Friday Roundup: Sleggs outlasts Barkley in epic pitcher’s duel, setting stage for 3-0 C-R blank at B-R; Daciw blasts 7th homer to aid GV/Belfast in capturing County title with 10-7 win over Fillmore
BOLIVAR — The Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg’s last clash of the season with the Cuba-Rushford Rebels was one unlike any other they’ve faced during the regular season on Friday, as they wrapped a crucial Allegany County League, mid-season tournament and Senior Night game all into one giant globule in front of their home crowd the night after their tough defeat to the hands of Wellsville.
In what was their final regular season home contest this Spring, the many patrons in attendance were given a show of the highest caliber.
A good old fashioned pitcher’s duel right down to the game’s bitter end.
From start to finish, the back-and-forth spar between Cuba-Rushford’s Eli Sleggs and Bolivar-Richburg’s Landon Barkley was simply sensational, with each hurler eclipsing 10 strikeouts for the game. Both proceeded to toss five consecutive shutout innings, keeping one another at bay for as long as humanly possible.
With the final stretch rapidly approaching, the fiercely competitive elements had to find a way to give way. In the top of the sixth inning, the Rebels used a big bat from Hayden Schappacher.
The rest was history.
After his final at-bat that saw him make his way around the bases until he was 90 feet from home plate, the Cuba-Rushford freshman provided the first crack into the wall. Then, the rest came tumbling down, as they finally found their way ahead of the host Wolverines in a big way by scoring all three of the game’s runs in the last two innings to finish up a monumental victory over the road with Sleggs outlasting Barkley on the rubber in the process of a 3-0 shutout.
“I’m very proud of the effort and grit Eli showed tonight. He made big pitches all night,” said Rebels coach Pat Wight. “He also drove in Hayden for the go-ahead run to get us going. Finn (Ricketts) had a huge hit to help finish things off against Bolivar-Richburg. They were ready to go and it was a heck of a game. I don’t know if we’ve ever won the tournament over here before, but it’s a great accomplishment going into playoff week. This was big for our shot at getting a home game for Sectionals. Landon Barkley threw a heck of a game and we just managed to get one more opportunity to take advantage. This was a great high school baseball game to be a part of.”
Between the two teams, nine combined hits were scattered across the field, with the Rebels holding the 6-3 edge, as the storied rivals assembled a five-inning long stalemate with Sleggs and Barkley soaking in every bit of spotlight from the pitcher’s mound. The breakthrough eventually arrived in its entirety in the top of the sixth with two mammoth runs for the visitors in blue, with Sleggs skying a sacrifice fly into the outfield to score Hayden Schappacher from third, breaking the ice in the biggest of ways.
Cuba-Rushford’s second run followed behind a short time later with another runner occupying third base. After a pitch to the plate from Barkley squirted free from catcher Ryder Iantorno behind him to the backstop, it allowed Finn Ricketts to gallop straight home to double the Rebels lead before scoring a sixth straight scoreless sheet entering the final frame of play.
The Rebels put a wrap on the victory with one more run off a Finn Ricketts RBI single in the top of the seventh before Sleggs shut the door and deadbolted it completely on the mound behind his three-hit complete game, as he fanned 12 and walked three.
At the plate, Ricketts and Schappacher each paced the efforts with two total hits each.
For the Wolverines, despite the defeat, Landon Barkley was nothing short of exceptional on the mound in return of Sleggs’ outstanding performance from the other sideline, as the senior handed out a season-high 14 chairs to go with three walks in his complete game. Inside the batter’s box, Mason Baldwin, Carson Lipyance and Waide Karnuth each had a hit to light the way forward.
Both teams are back in action on Monday in a pair of 5 p.m. first pitches, with Cuba-Rushford heading back home to host Friendship/Scio, while Bolivar-Richburg looks to bring it back into the win column with a stop to Whitesville to battle host Andover/Whitesville.
