Tuesday Roundup: F/S returns home from Myrtle Beach, Ross fires perfect game to collect 6-0 victory over GV/Belfast; Wellsville baseball cardiac again with go-ahead 6th inning to knock off Olean

BELMONT — Back home from Myrtle Beach and on the field in Allegany County for the first time this season marched the Friendship/Scio softball squad, Tuesday night. After experiencing three games of extremely high quality against some of the best competition around, the defending Class D State Finalists were looking to take it to the next level themselves.

Their first piece of opposition back home was a team they have had many close encounters with in recent seasons, and in years past — Genesee Valley/Belfast, where two of the three meetings against them last year were decided by three runs or less.

The only constant in all three of those games? — pitching phenom Nevaeh Ross.

The Friendship/Scio senior was simply lights out from start to finish in her first start inside the circle in the County, freezing Genesee Valley/Belfast’s bats completely by striking out 18 batters in the midst of what was a perfect game across the board. Alongside her sister Morghyn Ross at the top of the order on offense, the two siblings would combine for four of the team’s five hits to aid in generating a 6-0 victory on the road in Belmont.

“I’ll tip my hat to Nevaeh. She’s a one-of-a-kind player and she did not mess around today,” said GV/Belfast coach Mark Sullivan. “She threw strike after strike. Hannah (Southwick-Powers) did pretty well to counter her in the circle, giving up only five hits and having 14 strikeouts. We had some blunders on defense that ultimately made the difference, and in games like this, we cannot do that. We have to go back and try to fix that up.”

Friendship/Scio (2-2) broke the ice right out of the gate with the assistance of Avery Lamberson, who became the first baserunner to reach, working her way around to third base in scoring position. On the next at-bat, Morghyn Ross provided a one-out sacrifice to deep right field to bring her in for the early 1-0 lead.

With the advantage established within their possession, the rest would lay on the shoulders of Nevaeh Ross, who struck out eight of her first nine batters to keep Genesee Valley/Belfast (3-1) at bay. With another run coming across in the top half of the third inning off a Morghyn Ross single down the right field line to plate her older sister, a pair of scoreless innings for both Nevaeh Ross and Hannah Southwick-Powers were exchanged along the way to maintain the two-run degree of separation.

Between the two hurlers across all seven innings of work, 32 combined strikeouts were garnered.

Friendship/Scio would go on to score their last four runs in the final three innings of play to push their advantage further away from Genesee Valley/Belfast’s grasp, scoring two in both the fifth and seventh innings to ensure the victory would remain intact in the end, as Ross closed the book on an 18-strikeout perfect game.

Countering Ross was Hannah Southwick-Powers, who went the distance for the hosts in a twirled five-hit bid, fanning 14 Friendship/Scio hitters and walking just four. Up next for Genesee Valley/Belfast is a 5 p.m. visit to Bolivar-Richburg, Thursday night if weather cooperates.

As for Friendship/Scio, they will look to ride the momentum wave up north to Letchworth tonight, if weather permits, as they prepare for a 4:30 p.m. first pitch.

Friendship/Scio 101 020 2 – 6 5

Genesee Valley/Belfast 000 000 0 – 0 0

F/S – Nevaeh Ross (WP) (CG, 18K) and Morghyn Ross.

GVB – Hannah Southwick-Powers (LP) (CG, 14K, 4BB) and Jenna Hill.

Cuba-Rushford 14, Franklinville 11

CUBA — In a wild opener in Cuba on Tuesday, a grand total of 25 runs off 20 total hits at the plate were collected between both the Lady Panthers of Franklinville and the host Lady Rebels in a relentless back-and-forth exchange, all game long.

After a fiery start by the hosts in gray and blue that was cooled off by Franklinville in favor of a hot streak of their own that tied the game down the homestretch, a brand new ballgame developed. The victory that awaited in the end, was there for the taking.

Looking for a response to Franklinville’s incredible rally, the Lady Rebels would have to do it with their backs against the wall. Following a two-out walk issued to Aubrey Williams, the hosts would bat around their lineup and garner four consecutive singles to power up a forceful three-run frame to break the deadlock with the Lady Panthers once and for all. In the seventh, the fort was held down by a strong final tenure of defense to preserve and lock down the 14-11 victory.

