-5) defeated Section I’s Albutus Magnus (17-4), 4-1. The games were played in the Martha Avenue Recreational Park in Bellport, N.Y. on Field 1 and Field 3. The championship game will be on Field 2.

This will be the first trip to the State Finals for both teams.

In that game, Sophia Wahl carried a no-hitter into the seventh and she singled and scored. She threw a two-hitter with eight strikeouts and no walks.

In the Wellsville game, as senior pitcher Makenzie Cowburn struck out 11 for the win, the hitting kept coming.

Dunbar had two hits, 2 RBI’s and scored a run, Natalie Adams had a two-RBI double that scored Lindsay Stuck and Ayla Faulkner. Stuck reached on a single. Teagan Burke, who made impressive plays on the field in the Far West Regionals, had a single and scored.

Senior catcher Brazen Beckwith had a RBI while Averee Palmatier, who made an outstanding defensive play on a throw home to catch an out, singled. Sawyer Burke and Marissa Ordway each extended innings with walks.

“They started to climb back into the game with some small ball after a couple of nice hits, but a key outfield play from Averee on a throw to home got a big out. It was an amazing play. The outfielders don't get tested, but they're always ready to make a play. That was an example of that.” said Chaffee.

The game ended with a play that brought back memories of the 1980 World Series, when a foul ball catch sparked the Philadelphia Phillies to a win. The foul ball was tipped by catcher Bob Boone and caught by first baseman Pete Rose.

On Friday, with two outs in the seventh, a foul ball was hit and Beckwith raced toward it and as the ball came down, it was in the glove of Ordway who plays first. With the catch, the celebration was on.

Marcellus’ Ameilia Novitsky was awarded one of the the sportsmanship awards by NYSPHSAA Softball and Natalie Adams received the same honor for Wellsville.