Friday Roundup: Wellsville’s Dunbar ties career HR record with 7th inning smack to finish off 16-0 shutout at C-R; GV/Belfast uses Davenport’s gem to edge past Elba, B-R walks off vs. Oswayo Valley

[PHOTO PROVIDED]

CUBA — The Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford were fresh off extinguishing one of the hottest fires in Allegany County, commencing their Thursday night battle with Genesee Valley/Belfast with plenty of offensive fireworks by scoring all 10 of their runs in the first three innings of play to put them on their heels from start to finish.

They rode the momentum wave into the very next day back on their home field with another challenge waiting in the wings — the Class B State Champion Lady Lions of Wellsville.

As for the Lady Lions, they remain on a tear themselves, having found the win column in seven of their last eight games with no signs of slowing down, with Sectionals approaching right around the corner. Right away in their Friday night visit to Cuba-Rushford, they provided the game’s first crack into the ice.

And over the course of time, the fracture grew larger and larger on the surface until the game had burst wide open in the top of the seventh with a run-scoring parade. The inning’s ringleader, Makenna Dunbar, made a little bit of history while doing it.

Is there anything that she can’t do?

With a 7-0 lead in their possession against the Lady Rebels, the Lady Lions took matters into their own hands and cemented their victory in permanent fashion, beginning the stanza with a lead-off solo homer from their senior first baseman — a shot that landed her straight in the school’s record books with her 24th career home run.

The mark, tying Dunbar with Wellsville Class of 1989 alumnus Marnie Wells for the most ever in a career, as Wellsville registered their fifth straight win in style with a 16-0 shutout of Cuba-Rushford.

Wellsville (13-2) did not miss a single beat coming out of the gate strong against the Lady Rebels, as they scratched the game’s first three runs across the plate — two on a triple to the deep outfield from Kennedy Perry to kick-start the efforts.

The hosts in gray and blue did everything in their power to issue a response back to the Lady Lions, placing two runners on base in the bottom of the second. But the potential logjam would reach its conclusion off a resilient exclamation point from Brynn Hallock and her back-to-back strikeouts to navigate the visitors off the field.

In the top of the third, the Lady Lions siphoned the momentum and branched their advantage even further with their first three hitters all reaching base in the blink of an eye. Their fourth hitter to enter the batter’s box, Lindsay Stuck, proceeded to free every single bag on an absolute missile straight to the left field fence, arriving at second base with a stand-up double.

Perry then brought Stuck in on a sacrifice to right field to close out a 7-0 third inning lead.

The two teams went on to trade three straight scoreless barbs in the middle frames before Wellsville finished off the victory with a seventh inning of mammoth proportion, scoring a big nine-run sequence that was headlined by Dunbar’s history-making home run in the lead-off position.

In total, Wellsville recorded 16 runs on 15 total hits, with Dunbar and Ayla Faulkner each posting three hits. Perry finished with her two hits and three total RBI. In the circle, Hallock locked up the victory through five innings of work, as she handed out 10 chairs and walked only two. In relief, Perry was excellent, handing out six strikeouts of her own.

For the Lady Rebels, they posted just two hits — one each from Aubrey Williams and Emma Bunk. In the circle, Jordyn Radomski collected three strikeouts and a walk in relief. Cuba-Rushford is back on the field this afternoon with an opportunity to bounce back into the win column, traveling to visit Andover/Whitesville in a 3:30 p.m. first pitch in Andover.

The Lady Lions make their grand return home to Tullar Field on Monday, as they welcome in archrival Hornell for a 5 p.m. first pitch.

Wellsville 304 000 9 — 16 15 2

Cuba-Rushford 000 000 0 — 0 2 3

WLSV – Brynn Hallock (WP) (10K, 2BB), Kennedy Perry (6) (6K) and Emily Stuck.

C-R – Claire Moyer (LP) (K, 2BB), Jordyn Radomski (5) (3K, BB), Emma Bunk (7) (5BB) and Arlah Shaffer.

Bolivar-Richburg 5, Hornell 2

RICHBURG — The Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg discovered their way back onto the right side of the tracks after a phenomenal bounce back win over Fillmore on Thursday. In their final home game of the week 24 hours later, it now gave them an opportunity to harness the momentum entering the weekend ahead.

Their next opponent on the waiting list: The Hornell Lady Red Raiders, who kicked the tires early on Bolivar-Richburg off a crucial error in the opening frame. But then, a true defensive battle, led by the pitchers in the circle, formulated out of thin air with six straight zeroes being traded between both squads. With time beginning to run out down the stretch, something had to give for the Lady Wolverines if they wanted to provide a break-through.