“It was a wild game to be a part of. It was a great night for a ball game, and I’m just happy we got this first game under our belts. We need to clean up some things defensively, but I was happy with how we hit and put the ball in play tonight.” said Lady Rebels coach Mary Keesler.

The Lady Rebels (1-0) were engulfed with flames to start the night off in front of their home crowd, as they went straight to work on a seven-run opening at-bat after leaving Franklinville scoreless. Through the first three innings, the hosts would formulate a 9-2 lead proceeding two runs for each team across the second before a scoreless third inning came to fruition.

In the middle frames, the offenses continued to catch fire with the game’s remaining 13 runs combined. With Franklinville beginning to inch closer to Cuba-Rushford off a five-run top of the fourth, they would keep the hot bats alive at the plate in the next frame of play with three more runs scratching across, tying the game at 10 on each side to complete the early rally.

After one more deadlock was scavenged through the next full inning of action, it was down to Cuba-Rushford in the bottom of the sixth to break it open even further themselves. With it, the Lady Rebels connected on four consecutive hits with Williams standing on base to jumpstart the gigantic game-changing frame to springboard ahead, ultimately for good.

Cuba-Rushford scored 14 runs off 11 total hits at the plate, with Sydney Howard assembling a performance that benefited both sides of the world on the field, fanning two and walking four in her three-inning start inside the circle, while going a perfect 3-for-3 with a triple, RBI and run scored to lead the bats. Kate Radomski chipped in with two hits of her own and drove in three runs.

If weather permits, the Lady Rebels are back on the field Thursday night with another home game in store, this time against the Lady Eagles of Fillmore in a 5 p.m. first pitch.

Franklinville 020 531 0 – 11 9

Cuba-Rushford 720 113 X – 14 11

FRA – Kaelynn Graves-Decker (4K, 13BB), Aubrey Ensell (LP, 5) (K, BB) and Lilah Cudney.

C-R – Sydney Howard (2K, 4BB), Lizzie Kocsis (4) (3K, 4BB), Jordyn Radomski (WP, 6) (K, BB) and Arlah Shaffer.

Fillmore 11, Andover/Whitesville 6

FILLMORE — After visiting Andover/Whitesville witnessed their four-run cushion dissipate down the stretch, the host Lady Eagles of Fillmore saved their best inning for last on Tuesday.

With the visitors knocking on the doorstep of a potential heroic comeback in the making, Fillmore would put a stop to that in the bottom of the fifth inning. Leading 4-2, the Lady Eagles pushed their chips to the center of the table for a massive inning that saw them put their foot down on the gas pedal and never let off of it, scoring seven gigantic runs to pull away towards an 11-6 home victory.

“I thought both teams had some good plays on both offense and defense tonight for being off over a week,” Lady Eagles coach Jon Beardsley said. “Obviously, there was some rust there as well. I was pleased with our contact today, and moving runners when they were in scoring position.”

The Lady Eagles (2-1) wasted no time getting their feet established in the first three innings of play, as their offense went straight to work on assembling a big 4-0 lead to hold against Andover/Whitesville off a pair of runs scratched across the plate in the first and third innings of play.

Andover/Whitesville (0-1) would come right back though and keep the pressure on Fillmore for as long as they could in each of the next two innings. In between a scoreless bottom of the fourth they issued to the Lady Eagles, the visitors posted two big runs — one in each stanza to trim their deficit straight down the middle.

But despite it, the Lady Eagles were able to shake it off and deliver a punch right back at them in the bottom of the fifth, scoring seven humongous runs — three of them coming across on a three-run, inside-the-park home run to the deep outfield for Mattie McCumiskey. The home run was one of two hits she would muster for the hosts, collecting a double to pair with it.

For Andover/Whitesville, they were not done by any means. Down 11-2 going into the seventh inning, they would climb back to within reach after formulating a four-run frame of their own, anchored by a two-run double off the bat of Reese Winters, one of two hits she would post in the contest. Olivia Waters would also record a pair of hits, a double and a triple.

But in the end, the deficit was ultimately too much to overcome, as the Lady Eagles and their 11-run, nine-hit effort on offense allowed them to hang on for dear life and secure the victory.

The win in the circle would belong to Mylee Miller for the Lady Eagles, as she fanned six Andover/Whitesville batters in her tossed complete game. At the plate alongside Oakley Frazier, the two Lady Eagles would record a pair of hits, while Preslee Miller drove in a pair of runs.

