Tuesday Sectionals: Perry freezes No. 4 LeRoy, offense breaks free to power No. 1 Wellsville’s 5th straight trip to B2 Finals; Cowburn fans 14 to aid Lions baseball, Fillmore upsets Elba in 9 innings

WELLSVILLE — It was final curtain call time at historic Tullar Field. Tuesday night was going to be the last time the Lady Lions were going to step foot on their home stomping grounds for the Spring.

For some, it will be the last time ever.

Behind the capture of a dominant victory against No. 8 Attica late last week to open their short, but challenging run back to the Section V throne, the top-seeded defending Class B State Champions now assumed their occupation of the penultimate stepping stone leading to the Finals, where the opportunity to grace a stage they have become very familiar with for the last four years running loomed even closer into view.

A stage they have come away as champions in, each and every time.

There is simply no denying that Wellsville has the biggest target on their back following the completion of what culminated into as their most prized season to date.

For any team looking to make that desirable trek all the way to the end, the road that presents itself for the field of competition is vastly different as opposed to what they are usually accustomed to. Waiting on the other side of their Class B2 Semifinal battle with the four-seeded LeRoy Lady Oatkan Knights were two more of Section V’s softball giants right behind them — No. 3 Avon and No. 2 Wayland-Cohocton.

Of course, the Lady Lions needed to make that hulking step forward first in order to get there.

Through much of the evening ahead, Wellsville and LeRoy went stride for stride. There were plenty of chances for the hosts in gray to awaken their offense with a microscopic advantage in their possession, but almost every time, the Lady Oatkan Knights denied them to maintain their short distance behind them coming down the homestretch.

With a whole heap of pressure pinned up against them, the Lady Lions stayed the course. And as a result, their patience paid off.

Wellsville was going back once again.

After enduring a phenomenal challenge from the Lady Oatkan Knights and their defense, the Lady Lions finally broke the floodgates down and made their grand entrance at the plate, taking what was a 1-0 lead and flipped it upside down and inside out to register a five-run bottom of the fifth inning that allowed them to muster all the breathing room possible to put towards their fifth consecutive trip to the Class B2 Finals on Thursday, finishing out their final appearance at Tullar Field in dazzling style with a 7-0 blank.

“I’m really proud of the way our team has never given up this year,” Lady Lions coach Gia George said. “They have proven time and time again that no matter what the score is, they are going to keep putting the ball in play and continue to find ways to scratch runs across the board. We left too many base-runners on today for sure, and that is something we cannot do moving forward, or it will cost us. Their pitcher threw a great game for them today and Kennedy (Perry) pitched a great game for us as well. I’m very proud of her getting her first Sectional victory. We are looking forward to being back in the Finals again.”

In the midst of three straight 1-2-3 innings they handed out to LeRoy, the Lady Lions (18-2) charted their route to the scoreboard first during their first outing at the dish. A stand that commenced with a blistering base hit up the middle from Natalie Adams on the very first pitch of her approach, later scoring on Lindsay Stuck’s shot down the left field line that was submitted as an RBI double before being tagged out during her advance to third base to end the frame.

A short time later in the second inning, Wellsville applied their first major threat against the Lady Oatkan Knights by loading up the bases behind Bryar Biracree with one out displaying on the board. Despite the slight adversity, the LeRoy hurler showcased an incredible amount of resilience to keep the bases juiced, delivering back-to-back strikeouts to the Lady Lions to exit the early jam.

Through the first four innings, it was a trend that the Lady Oatkan Knights began, as they ultimately stranded seven Wellsville base-runners to remain well within reach entering the final stretch of combat.

With Kennedy Perry continuing to hold her own from within the circle, the dam was compromised in the bottom of the fifth, as the Lady Lions fabricated a four-run, seven-hit outing at the plate. Serving as the genesis for their game-altering frame was a foundation-cementing lead-off double from Makenna Dunbar, which was quickly followed up by back-to-back singles off the bats of Perry and Teagan Burke right behind her to establish much needed breathing room from the Lady Oatkan Knights with a 3-0 lead.

But wait, there’s more.