In the middle frames, they went on to do just that.

Bolivar-Richburg collected 12 total hits at the dish — three of those hits accounted for all five of the team’s runs that allowed them to rip away a lead from Hornell that they held since the first inning, as Danika Loucks and Kylee Whiting both punctured the scoreboard in devastating fashion to to claim their first lead of the game, using it to lock down what was a 5-2 home win at Stan Harris Field.

After the Lady Red Raiders jumped into the driver’s seat first on an error by the Bolivar-Richburg (6-4) defense, the duel on defense was indeed on, as both teams across the next several sequences at the plate were limited to no more than four hitters during a string of attack. In the midst of it all, a superb outing of pitching from Rylee Whiting in the circle, as she kept Hornell silent with 10 of her 13 strikeouts across a four-inning stand that featured just one hit.

The momentum that the Lady Wolverines established would ultimately transfer to the plate where they forced the lead out of Hornell’s hands in the bottom of the fourth inning. Down to their final out and with multiple runners occupying the bases, Danika Loucks was the first to shatter the facade for the hosts, blasting a two-run single to grant them their first advantage of the game.

Following another shutdown of the Hornell offense in the fifth, the Lady Wolverines remained in firm command, adding to their lead with three more runs in the bottom half — two off another big crack of the bat, this time by Kylee Whiting, who blasted a triple to the outfield to branch out the advantage to four.

The Lady Red Raiders would attempt to dig their way back, plastering four straight hits to open the sixth inning. But nothing further developed from it, as Rylee Whiting handed out her 11th strikeout to leave several runners on base. Hornell would get one more run in the top of the seventh however in the midst of one final threat against the Bolivar-Richburg defense, but Whiting exited the last jam with her final strikeout of the night to preserve the win.

Amongst the hits at the dish for the hosts, Jayna Thomas, Teegan Sibble, Kylee Whiting and Cassidy Stives all had two hits each to fuel the offensive fire.

For Hornell, Izabella Gardner and Lyla Dyring combined for five of the team’s seven total hits, with Gardner’s three leading the way, while Dyring had two. In the circle, Alexis Smith struck out four in her complete game.

The Lady Wolverines will look to close out their week strong back on the road this afternoon, visiting Friendship/Scio at 2 p.m. in Friendship.

Hornell 100 000 1 — 2 7 1

Bolivar-Richburg 000 230 X — 5 12 1

HOR – Alexis Smith (LP) (CG, 4K) and Izabella Gardner.

B-R – Rylee Whiting (WP) (CG, 13K, 4BB) and Sydney Faulkner.

Alfred-Almond 15, Friendship/Scio 10

SCIO — Runs were being traded left and right between both Alfred-Almond and Friendship/Scio throughout much of their Friday night battle in Scio. But when it was all said and done, the visiting Lady Eagles were able to navigate their way out front to put the winning ribbon on top of what ultimately shaped into a 15-10 victory.

Stats and a complete box score were not made available to report upon publication.

Up next on the docket for Friendship/Scio (2-8) are two more games this afternoon back over the hill in Friendship, beginning with a 12 p.m. first pitch against Lima Christian followed by a 2 p.m. contest against Bolivar-Richburg.

Hinsdale at Ellicottville — No report.

BASEBALL

Genesee Valley/Belfast 3, Elba 2

ELBA — There will be times where the game of baseball will turn into the ultimate survival of the fittest. With the offenses virtually remaining at a standstill throughout the contest, Genesee Valley/Belfast and host Elba had to make the very most of their opportunities in any way, shape or form that it came, Friday night.

With the two teams coagulating for seven total hits in the game, it was up to the defenses to hold up their end of the bargain. For Genesee Valley/Belfast, their junior ace Ethan Davenport was up for the challenge.

The hurler was lights out through all seven innings of hard work, holding the Lancers at bay behind an 11-strikeout, one-walk performance. Right behind that, a tremendous effort on special teams to generate their attack, as they came together for two pivotal sacrifice flies to force a changing of the guard not just once, but twice, with the last stemming in the sixth inning to pull ahead towards victory for good in a 3-2 road win.