Andover/Whitesville was led by Makaila Brewster in the mound, as she fanned four and walked four in her complete game inside the circle. The team will return to action on Saturday in Andover, as they prepare to host defending Class D State Finalist Friendship/Scio in a 11 a.m. first pitch.

Andover/Whitesville 000 110 4 – 6 7 3

Fillmore 202 070 X – 11 9 3

A/W – Makaila Brewster (LP) (CG, 4K, 4BB) and Reese Winters.

FIL – Mylee Miller (WP) (CG, 6K) and Oakley Frazier.

BASEBALL

Wellsville 8, Olean 4

ALLEGANY — Wellsville’s cardiac kids were at it once again, Tuesday night, this time on the grounds of St. Bonaventure University.

Pinned up against Section VI rival Olean, they would search for a fast start to get their wheels turning in motion. Right in their opening at-bats, the Lions did just that by providing the game’s icebreaker with a lead they continued to hold through every passing minute leading up to the fifth inning, where the Huskies managed to fight back and tie the game at three.

For the Lions, just like their common theme this season so far, they would commence the digging and clawing their way back once again. Immediately following Olean’s game-tying stanza in the fifth, the team in black and orange got down to business and provided the perfect response — a four-run top of the sixth inning to catapult them ahead.

While the offense was clicking, the pitching staff of Aiden Cowburn and Trenton Green both delivered the goods during their respective outings on the hill, with Cowburn holding Olean scoreless across four of the first five innings of his start, while Green entered and shut the door tight on Olean with six big strikeouts in relief to aid Wellsville’s fifth win in their first six games by an 8-4 count at Fred Handler Park.

“Aiden was huge for us today,” Lions coach Tom Delahunt said. “He really did a nice job of mixing his pitches, throwing strikes and getting ahead in the count. He gave us a strong effort, but unfortunately when he left, Olean managed to tie the game. But he had a huge hit for us to get us going late. That, along with Trenton pounding the strike-zone. He hasn’t pitched a lot, but he came in and gave us a great outing to slam the door shut.”

The floodgates for Wellsville (5-1) opened right in their first at-bats of the game, as they dug deep and delivered a fast three-run punch against Olean to claim the first lead, using a pair of stolen bases by Cowburn, as well as a big RBI from Trenton Green to power up the offensive engine.

“It was huge to have,” Delahunt said of the first inning spark. “This was Olean’s first game of the season, and to get the first three runs right off the bat against them, it started to make us feel good. Their pitcher was able to settle down shortly after that and pitched really well alongside Aiden. They tied it up to make it a brand new game, but we came right back with four big runs to change the game.”

From that point on, both teams would wheel and deal across the next four innings of scoreless baseball, with Cowburn fanning two of his first three Olean batters faced in the bottom of the first to aid in setting up shop. Fast forward to the bottom of the fifth, the Huskies would manage to break through while being down to their final out of the inning, as they posted three game-tying runs to create an entire new landscape for the remainder of the night.

But it was a landscape that the Lions were not afraid to make their presence known in, as they fired right back a four-run punch, led by a clamorous go-ahead, two-out RBI double to the fence for Cowburn to lead the pack with a 7-3 lead of the Huskies. Each team would trade one final run across the seventh of play before Trenton Green finished off another spectacular outing of relief with the victory in his glove.

In his five-inning tenure, Cowburn fanned five and walked two for the Lions in his no-decision.

At the plate, three different hitters all scored at least a pair of hits, with Green leading the way with his pair and two runs scored. Ty Vogel also chipped in two hits of his own, scoring two more times. Cowburn would help round off the Wellsville bats with two more runs across the plate himself.

If weather cooperates tonight, the Lions are back home to the Den to host Allegany-Limestone in a 5 p.m. first pitch.

Wellsville 300 004 1 – 8 9 1

Olean 000 030 1 – 4 7 2

WLSV – Aiden Cowburn (5K, 2BB), Trenton Green (WP, 6) (6K) and Alex Green.

OLE – Austin Miles (8K, 5BB), Ryan Isenberg (LP, 6) (K), Cal Vogtli (7) (K) and Caine Degolier.