Cuba-Rushford 000 002 1 — 3 6 0
Bolivar-Richburg 000 000 0 — 0 3 0
C-R – Eli Sleggs (WP) (CG, 12K, 3BB) and Adam Shaffer.
B-R – Landon Barkley (LP) (CG, 14K, 3BB) and Ryder Iantorno.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 10, Fillmore 7
FILLMORE — With the Rebels of Cuba-Rushford proclaiming victory at Bolivar-Richburg on the western side of Allegany County, a chance to lock up this year’s League Championship came from up near the northernmost point of the area in Fillmore earlier in the evening, as red hot Genesee Valley/Belfast coasted into town to face the Eagles on Friday in hopes of capturing some early hardware before the big dance in just under a week’s time.
Although they caught fire with the lumber early on at the Town Park, the path in front of them to the end of the game was not an easy one to travel. Each step of the way, the Eagles were right alongside them, chipping away little by little, especially in a seventh inning that was perhaps their best opportunity to create a level playing surface.
But despite it, Genesee Valley/Belfast maintained discipline and used a big first inning generated by yet another home run off the bat of Ryan Daciw to create an advantage that was threatened but never relinquished, as they edged their way past Fillmore to become this year’s Allegany County League Champions with a 10-7 victory.
“I thought Fillmore played well, they have a lot of young kids. It seemed like when we went up 5-0 early on, it was going to be a repeat of when we won the first time, 13-3. All of a sudden, they kept right with us all game,” said GV/Belfast coach Dennis Miles. “The momentum was swinging all over the place, and to their credit, they just didn’t go away. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like what Ryan has been able to do for us. His seventh home run of the season, and they are all legitimate shots. He’s on quite a roll, and hopefully that continues on for the next couple of weeks. We’ve found our winning edge in seven of the nine days, six of them on the road. This one today was worth a well-deserved couple of days off for them.”
It was a hard-fought battle that began with Genesee Valley/Belfast (17-1) untethering a ferocious slew of bats right from the gate, witnessing the scratching of the game’s first five runs athwart the plate — two of them off another bomb from the bat of Daciw, his seventh of the campaign to aid the breaking of the ice with a 5-0 lead on Fillmore.
After the visitors scratched the surface clamorously, the Eagles (8-6) fought back with a momentous swing of their own from James Hillman, who went yard with a blast of his own — one of solo variety, to trim the deficit down to four. It was not the only occasion that the hosts in white and green continued to claw their way back from behind, as they responded to Genesee Valley/Belfast’s two-run third inning frame with a three-run answer in return, closing the gap to two runs in what was the closest degree of separation in the game.
The defense re-assumed their posts through the middle frames leading up to a seventh inning where both teams each hung two more runs on the board — the two for the Eagles in the bottom half keeping them alive, as Damon Potter was the third player to send a weapons-grade smack straight out of the park, registering a two-run shot to make it a 10-7 game.
But before the Eagles could pick up any more steam in their final at-bats, Daciw remained poised to finish the game on his terms, fielding a pair of groundouts to record the last two outs, ending Fillmore’s late rally.
Genesee Valley/Belfast totaled their 10 runs off 11 hits at the plate, with Daciw, Evan Turybury and Ben Cater all having two hits, with Cater driving in two more runs. On the mound, Daciw sealed the victory in relief, fanning five and walking one.
Fillmore was captained by Potter, who had two of the team’s seven hits inside the batter’s box. On the mound, Malcolm Nusbickle gave the Eagles a big boost of momentum entering their final at-bats in the seventh, racking up three strikeouts to keep the visitors’ string of at-bats silent in relief.
Both teams are back in action at 5 p.m. on Monday, as Genesee Valley/Belfast closes out their regular season back home in the Jungle in Belmont by hosting Canisteo-Greenwood, while Fillmore stays home to host the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines at the Town Park.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 502 010 2 — 10 11 1
Fillmore 113 000 2 — 7 7 3
GVB – Mason Thomas (3K, 2BB), Ryan Daciw (3) (5K, BB) and Damon Davis.