“Baseball can be a strange game,” said GV/Belfast coach Dennis Miles. “We had some great pitching with some great defense tonight. As good as he is, Ethan really hasn’t been put into a situation quite like this yet this year. It was a bit of a learning curve for him to navigate through, and with it, we’re starting five sophomores behind him. You can only get better when you win games like these. I was asking the kids after the game if they’ve ever been 12-1 in their careers for anything. Nobody has experienced something like this, and for me, that was a really great feeling, especially after a win like this.”

The defensive battle was on right out of the starting gates between the two squads, each trading scoreless jabs across the first two innings of play before Genesee Valley/Belfast (12-1) caught a big burst of momentum in the third inning to lay claim on the contest’s first advantage. Their first run was scored by Ty Hutchison, who reached initially after being hit in the box, later coming around the bases and scoring on error to break the ice.

After the arrival of Ian McKenzie on the bases, the first of two titanic sacrifice flies then ensued for the visitors, as Ryan Daciw, who has had a scorching hot last two games at the plate, continued his tear with a sacrifice fly to deep left field to score his junior teammate to permit a 2-0 lead. Elba fired right back with the next two runs on the board, cutting their deficit in half immediately in the bottom of the third before re-deadlocking the game in the fifth with their second and final score.

Special teams continued to be king for Genesee Valley/Belfast, as they countered the Lancers in the top of the sixth inning by leapfrogging back out in front with a one-run lead, beginning with a walk from Evan Turybury. The senior advanced his way around the bags off a fielder’s choice and a steal respectively to put himself in prime position to score the go-ahead run on Trent Hutchison’s sacrifice fly.

With the lead in hand, the rest of the way forward towards the finish line would rest solely on Davenport’s shoulders. As a result, the Genesee Valley/Belfast junior ace finished off a sublime complete game four-hit victory on the rubber.

Genesee Valley/Belfast now gets set for another road trip early on this morning out west, as they pay a visit to Allegany-Limestone for an 11 a.m. first pitch.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 002 001 0 — 3 3 2

Elba 001 010 0 — 2 4 2

GVB – Ethan Davenport (WP) (CG, 11K, BB) and Donivan Fields, Damon Davis (3).

ELBA – Nicholas Scott (K), Scott Malscelli (LP, 4) (2K, 2BB) and Fletcher Norton.

Bolivar-Richburg 2, Oswayo Valley 1

BOLIVAR — You want to talk about living on the edge of your seat.

In the Land of the Deer and Derrick on Friday, the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg were staring at a game-long deficit against visiting Oswayo Valley all the way down to the final inning of play. There were plenty of nerves, plenty of fingernail-biting and everything else of the anxious variety.

With the offense remaining idle, it was a high quality pitcher’s duel between Oswayo Valley’s Drayton Norton and Bolivar-Richburg’s Maddox Davison that took the center stage by storm. With Davison shutting down the Green Wave in the last four innings of play following their early claiming of the lead, the Wolverines were given one last chance to break free from the narrow stranglehold.

The hosts made the most of it, as they connected the dots and found their way onto the board for the very first time right before loading the bases to set up an incredible opportunity to win the game. The Green Wave made a call to their bullpen with the top of the order looming in the distance for the Wolverines.

But standing at the No. 1 position in the batting order was their senior leader, Landon Barkley. All he did was make the jog down the first baseline to approach the bag, touch it, and the game was soon over, as the Bolivar-Richburg stalwart finished off a special teams comeback at the plate with his game-winning RBI on a walk in the bottom of the seventh to capture the win, as they edged past the Green Wave with a 2-1 victory under the lights.

There was plenty of contact on the baseball to go around for the Wolverines (8-4), but in the first six innings of play, they could not find the timely hit to drive them across, as Oswayo Valley went on to hold the defending Class C Champions to just three hits, freezing them in the midst of a six-inning stalemate while capitalizing on a 1-0 lead that was captured in the top of the third inning.

With no offense being generated, it was on Davison on the mound to keep the Green Wave limited at the plate in return, doing just that with four straight shutout innings after the go-ahead run in the third to keep Bolivar-Richburg more than within striking distance for one final opportunity at the plate to close the night out.

The scoreboard displayed one out on the board for the Wolverines when Connor Margeson worked his way on base with an infield single. After he returned to the dugout in favor of pinch runner Jimmy Day, Waide Karnuth navigated his way on base with a walk before JV call-up Bentley Youngs registered his first career Varsity hit at the most clutch of times, blasting a line drive base hit to score Day and tie the game at one.