With one out still occupying the Saputo scoreboard, the Lady Lions still remained in power to place more base-runners behind the LeRoy defense. Despite a strikeout at the bottom of the order, they garnered three more runs upon the lineup’s reversion back up to its apex — two off the bat of Ayla Faulkner in the lead-off position to aid in the conclusion of their monstrous offensive eruption.

After the Lady Lions supplied their final run of the game on special teams in the sixth, the attention was now turned to Dunbar in the circle in relief of six masterful innings tossed by Perry. With it, the senior absolutely ran away with the opportunity to send the team back to the Finals, as she ended the game with a fanning of the side to finish off their final game at Tullar Field soundly.

Perry was awarded the victory across her six-inning start, as she handed out 10 chairs to the Lady Oatkan Knights whilst walking just two, as she combined with Dunbar to record a stellar one-hit pitching performance.

At the plate, the Lady Lions accounted their seven runs off 11 total hits, with three different hitters, Perry, Natalie Adams and Averee Palmatier, all recording at least two.

Up next for Wellsville is a long bus ride up north to Honeoye Falls-Lima on Thursday, where they will now tackle an opportunity to capture their fifth straight Section V, Class B2 championship against the No. 2 Avon Lady Riverhawks.

First pitch between the two softball juggernauts is officially slated for a 7:15 p.m. start at the home of the Cougars.

LeRoy 000 000 0 — 0 1 3

Wellsville 100 051 X — 7 11 0

ROY – Bryar Biracree (LP) (CG, 7K, 6BB) and Izabelle Farrell.

WLSV – Kennedy Perry (WP) (10K, 2BB), Makenna Dunbar (7) (3K) and Lindsay Stuck.

Class C2 Quarterfinals

No. 3 Genesee Valley/Belfast 2, No. 6 Cuba-Rushford 1

BELFAST — They each split a game during the regular season, but for Cuba-Rushford and Genesee Valley/Belfast and their meeting in the Class C2 Quarterfinal round on Tuesday, it was a completely different animal this time around.

At the Rich Sullivan Complex in Belfast, the rubber match between the two familiar Allegany County foes came right down to the nitty-gritty. In a game that featured just a diminutive amount of hits between them, they each had to make the opportunity count in order to keep their hopes and dreams of reaching the Finals alive.

Time was of the essence and there was little room for mistakes.

But despite an overwhelming bounty of adversity they had to overcome each step of the way, Genesee Valley/Belfast ultimately had the final word.

Aside from being charged six errors during their defensive stance against the six-seeded Lady Rebels, the No. 3 seeds remained poised and up for the task at hand. With the visitors providing a deadlocking run, Genesee Valley/Belfast immediately fired back the biggest of responses to conclude a brief stalemate, jumping back ahead while avoiding any further developments from their opposition along the way to secure their spot in the Semifinal round, ending Cuba-Rushford’s season in thrilling fashion with a 2-1 home win.

“It was a big challenge today against Cuba-Rushford, especially after the last time we last met. They are a solid team that is filled with good hitters,” said GV/Belfast coach Brooke Bradt. “We had some errors in the field, so there are things that we need to firm up, but overall we came out swinging and had some timely hits. Hannah (Powers) did a great job keeping her composure on the mound, and that was a big key. She and Jenna (Hill) are working really beautifully together at this point in the season. I’m very proud of these girls. They are a wonderful group to work with that love to support one another, pick each other up and they genuinely care about one another. You cannot ask for much more than that as their coach.”

Genesee Valley/Belfast (17-4) held the Lady Rebels firm in the opening frame, despite some early pressure off back-to-back two-out walks, transitioning their brilliant exit off the field to the plate where they accounted for the game’s first run. Although just four hitters reached the dish, Powers was the first to come home after leading off with a double, screeching her way across on Jenna Hill’s grounder to the left side of the infield to break the ice.

For the next three innings after the hosts captured the advantage, a series of rapid fire frames ultimately ensued between the two squads, with no more than four hitters reaching the plate at any given time. In the fifth inning however, the Lady Rebels were able to provide their first breakthrough of the game, ending Hannah Powers’ shutout bid with their game-tying run coming in on one of three Genesee Valley/Belfast errors.