FIL – Brayden Hennard (3K, 5BB), Kalen Beardsley (4) (2K, BB), Malcolm Nusbickle (7) (3K) and Isaac Wilcox.
No-hitter by Joyce sets up And/Whi sweep of Hammondsport
CAMPBELL — It was a two-game set at Campbell-Savona that spoke volumes.
It was set up in the most dominant of fashions by Andover/Whitesville on Friday, led by the arm of Vinny Joyce, who went five uninterrupted innings to keep the Hammondsport Lakers at a standstill, as they used the game one momentum to set the tone for the rest of the night with a sweep of the action behind 11-1 and 18-8 game-shortened victories.
To lead off the night, Andover/Whitesville (7-8) had to find a way to hang on in the early frames of battle, grabbing the initial lead before building on it with three big runs in the top of the third. Despite falling into a quick hole, the Lakers bounced back in their third attempt at the dish, dragging their first and only run across to bring themselves within three.
Through it all, Joyce remained confident on the mound for Andover/Whitesville, as he went on to complete a no-hit performance with five strikeouts and four walks right after the team in black pulled away and out of reach with a gigantic seven-run top of the fifth inning.
Andover/Whitesville assembled their 11 runs off seven hits, with James Miller-Young and his 2-for-3 outing leading the charge.
In game two, the energy shifted gears to the very beginning of the game this time around for Andover/Whitesville, as they overcame a strong Hammondsport start through their opening sequence at the dish off a multiplicative response in return, swiping 10 straight runs through to the plate to take full command of the action, ultimately for good.
Andover/Whitesville was a bit more active at the plate to ignite a 19-hit display between both games, registering 12 more in the nightcap under the twilight skies, with Colton Calladine catching fire behind his 4-for-4 performance, recording two RBI. Carter Grice and Skyler Orpet each had two hits of their own to pitch in, with Orpet driving in an additional run.
On the rubber, Rogan Perkins picked up the victory through three innings of work, fanning one and walking four.
Up next, Andover/Whitesville is right back home to Andover on Monday to host the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines at 6 p.m.
Game 1
Andover/Whitesville 013 07 — 11 7 0
Hammondsport 001 00 — 1 0 7
A/W – Vinny Joyce (WP) (CG, 5K, 4BB) and Colton Calladine.
HAM – Silas Scofield (LP) (CG, 3K, BB) and Levi Edsall.
Game 2
Hammondsport 1 03 40 — 8 4 6
Andover/Whitesville (10)61 1X — 18 12 2
HAM – Owen Beers (LP) (6BB), Cayden Casselbury (3) (2K) and Levi Edsall.
A/W – Rogan Perkins (WP) (K, 4BB), Skyler Orpet (4) (K, 6BB) and Colton Calladine.
SOFTBALL
Wellsville 7, Our Lady of Mercy 1
ROCHESTER — Almost every single Lady Lion lended a helping hand at the plate during their final regular season road trip of the campaign, Friday night. With a long trek up north to meet Our Lady of Mercy in Rochester, the defending Class B State Champions made the visit worthwhile, as they broke a preliminary deadlock in favor of a big middle frame boost down to the end, as Wellsville weaved their way towards victory by a 7-1 count.
In the first three innings between both squads, it was all even across the board, with the Lady Lions (15-2) responding to Our Lady of Mercy’s ice-breaking run in the bottom of the first one half-inning later, tying the game at one going into the middle stanzas. After another brilliant defensive stand in the third inning, Wellsville put the pedal to the metal in the top of the fourth, pulling them ahead of the Lady Monarchs by way of a two-run double single from Hailey Cowburn and an RBI double from Brynn Hallock.
Wellsville was not done scoring by any means, finding their offensive stroke one more time in the top of the sixth inning with their last two runs — both of which scored on Hallock’s two-run double to extend their lead out towards a six-pack.
