B-R outlasts Addison in slugfest, Ross tosses 1-hit blank in Fri/Scio win over ND-Batavia, Wellsville dominates Batavia as all 3 teams left standing clinch Far West berths

FILLMORE — You got to stay on your job. You got to give a little, take a lot. You got to give it all you got.

Allegany County’s last three softball teams standing — Bolivar-Richburg, Friendship/Scio and Wellsville, all looked to keep their fires burning for the next big step in their journey ahead: The Far West Regional. For two of them, their aim was to punch a return ticket back. For the other, they looked to book their trip for the first time in nearly 10 years.

The latter of which belonged to the Lady Wolverines, who led off a beautiful Tuesday night doubleheader close to home in Fillmore against Class C1 champion Addison, who they caught a quick glimpse of during their annual mid-season tournament back home at Stan Harris Field earlier this season.

It was a game that the Lady Wolverines built off of to secure the tournament’s championship back at the end of April, but it didn’t come easy. With a chance to go to Gowanda on the line, the revisitation didn’t come easy either.

Both teams combined to record 18 runs off 24 total hits in an offensive slugfest that saw the balance of power tilt in both directions multiple times, especially down the final stretch where 10 of those runs were scratched across the plate. No lead was ever bigger than four, and no deficit on either side was smaller than a single run.

Simply put: a timely hit would make all the difference.

With the Lady Knights hot on their trail, the Lady Wolverines looked to someone who has had their biggest bat all season long.

That was none other than Malayna Ayers.

Up by one in the bottom of the sixth, and time drawing near for a departure to the Far West Regional this weekend, the Bolivar-Richburg senior ate up all the pressure in one foul swoop, unloading a lead-off bomb to deep left field, leaving no doubt on the way out to give the Lady Wolverines a two-run lead that was threatened in the end but never relinquished, as the defense held down the fort until a game-ending catch in the infield was made to secure the program’s first Far West Regional berth since the 2014 season with a wild 10-8 win over Addison to become overall Section V, Class C champions.

“Malayna continues to be an asset for us on both sides of the ball,” said Lady Wolverines coach Brooke Lovell. “We knew that being up one run going into the seventh inning against a good Addison team wasn’t going to be enough of a cushion to keep intact. The fact that she delivered some help with that home run, it just shows how much of an impact she can really leave.”

Before the Lady Wolverines (23-2) were able to ward off Addison, they would have to work their way from behind across the first three innings of play, where the Lady Knights wasted no time with a 3-0 lead. The icebreaker would come almost immediately during the first offensive stand of the night, with Sadie Strauss’ fielder’s choice to the right side accounting for the tally before she drove in another run on a double to the right center field fence later on in the third. A wild pitch on the next Addison at-bat saw her score to extend the lead to a trio.

But the lead was short-lived, as Bolivar-Richburg bounced all the way back with a massive five-run bottom half of the third inning led by a spark plug electrified by Emma Sisson at the bottom of the order, dismantling a pitch to deep left field to lead off the frame with a stand-up double. She helps erase the goose egg off a base hit into center from McKinlee Harris on the next at-bat to cut the deficit to two.

The momentum remained with the Class C2 champions, as they tied the game with Addison with the assistance of Ayers and her two-run double into left field. Jayna Thomas would allow the Lady Wolverines to score two more runs, with her first coming on a shot straight into the left center field gap while a second run followed behind on key baserunning from third to pick up a 5-3 lead after the third inning.

“Addison is a good, well-coached team. We knew tonight would be a battle, and I was glad my kids didn’t hang their heads when we got down early in the game. I can’t reiterate enough how proud I am of them and their resilience they showed.” said Lovell.

Both teams would score five runs across the middle frames, all while the Lady Wolverines maintained their position in front for the remainder of the game, despite the immense pressure provided by Addison. After the Lady Knights cut the deficit down to a run, Bolivar-Richburg fired back with a response of their own — a three-spot, paced by a two-run double off the bat of Madigan Harris to the left field fence.

Their last run in the inning stemmed off an absolutely unbelievable base-running sequence off steals of third and home after a wild pitch navigated its way away from the plate. With Harris and Malayna Ayers both being caught in pickles within the basepaths, both reversed course to go back to their original bags, with Ayers sprinting all the way back to second while Harris turned toward home to score after the throw to catch Ayers.

Ayers would wind up being safe at third to complete a wild scoring sequence that saw the Lady Wolverines take an 8-4 lead after four. Addison would respond with a three-run frame of their own immediately following, in the fifth, as they used a pair of RBI belts from Bregan Jones and Courtney Wilson to their fullest of advantages to creep back to within one of the Lady Wolverines.