Even though the defense succumbed to Cuba-Rushford’s game-tying sequence, Genesee Valley/Belfast rebounded and came right back with a colossal punch of their own in the bottom half, with Lily Green’s single to right field jumpstarting their latest stint of offense. Two at-bats later, she worked her way into scoring position and came across as the go-ahead marker courtesy of Keanna Sands and her clutch two-out single into right field.

The lead was held intact upon entering the seventh inning, where the Lady Rebels pieced together one last chance to tie the game. With two quick outs in the wagon for the hosts, Molly Kunz kept their hopes alive with their very first hit of the game — a two-out double into the right center field gap. With the lineup reverting back up to the top for Jordyn Radomski to take her place in the batter’s box, it took just two pitches for Genesee Valley/Belfast to end the game, as the infield behind Powers secured the pop-out to punch their ticket to the Semifinal round.

Genesee Valley/Belfast possessed the narrow 3-1 edge in the hit department. In the circle, Powers was granted the win across all seven innings of service, twirling the one-hit victory behind seven strikeouts and three walks. Countering her for the Lady Rebels was Lizzie Kocsis, who had three strikeouts of her own in her three-hit performance across all six innings.

Cuba-Rushford’s season has reached its conclusion, as they put a wrap on a campaign that witnessed them go 11-9 overall. The Lady Rebels will graduate just one senior in Kocsis, when the time to walk across the stage comes next month.

For the No. 3 seeds, their journey continues on Thursday in the Class C2 Semifinal round, where they now go toe-to-toe with No. 2 Oakfield-Alabama at a time and site yet to be determined. The winner will face either No. 4 Bolivar-Richburg or No. 1 Dundee/Bradford in the Class C2 Finals this weekend at Honeoye Falls-Lima.

Cuba-Rushford 000 010 0 — 1 1 1

Genesee Valley/Belfast 100 010 X — 2 3 6

C-R – Lizzie Kocsis (LP) (CG, 3K) and Arlah Shaffer.

GVB – Hannah Powers (WP) (CG, 7K, 3BB) and Jenna Hill.

No. 4 Bolivar-Richburg 7, No. 5 Kendall 0

FILLMORE — Ever since her incredible seventh inning grand slam against Genesee Valley/Belfast right before the conclusion of the regular season, Kylee Whiting has been red hot for the Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg.

Whether it is her presence at the plate, or from within the circle on defense, the Lady Wolverines freshman will find a way to contribute any way she can. There’s simply no better time for it, especially when you now sit just two steps away from a potential return to the Class C2 Finals, which now begins to eclipse over the horizon this weekend.

For her No. 4 seeded team, the Lady Wolverines received the best of both worlds.

With a narrow one-run lead in their possession against No. 5 Kendall, Whiting added more offensive fuel to the fire with a phenomenal advantage-bolstering hit in the early stages. On top of that, she was absolutely unstoppable from within the circle, keeping the Lady Eagles at bay without ever surrendering a run or a hit, recording 15 strikeouts and a pair of walks to cap off a brilliant no-hit performance to propel Bolivar-Richburg to the Class C2 Semifinals after a 7-0 win over the Lady Eagles in Fillmore, Tuesday night.

Bolivar-Richburg (14-4) proceeded to strike while the iron was scorching hot immediately after all three outs against Kendall were garnered by Whiting’s arm, as they broke the ice with a 1-0 lead off of Sydney Faulkner’s RBI double that scored Jayna Thomas. After a trade of 1-2-3 innings in the second, it was then Whiting’s turn to add more damage into the fray with the bases loaded, as she drove in two of those runs on a single to triple their advantage.

A small 2-3 putout from Cassidy Stives allowed the team’s third and final run of the frame to come across, as they extended their lead over Kendall to four after the opening frames.

With Whiting still very much in her command of the circle after the fourth inning, the Lady Wolverines added to their lead three more times — two of the scores off a pair of crucial errors by the Kendall defense, with Faulkner being awarded the two RBI on the play to finish off their scoring.

From the fifth inning onward, the Lady Wolverines took care of business with five more strikeouts from Whiting across that short span, pairing them with an amalgamation of Kendall runners reaching behind her in the top of the sixth to produce one final attempt at cutting their deficit. But with two outs, the hosts in white and red held their ground to keep the Lady Eagles off the board for good, sealing Whiting’s magnificent no-hit victory.