The Lady Lions registered 11 total hits at the plate, with Teagan Burke and her 3-for-3 outing at the dish paving the way, adding in an RBI as well. Behind her, Hallock, Ayla Faulkner and Makenna Dunbar all recorded two hits, while Kennedy Perry and Averee Palmatier each had one.
On the mound, Makenna Dunbar was superb from start to finish, as she assembled seven strikeouts to keep Our Lady of Mercy off the board for six straight shutout innings following their 1-0 first inning lead.
The Lady Lions are back home for their final regular season home battle against PIttsford-Mendon, Tuesday night at Tullar Field beginning at 6 p.m.
Wellsville 010 402 0 — 7 11 0
Our Lady of Mercy 100 000 0 — 1 7 1
WLSV – Makenna Dunbar (WP) (CG, 7K) and Lindsay Stuck.
OLM – Leah Sperry (LP) (CG, 6K, BB) and Natalie Casale.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 3, Fillmore 2
FILLMORE — The thought of redemption was on top of the minds of Genesee Valley/Belfast come Friday night in Fillmore, as they looked to quickly put a stunning seventh inning defeat to Bolivar-Richburg just a day earlier, in the rearview mirror right from the start.
Between both teams, just five runs were scored — four of which stemming off heads-up special teams around the bases. Three of those belonged to Genesee Valley/Belfast which helped them kick the tires on an advantage they proclaimed right in the opening sequences and never lost. With Hannah Powers controlling the team’s destiny from within the circle, their redemption was officially sought, as they warded off the Lady Eagles with a narrow 3-2 road victory.
“Genesee Valley/Belfast came out and loaded up the bases quickly in the game. They materialized some runs just putting the ball into play, and along with a few miscues on our part, they got the lead,” Lady Eagles coach Jon Beardsley said. “We weren’t able to generate much offense, as Hannah was in control of the mound tonight behind her dominant performance. Other than not winning, we can gain a lot from this game as we head into Sectionals. Morghyn (Ross) had a great day at the plate with two hits and a few stolen bases, and Mylee (Miller) who has been a workhorse all week. She pitched an excellent game in her fifth straight game.”
By putting the ball into play, Genesee Valley/Belfast (14-4) made the most of the opportunity in their first at-bats of the contest. In the middle of the order, the bat of Morgan Yackeren came into view with the game’s first run off a single into left center field which plated Hannah Powers to break the ice immediately. The visitors also went on to score two more runs off a Fillmore error and groundout from Madison Tarar to jump ahead with a 3-0 lead.
The Lady Eagles (13-4), on the heels of a rapid fire 1-2-3 second inning against their opposition, came back and formed the first of back-to-back responses, scoring both of their runs off passed balls to the backstop, as Summer Friedl and Morghyn Ross each had one run to carve the deficit down to a single run through the first three innings.
For the remainder of the contest, both Powers and Mylee Miller traded a bombardment of jabs in the circle, with Powers holding her end of the bargain to secure Genesee Valley/Belfast the rebounding victory off 15 strikeouts and five walks to complete a four-hit gem. At the plate, Powers had two of the team’s four hits. Jenna HIll had the remaining knock alongside Yackeren’s RBI single.
Fillmore was paced by Morghyn Ross, who had two of the team’s four hits. Summer Friedl and Kelsey Songster had a hit each to round off the bats. In the circle, Miller was outstanding, as she struckout nine and walked one in her four-hit twirl.
The Lady Eagles now await their Sectional fate next week, as they wrap up their regular season with a record of 13-4 overall.
Genesee Valley/Belfast will host their last two games of the season in Belmont beginning on Sunday, as they play host to Class D State-ranked Avoca-Prattsburgh at 4:30 p.m.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 300 000 0 — 3 4 0
Fillmore 011 000 0 — 2 4 2
GVB – Hannah Powers (WP) (CG, 15K, 5BB) and Jenna Hill.
FIL – Mylee Miller (LP) (CG, 9K, BB) and Morghyn Ross.
