No. 15 And/Whi softball hangs right with No. 2 ND-Batavia, but offense ignites at right time to propel Lady Irish towards 3-0 blank in Class D 1st Round battle

BATAVIA — Weather would cause a bit of a shift in action over the weekend, including Andover/Whitesville’s clash with No. 2 seeded Notre Dame-Batavia to open up Class D Sectional play, Sunday afternoon.

At Genesee Community College, the No. 15 seeds would give it everything they had, hanging right alongside the Lady Irish for as long as they could. In the end, the bats found a way to come alive for Notre Dame-Batavia in the middle frames, as they posted a go-ahead two-run fourth inning that ultimately gave them enough room to work until the final pitch was thrown, squeezing their way towards victory with a 3-0 shutout of Andover/Whitesville.

“It was a close battle today,” Andover/Whitesville coach Al Barber said. “We just couldn’t find that timely hit that we were looking for. Makaila (Brewster) kept them off balance all afternoon and the defense behind her was sound. Reece (Winters) gunned a couple of runners out as well. It really just came down to the hits, and we couldn’t buy one. I just want to say a big thank you to Makaila and Ava (Grice) for working so hard for so long, and for Destiny (Workman) for sticking with us every step of the way. I will miss those seniors.”

Each team issued three straight rapid fire innings on defense to kick start the action on both sides. After three consecutive strikeouts were issued by Loretta Sorochty in the circle for the Lady Irish, the defensive stance would allow them to transition the momentum to the plate, where a lead-off triple off the bat of Emma Sisson put the game’s first run just several feet away from the plate.

On the very next at-bat, Katie Landers would get a hold of a pitch and send it straight to the outfield. Far enough for Sisson to speed in to score off the sacrifice fly, giving the Lady Irish the 1-0 lead. A second run courtesy of Sofia Falleti would score a short time later in the frame to help extend their lead.

With the lead firmly intact, Notre Dame-Batavia would go on to keep Andover/Whitesville at bat with two more 1-2-3 spurts on defense. In between it all, the final run for the Lady Irish in the bottom of the fifth inning, with Gianna Falleti providing the last piece of damage they would offer on the scoreboard.

Andover/Whitesville received one last opportunity to generate some offense in the top of the seventh, drawing a one-out walk off Sorochty. But the bounce back was on for the Notre Dame-Batavia hurler, as she punched out the next two hitters she faced to leave the runner on and end the game, clinching a spot in Tuesday’s Class D Quarterfinal round.

The No. 15 seeds were limited to just one hit — an Ava Grice single in the top of the third inning to spoil Sorochty’s no-hit bid. In the circle, Makaila Brewster finished with one strikeout and one walk across her complete game outing — the very last of her career, as she joins Grice and Destiny Workman as Andover/Whitesville’s three lone seniors to depart the program for Graduation just over a month from now.

Andover/Whitesville completes their 2024 campaign on the field with a record of 4-12 overall.

Andover/Whitesville 000 000 0 – 0 1 1

Notre Dame-Batavia 000 210 X – 3 6 1

A/W – Makaila Brewster (LP) (CG, K, BB) and Reece Winters.

ND-B – Loretta Sorochty (WP) (CG, 16K) and Sofia Falleti.