Bolivar-Richburg totaled their seven runs on seven total hits, with Cassidy Stives adding two hits of her own into the mix.

The Class C2 Semifinals now await the Lady Wolverines coming up on Thursday, as they hit the road to take on No. 1 Dundee/Bradford at a site and time yet to be determined by Section V. The winner will take on either No. 3 Genesee Valley/Belfast or No. 2 Oakfield-Alabama in this year’s Class C2 Finals coming up later this weekend at Honeoye Falls-Lima.

Kendall 000 000 0 — 0 0 2

Bolivar-Richburg 103 300 X — 7 7 1

KEN – Inez Stangler (LP) (CG, 6BB) and Brooke Rodas.

B-R – Kylee Whiting (WP) (CG, 15K, 2BB) and Sydney Faulkner.

BASEBALL

Class B Quarterfinals

No. 1 Wellsville 4, No. 8 Waterloo 2

HORNELL — The top-seeded Lions of Wellsville knew exactly what they were facing when they arrived to the Maple City, Tuesday night. Opposite of them on the mound for their Class C2 Quarterfinal battle was a hurler who had an absolutely lights-out performance last round against No. 9 North Rose-Wolcott late last week.

That being Waterloo’s Xander Rogers, who handed out one chair after another until there was no more left to give, striking out 19 Cougars batters to help set up a dominant 6-0 shutout win at Finger Lakes Community College, as well as a date with the reigning Class B Champions down south in Hornell.

To counter Rogers, the Lions had a high-octane ace of their own — Aiden Cowburn. In recent starts, the Wellsville senior has been absolutely dazzling on the bump, with his last coming at the expense of their Far West Regional opponent last Spring: the Medina Mustangs, as he struck out 11 and walked two to score a colossal 4-1 win against Class B’s top team in the Empire State back on May 10.

This time around, he was no different again.

In a game that showcased plenty of opportunity to shell out timely hitting, Cowburn was exceptional at keeping Waterloo off the board as much as he could. After the Lions lassoed a fine third inning of play behind a bushel of hits in consecutive fashion, the rest was history, as the senior closed the door on the Tigers from any further developments to officially put the lock on their trip back to the Class B Semifinal round, outlasting Waterloo with a 4-2 victory at Maple City Park.

“He’s been big for us all year, and he really spots his pitches well. He’s really savvy, and he’s definitely an asset to have out there. Thankfully he’s throwing for me,” said Lions coach Tom Delahunt. “Rogers pitched a really great game for them. He had 19 strikeouts in six innings against North Rose-Wolcott and he’s been averaging right around 12 a game for the season. He’s their top pitcher for a reason, and every at-bat today was a difficult one. We had to manufacture runs somehow, despite them being at a premium. Luckily, we strung four hits in a row in the third to make things happen and get us to breathe a bit easier.”

After a first two-inning sequence that saw Cowburn work efficiency sublimely with a nine-pitch first inning, the Lions (14-3) then clawed their out of the impasse and dug their way into the driver’s seat for the first time with two big runs in the bottom of the second inning. When timely hits mattered the most, the top seeds made sure they came early, starting the frame with four of them in a row, led by Ty Vogel and Matt Ritter who both had an RBI on their single and double, respectively.

The response that Waterloo provided was almost immediate, as they came right back with an advantage-carving RBI single in the top of the fourth before Cowburn buckled down and went back to work again with back-to-back strikeouts to set up a 1-2-3 thereafter. The Lions fought back and regained traction on their now two-run lead behind a wild pitch that saw Karter Grover score from third.

With the offenses laying low for the fifth inning and entering the sixth inning, Wellsville garnered a humongous piece of advantage from Tyler Rahr during one of the team’s very last at-bats from the frame. Looking to branch their advantage out any way they could, Rahr delivered big time with a base hit straight overtop of the Waterloo shortstop’s head.

The Tigers were given one final opportunity to break the glass against the Lions, with runners occupying first and third base. But Cowburn, in another one of his best performances of the season, struck out the next two Waterloo batters in rapid succession to officially lock down the victory for the Lions.