The one-run cushion for the Lady Wolverines would remain all the way until the bottom of the sixth when Ayers took matters into her own hands and helped seal the deal with a detonation to deep left field that left no doubt whatsoever to lead off what would be their final at-bats of the game. To ensure their victory, Bolivar-Richburg kept both Addison runners on base while Allie Zilker fielded a big pop out off the go-ahead run at the plate in foul territory near third base to end the game.

For the three-peat champs, a nine-year drought away from the Far West Regional, finally ends — something Lovell and her team had longed for since she took over, three years ago.

“Getting back to the Far West Regional has been something that has always crossed our mind with the girls, for the last three years. We almost got there last year, but to see this finally playing out the year after, is something that my girls and I are extremely appreciative of.” the Lady Wolverines coach said.

Bolivar-Richburg put together 10 runs off 10 hits at the plate, with McKinlee Harris leading the offense with three hits including a double. Along with Ayers and Madigan Harris each had two hits, while Jayna Thomas, Rylee Whiting and Emma Sisson all had a hit. On the mound, the win belonged to Ayers, as she struck out five in her complete game.

As the first battle reached its conclusion, the sun began to set and the lights were turned on for the nightcap. It was Friendship/Scio’s turn to carve their path.

The Class D2 three-peats were looking to move one step forward to going back to where their season ended last year — Long Island. Two more stepping stones were needed to get back there, with the first beginning in a battle for Class D supremacy against one of their toughest challenges of the season to date — Class D1 champion Notre Dame-Batavia.

The Lady Irish brought everything to the table in Fillmore. Their bats, their defense, outstanding pitching. Everything they used to ride the tidal wave through the Class D1 field to come away as champions as the No. 4 seed. But one thing that stood in their way, perhaps one of the best pitchers in all of Section V: Nevaeh Ross.

Ross went toe-to-toe with Notre Dame-Batavia’s Loretta Sorochty for much of the battle from start to finish, as both aces handed out chairs left and right until there were no more to give. In a battle such as this, the runs would come at the rarest of minimums.

Fortunately enough for Friendship/Scio, luck was on their side.

While Ross capitalized from within the circle on all fronts, she helped provide a solid stand of offense to begin the night as the game’s ice breaker. The Class D2 queens would keep holding onto their one-run lead all the way to their final at-bats, where much needed insurance came across the plate to cushion their lead. From there, it rested upon the shoulders of their elite phenom, as she finished off a one-hit twirl of the Lady Irish to book their trip back to the Far West Regional with a 3-0 shutout to become Section V, Class D champions outright.

A 1-0 lead by Friendship/Scio (19-3) was garnered right out of the gate against Notre Dame-Batavia by Ross, who led off with a drive to left before working all the way around the bases before Morghyn Ross provided the connection that brought her in, dropping a shot down the right field line to send the dugout erupting upon scoring the game-opening run.

The lead was left intact across the next five innings of play, as Ross dealt alongside Sorochty, recording 10 strikeouts in her first 13 batters to keep the Lady Irish at a complete standstill. The two pitchers would combine for 27 strikeouts amongst themselves, with Ross dealing 16 while Sorochty scavenged the remaining 11. Because of the duel, the pace was rapid, as the game reached the sixth inning in just over an hour’s worth of game time.

With time running out to make a move on Friendship/Scio, Notre Dame-Batavia resorted to using small ball once more in the top half of the sixth. While a runner occupied second base, an attempted bunt went straight into the air next to Morghyn Ross and the plate where she caught it, and then fired straight down to Logan Roberts at second to double-off the game-tying run to end the inning in style with a 2-4 double play.

After a play of such magnitude, the momentum that was built, was ultimately maintained by Friendship/Scio as they finally created a massive breakthrough in the bottom half of the frame. Insurance was had with two runners on base, with Kiara Grover providing it on a bunt-turned-line drive straight off a Notre Dame-Batavia glove and into the dirt near third base, which would allow Morghyn Ross to score.

To finish out the frame, a pinch-hit RBI single into the infield at third from Kadence Sadler pushed Friendship/Scio’s lead to three, as the Lady Irish hurried to make a play to catch another run scoring, but the defense was left in neutral, as Sadler came away with the RBI single to help pick up a 3-0 lead going into the seventh.

From that point on, it was all Nevaeh Ross. After a lead off single, the phenom would hand out her 14th, 15th and 16th chairs immediately following to close out the game, sealing Friendship/Scio’s return trip to the Far West Regional this weekend in one-hit fashion.