Cuba-Rushford 6, Franklinville 3

CUBA — For the first time since the end of March, the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford made their magnificent return to the diamond for their home opener against Franklinville on a gorgeous Tuesday night for baseball.

In what was a tight battle through the evening’s early-going, timely hitting arises as one of the more crucial elements to the game. For the Rebels, that was sparked by the bat on Braeden Wight, who had all three of his gigantic RBI in back-to-back frames to break what was a third inning deadlock and morph it into a 6-1 lead that they ultimately never lost again, going towards what was a 6-3 victory.

“I was happy to get a win on the home field coming off a long break. I thought it was a pretty clean game all throughout by both teams,” said Rebels coach Pat Wight. “We did a good job of throwing strikes tonight and making plays defensively behind our pitchers. Franklinville is a very solid team with some solid arms on the mound. We got some guys on and had some timely hitting, and that ended up being the game.”

Following a third inning icebreaker provided by the visiting Panthers, Cuba-Rushford (1-1) came together for a massive response of their own. Wight was the main catalyst behind the offense’s success beginning in the bottom of the third, when he collected a big two-out RBI single to tie the game in the third inning before following it up with two more RBI in the third off another single into the outfield.

The latter of the two hits helped jumpstart what was a five-run stanza for the Rebels, as they leap-frogged out to the front of the pack and remained there for good, despite two late runs from the Panthers in the seventh inning, in a late attempt to apply pressure on the hosts.

On the mound for the Rebels was Eli Sleggs, who went the first six innings to strike out seven and walk two. At the plate behind Wight, Adam Roe chipped in with a double and two runs scored, while Kadin Pierce scored one more run.

Coming up on Thursday, the Rebels are back on their home field to welcome in the Fillmore Eagles for a 5 p.m. visit, if weather permits.

Franklinville 001 000 2 – 3 4 0

Cuba-Rushford 001 500 X – 6 4 3

FRA – Bretton Blecha (2K), Matt Spittler (2) (3K), Brady Tatlow (3) (3K), Gannon Callahan (LP, 4) (2BB), Collin Mooney (5) (2BB), Tyrnan Farrington (6) (K, BB), Trevin Laine (7) (3K) and Beau Bielecki.

C-R – Eli Sleggs (WP) (7K, 2BB), Finn Ricketts (7) (K, BB) and Dean Frank.

Fillmore 15, Andover/Whitesville 0 (F-5)

FILLMORE — Isaac Wilcox had a humongous day for the Eagles of Fillmore on Tuesday.

In their first game back on the diamond in nearly two weeks, the freshman struck gold at the plate and powered up the bats by garnering a pair of hits that saw him drive in five big runs in the process. In return on the field, he countered with a strong final inning of relief to help finish off what was a 15-0 five-inning win over visiting Andover/Whitesville to garner their first win of the season.

Fillmore (1-1) witnessed just six hits take shape for their offense, taking advantage of the opportunity in front of them along the way, as well as some key baserunning to work their way around and to home for the score. After an early 1-0 lead through the opening frame, the Eagles broke loose and delivered a big second inning punch — the first of two six-inning frames to bring the hammer down at the plate.

With a 9-0 lead after the first three innings, the Eagles soared towards victory with six more runs in the bottom half of the fourth, where Isaac Wilcox freed up all three bags behind the Andover/Whitesville (0-1) defense to pull through off his humongous bases-clearing triple to the outfield, giving them all the room they wanted to have to work towards the victory after five innings of play.

Following Wilcox on offense for the Eagles was Jude Beardsley and James Hillman, each scoring a pair of RBI, while Damon Potter drove in three more himself. On the mound, the win belonged to Brayden Hennard across four innings of work, striking out seven and walking five to help keep Andover/Whitesville at a standstill.

As for the visitors, Andover/Whitesville posted three hits — one each collected by Colton Calladine, Jake Mattison and Gage Putnam. On the mound, Derek Perkins went the first two innings by striking out three and walking five. They will return to action back home in Whitesville for an 11 a.m. first pitch against Friendship/Scio on Saturday, if weather permits.

Fillmore will hit the road themselves coming up on Thursday, as they prepare for a 5 p.m. visit to Cuba-Rushford, if weather permits.