Wellsville accumulated their four runs off seven hits, while Cowburn’s pitching kept Waterloo limited with just four hits. To pick up the victory, the senior struck out 14 and walked three during his time on the mound.

The Lions have now captured and filled in a vacancy from within the Class B Tournament, as they now officially transition to Thursday night back home in the Lion’s Den for what will be the very last time this Spring, preparing to welcome in the No. 4 Livonia Bulldogs at 5 p.m. for Class B2 Semifinal battle.

The winner will go on to face either No. 3 Wayland-Cohocton or No. 2 LeRoy in the Finals later on this weekend.

Waterloo 000 100 1 — 2 4 1

Wellsville 002 101 X — 4 7 3

WAT – Xander Rogers (LP) (CG, 7K, 3BB) and Jayden Mansell.

WLSV – Aiden Cowburn (WP) (CG, 14K, 3BB) and Matt Ritter.

Class D Quarterfinals

No. 6 Fillmore 3, No. 3 Elba 1 (F-9)

ELBA — Fresh off a monstrous first round victory over Hammondsport at Houghton University right before the weekend kicked into gear, the Eagles of Fillmore were in a high-speed chase all the way to the bitter end against No. 3 Elba on Tuesday. With teams having scratched across just one run all through regulation play, the idea of extra innings soon became a reality.

It was a long grind for the Eagles right alongside the Lancers across much of their Class D Quarterfinal in Elba. With the pitching staffs dueling feverishly and the hits coming in limited quantities as well, it all came down to a matter of who would blink first.

For Damon Potter, the Fillmore aces’ night was simply remarkable, as he went all in after the offense navigated their way ahead late in extra innings, holding Elba to just a single run on just one hit at the plate across all nine innings featured between the two foes along the way. With the host Lancers looking for one last chance to provide a threat, the Eagles avoided it at all costs and punched their tickets to the Class D Semifinal round, all while confirming that Cinderella’s slipper indeed still fits following their 3-1 upset victory.

“It really was a true pitcher’s battle,” Eagles coach Kaiden Bowers said. “We knew with Damon on the mound, we only needed a few runs. We jumped out on them early on, and then their pitcher and defense did a great job of limiting us. Jack (Boon) had a huge hit in the nine to get us started, and then Connor (McCumiskey) stepped up with his RBI. I’m proud of the boys for making big plays at big moments. Elab is a loud, chirpy team. I’m proud of the way we didn’t let that affect us as we stuck to our game.”

Both Fillmore (12-7) and Elba each registered a run in regulation play to propel their offenses, with the No. 6 seeds connecting right off the hop in the top of the first inning behind an RBI from Potter. The pitcher’s duel then ensued leading into the bottom of the fourth, which allowed Elba to tie the game directly at one.

The game-tying deadlock remained untouched heading down the stretch, and ultimately into extra innings, where Fillmore put together one more exhilarating race to the finish line with Jack Boon’s go-ahead RBI double in the top of the ninth inning that scored Potter served as the team’s opening act before Connor McCumiskey’s RBI single later on to score Boon aided in branching out the advantage for good.

The Eagles collected their three runs off five total hits at the plate, with Potter, Boon and Jared Boon each recording a double.

In addition to his hit, Potter was outstanding on the rubber, displaying every single reason why he's one of the best pitchers in Allegany County by handing out nine chairs and walking just three to score the massive upset victory for the No. 6 seeds in the Class D Playoffs.

Fillmore will now head for the Rymer Complex in Nunda on Thursday for the Class D Semifinal round, as they now prepare to square off with No. 2 Keshequa at the very site the Eagles last won the Section V championship back in 2022. First pitch between the Eagles and Wildcats is tentatively set for a 5 p.m. start.

The winner will face either No. 4 Naples or No. 1 Arkport-Canaseraga this weekend in the Class D Finals.

Fillmore 100 000 002 — 3 5 1

Elba 000 100 000 — 1 1 4

FIL – Damon Potter (WP) (CG, 9K, 3BB) and Isaac Wilcox .

ELBA – Nick Scott (7K, BB), Mason Vigiano (LP, 9) (2K) and Brendan Porey.