The battle for Long Island is now officially on, as both Bolivar-Richburg and Friendship/Scio now make their way off to the northwest, to Gowanda on Friday for the Far West Regionals. The Class C champ Lady Wolverines will kick off the doubleheader with a 5 p.m. first pitch against, coincidentally enough, host Gowanda, while Friendship/Scio follows behind in a 7 p.m. rematch under the lights with Westfield.

WellsvilleSports.com will be on scene in Gowanda to take in the action. Stay tuned for updates by following along on Twitter at @iAmBrooksie.

Class C State Qualifier

Addison 102 131 0 – 8 14 0

Bolivar-Richburg 005 311 X – 10 10 2

ADD – Makayla Miller (LP) (2K, 2BB), Sadie Strauss (3) (K, BB) and Hadleigh Watson.

B-R – Malayna Ayers (WP) (CG, 5K) and Madigan Harris.

Class D State Qualifier

Notre Dame-Batavia 000 000 0 – 0 1 1

Friendship/Scio 100 002 X – 3 4 1

ND-B – Loretta Sorochty (LP) (CG, 11K, 3BB) and Sonji Warner.

F/S – Nevaeh Ross (WP) (CG, 16K, 2BB) and Morghyn Ross.

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[PHOTOS COURTESY OF WELLSVILLE SOFTBALL]

Lady Lions dominate Batavia in Class B Qualifier, clinch 2nd straight Far West berth

HONEOYE FALLS — Further away from home, the Lady Lions of Wellsville looked to complete a perfect 3-for-3 for Allegany County in the State Qualifier round, as they looked to lay claim to Class B’s throne once again against the Class B1 champion Lady Blue Devils of Batavia on Tuesday up north, on the confines of Honeoye Falls-Lima.

After surviving an absolute thrill ride with Bath-Haverling in a rematch for the Class B2 crown once again this year, the aim now for the Lady Lions was to get back down to brass tax with a return trip to the Far West Regional this weekend on the line.

Fortunately enough through the first two innings, they would do just that. And a whole lot more.

An early-game statement by the three-peat B2 champions was cemented against Batavia. Out of their 15 total runs, 12 of them were scored almost immediately in the first two innings of play. While the offense kept their foot down on the gas, Makenzie Cowburn and Makenna Dunbar combined to hold the Lady Blue Devils at a near standstill to lock up a berth in the Regional stage with a 15-0 rout after six innings.

“Our pitching was outstanding tonight. As a team, we also really came out and swung the bats well,” said Lady Lions coach Matt Burke. “Averee Palmatier has swung the bat well all year. She and Lindsay have really been swinging it well lately. Top to bottom, our lineup is very solid. Makenzie and Makenna both did a great job pounding the strike zone tonight. Overall, I’m really proud of the team and the season we’ve been able to have. I’m looking forward to competing on Saturday.”

Five different Lady Lions (21-1) all recorded at least a pair of hits to power up a 16-hit barrage against Batavia, with Cowburn’s 3-for-5 outing pacing the bats, as she blasted a home run — her sixth of the season, in the bottom of the team’s seven-run second inning, garnering two total RBI along the way to finish her outstanding evening.

Cowburn would allow Batavia’s lone hit across five innings of work, striking out 10 and walking just one. Dunbar would record three strikeouts in relief to help tribute to the cause.

Wellsville went on to make a big first inning move into the driver’s seat with a five-spot against the Lady Blue Devils. Afterwards, the lead grew at a tremendous rate, as Cowburn’s home run helped kick the tires on what was a seven-run frame to send the Lady Lions over the top with a 12-0 lead that they never looked back on.

The Lady Lions saw Lindsay Stuck go a perfect 3-for-3 with four total RBI to further the team’s cause. Averee Palmatier had two hits including a double and four total RBI, while Natalie Adams and Sawyer Burke each had two hits and an RBI, with Adams scoring a double.

Up next, the Lady Lions will look to lock in a trip down to Long Island themselves in the Class B Far West Regional, which will take place Saturday afternoon against Section VI champion Iroquois on the grounds of Webster Schroeder. First pitch is set to begin promptly at 1:30 p.m.

WellsvilleSports.com will be on scene in Webster to take in the action. Stay tuned for updates by following along on Twitter at @iAmBrooksie.

Batavia 000 000 – 0 1 2

Wellsville 570 021 – 15 16 1

BAT – Giana Mruczek (LP) (K, 3BB), Arianna Almekinder (2) (5K, BB) and Hannah Carney.

WLSV – Makenzie Cowburn (WP) (10K, BB), Makenna Dunbar (6) (3K) and Brazen Beckwith, Lindsay Stuck (4).