Andover/Whitesville 000 00 – 0 3 3

Fillmore 162 6X – 15 6 1

A/W – Derek Perkins (LP) (3K, 5BB), Skyler Orpet (3) (K, 6BB) and Colton Calladine.

FIL – Brayden Hennard (WP) (7K, 5BB), Isaac Wilcox (5) (K, 2BB) and Nolan Krzeminski.

Genesee Valley/Belfast 21, Friendship/Scio 1 (F-5)

BELMONT — Four straight wins to open up the Dennie Miles Era with Genesee Valley/Belfast was exactly what the doctor ordered for Tuesday night in the Jungle, as the hosts in black exploded out of the gate quick and never looked back on a 21-1 five-inning victory over visiting Friendship/Scio to keep a red hot start ablaze.

The dynamic duo of Ben Cater and Fisher Herdman came through once again on the mound for Genesee Valley/Belfast (4-0), as the two hurlers combined to hold Friendship/Scio to just one hit across all five innings, with Cater scoring the victory behind 10 big strikeouts and three walks. Herdman followed with two strikeouts and two walks of his own to finish closing the door shut in relief.

At the plate, Ian McKenzie went 2-for-2 with a triple and three runs scored. Nolan Hunter added in a triple of his own.

For Friendship/Scio (0-2), their lone hit was gathered by Mike Wade before he came across and scored the team’s lone run.

A complete box score was not made available to report upon publication.

Both teams are back on the field Thursday night in a pair of 5 p.m. contests, if weather cooperates, with Genesee Valley/Belfast hitting the road for a visit to Bolivar-Richburg, while Friendship/Scio prepares to host Hinsdale back home to Friendship.

BOYS TENNIS

Fillmore 3, Wellsville 1

HOUGHTON — Propelled by a complete sweep of all three singles matches at the Kerr-Pegula Fieldhouse at Houghton University, Sectional superpower Fillmore was able to start their 2024 campaign on the court off on the right footstep Tuesday night, as they came together to issue a 4-1 victory over the visiting Lions of Wellsville.

“It was good to get our first match out of the way. Eben (Schilke) and Isaiah (Sisson) really got us off to a strong start, Ezra (Knapp) and Carson (Sanasith) looked really solid in doubles. I’m also proud of Mark (Wolfer) for digging deep and coming back in the third set to win his match.” said Eagles coach Randy Crouch.

Aiding in bringing out the brooms for the singles sweep across the board were Eben Schilke, Isaiah Sisson and Marcus Wolfer for the Eagles (1-0), with Schilke and Sisson delivering two rapid victories for the hosts in straight sets, with the former claiming a 6-2, 6-1 win over Wellsville’s Adam Iantorno at first singles, while the latter claimed a 6-1, 6-0 win over Jeremiah Pensyl at second singles.

Wolfer would finish it off at third singles after a tough fight against Wheeler Dahlgren, overcoming a first-set tiebreak to edge his way towards glory with a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 win.

The victory was officially capped off for Fillmore at first doubles, where the team of Ezra Knapp and Carson Sanasith picked up a strong 6-3, 6-1 win over Michael Bidzerkowny and Keenen O’Connor.

The Lions (2-1) saw their lone win in the second doubles match from the team of Caydon Grimes and Jonah Mac, as they weaved their way around Fillmore’s Kallan Sanasith and Grayson Cox to pick up the 6-1, 6-2 win. Wellsville will have a quick turnaround tonight, if weather permits, as they visit Pioneer at 5 p.m.

The Eagles are back on the court Friday night with a 5 p.m. visit to Warsaw.

Singles

1. Eben Schilke (FIL) def. Adam Iantorno (WLSV), 6-2, 6-1.

2. Isaiah Sisson (FIL) def. Jeremiah Pensyl (WLSV), 6-1, 6-0.

3. Marcus Wolfer (FIL) def. Wheeler Dahlgren (WLSV), 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4.

Doubles

1. Ezra Knapp/Carson Sanasith (FIL) def. Michael Bidzerkowny/Keenen O'Connor (WLSV), 6-3, 6-1.

2. Caydon Grimes/Jonah Mac (WLSV) def. Kallan Sanasith/Grayson Cox (FIL), 6-1, 6-2.

Andover/Whitesville at Alfred-Almond - No report.

TRACK (will be posted in Wednesday Roundup, stay tuned)