With James Gleason being hit by a pitch at the bottom of the order, the dinner table was set for the Wolverines to deliver a potential walk-off in front of their home fans with the bases juiced. After the Green Wave made a call to the bullpen for the first time in the contest, the Wolverines challenged the newest hurler right away when the lineup transitioned back up to the top with Landon Barkley, who maintained his approach in the batter’s box to draw a walk, allowing the winning run to scamper 90 feet home to finish off the walk-off victory.

Margeson and Karnuth each had a hit to round off the Wolverines on the attack. As for Davison on the mound, he held onto the reins and held on tight to his complete game victory, shelling out six strikeouts to Oswayo Valley to collect the victory.

Bolivar-Richburg will look to finish off the week with a potential third win in as many days coming up this afternoon in Friendship, as they prepare to battle Friendship/Scio in a 2 p.m. first pitch.

Oswayo Valley 001 000 0 — 1 7 1

Bolivar-Richburg 000 000 2 — 2 3 0

OV – Drayton Norton (6K, 3BB), Isaiah Goode (LP, 7) (BB) and Luke Karr.

B-R – Maddox Davison (WP) (CG, 6K) and Ryder Iantorno.

Hinsdale at Mount Morris - No report.

GOLF

Wellsville 211, Cuba-Rushford 221

RUSHFORD — In a dead heat straight down to the finish line, it was a consistent balance up and down the scorecard for the Lions of Wellsville on Friday at Allegany Hills in Rushford, as they used Brayden Schuld’s leading round to their utmost advantage to squeeze their way past the host Rebels of Cuba-Rushford with a 211-221 victory.

Schuld aided in carving the path towards a triumphant finish for Wellsville (3-5), as he posted the team’s lowest round of 51. Right behind him on the scorecard were Fletcher Kaye and Payson Root, as the two Lions both turned in rounds of 53. Rounding off the scoring was Rowan Ader and his round of 54.

The Rebels (3-6) were guided by Zach Deck, who claimed the medalist round for the match with a round of 50. Coen Kellogg followed behind with his round of 52. Xavier Saulter chipped in with his round of 58, while Ethan Fries concluded the team’s performance with his round of 61. Coming up on Thursday, Cuba-Rushford will head for the Wellsville Country Club to take on host Genesee Valley/Belfast at 4 p.m.

Wellsville will look to keep their winning ways rolling into Tuesday night, as they continue their road swing to the Bolivar Golf Club with a 4 p.m. tee time against the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg.

TENNIS

Wellsville 5, Bolivar-Richburg 0

BOLIVAR — Back on the tennis court to close out their week, the Wellsville Lions turned the ship back into the momentous current on Friday following their road loss to Avoca-Prattsburgh, as they rebounded in the biggest way possible in their trip to Bolivar-Richburg by leaving town with a 5-0 shutout of the host Wolverines.

All three singles matches that were claimed by the Lions (6-5) were all claimed in a 6-1, 6-1 decision, with Wheeler Dahlgren advancing forward to defeat Bolivar-Richburg’s Trevor Whitsell at first singles to lead the way. At second singles, Michael Bidzerkowny laid claim to his victory over Samuel Martin, while Caydon Grimes finished off his win over Kya Lutes at third singles.

In the doubles department, the first doubles duo of Liam Smith and Keenen O’Connor continued the dominant rampage for the Lions with a 6-0, 6-0 straight-set shutout over Bolivar-Richburg’s (3-2) Starlyn Kisel and Jamie Werner. The match win was finished off by Jonah MacCartney and Brayden Ketchner at second doubles, as they rolled towards a 6-0, 6-2 win over Adalyn Griswold and Kaitlyn Lutes.

The Wolverines are back on their home court Wednesday night, hosting Alfred-Almond at 5 p.m.

Wellsville hits the road for their next clash on Monday, as they pay a visit to Section V stalwart Naples in a 5:30 p.m. first serve.

Singles

1. Wheeler Dahlgren (WLSV) def. Trevor Whitsell (B-R), 6-1, 6-1.

2. Michael Bidzerkowny (WLSV) def. Samuel Martin (B-R), 6-1, 6-1.

3. Caydon Grimes (WLSV) def. Kya Lutes (B-R), 6-1, 6-1.

Doubles

1. Liam Smith/Keenen O’Connor (WLSV) def. Starlyn Kisel/Jamie Werner (B-R), 6-0, 6-0.

2. Jonah MacCartney/Brayden Ketchner (WLSV) def. Adalyn Griswold/Kaitlyn Lutes (B-R), 6-0, 6-2.