Bolivar-Richburg 10, Cuba-Rushford 3
RICHBURG — The Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg were on the highest of highs after they rose to the occasion in Belfast the previous night with a late grand slam off the bat of Kylee Whiting propelling them to victory over Genesee Valley/Belfast. On Friday, they looked to their freshman star once again.
This time on the mound.
After the visiting Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford activated in the midst of the opening sequences, the host Lady Wolverines made a call to their bullpen. Staring at one out in the top of the second, Whiting came on in relief of her older sister, Rylee, and took it to a completely different level.
One that completely changed the game once again.
The Bolivar-Richburg freshman was absolutely sensational during her relief appearance, holding the Lady Rebels frozen inside the batter’s box while the offense caught fire right behind it, as they remained on cloud nine at Stan Harris Field to move one more giant step forward towards capturing the Allegany County League Championship all for themselves, posting the eventual 10-3 Senior Night win.
After the Lady Rebels commenced the contest with their first two runs off passed balls, the Lady Wolverines (10-4) came right back in the bottom half of the second inning with two runners on base. At the top of the order, Kylee Whiting and Teegan Sibble went back-to-back with RBI singles to tie the game up immediately before they came in a short time later to guide them ahead into the driver’s seat with a 4-2 lead.
With the lead in hand, Whiting then took matters into her own hands in the circle to keep Cuba-Rushford (8-8) at bay, striking six straight batters out to send Bolivar-Richburg back to the plate, looking for more damage to apply. In the bottom of the fourth, the advantage for the home team blossomed to three behind Sibble’s second run scored of the contest.
Aubrey Williams found a way to close the gap one more time in the fifth inning with her one-out RBI double, but it would be as close as the Lady Rebels would get, as Bolivar-Richburg bulldozed their way towards victory with a gigantic five-run sixth inning to pull out of reach permanently.
The Lady Wolverines assembled nine key hits at the plate to ignite their offense. Sibble was the leading go-getter for the hosts at the dish, going a perfect 4-for-4 with a triple, RBI and three runs scored. Rylee Whiting had two hits of her own to chip in.
As for Kylee Whiting, her relief appearance was unbelievable, as she finished with 15 strikeouts and two walks to score the victory for the team in white and red.
Cuba-Rushford saw Lizzie Kocsis strike out four and walk one across her five-inning start in the circle. At the plate, Williams finished with two of the three hits, while Arlah Shaffer had the team’s last on a single.
Both teams are back on the field Monday night, with Bolivar-Richburg heading over the road one last time this regular season to Andover to meet host Andover/Whitesville in a 6 p.m. first pitch, while Cuba-Rushford travels back home to welcome in Friendship/Scio at 5 p.m.
Cuba-Rushford 020 010 0 — 3 3 3
Bolivar-Richburg 040 105 X — 10 9 0
C-R – Lizzie Kocsis (LP) (4K, BB), Emma Bunk (6) (3BB), Claire Moyer (6) (K, 4BB) and Arlah Shaffer.
B-R – Rylee Whiting (2K, BB), Kylee Whiting (WP, 2) (15K, 2BB) and Sydney Faulkner.
Andover/Whitesville 11, Hammondsport 2
CAMPBELL — The action at Campbell-Savona was spread evenly through the first three innings of play between Andover/Whitesville and Hammondsport on Friday. As both teams sufficed with identical responses to contrive a third-inning deadlock heading down the stretch, it would then reach a juncture where the next critical move on the chessboard had to be made.
As a result, Andover/Whitesville called an early checkmate on the Lady Lakers, with their offense shattering the facade with nine consecutive runs right straight through to the final frame of the night, as they maintained all their momentum they built during their last road trip to Scio to come away winners once again with an 11-2 rout of Hammondsport.
“This was another nice controlled pitching performance, and some heads-up plays from our defenders behind Liv (Waters) really stopped the momentum from Hammondsport,” said Andover/Whitesville coach Al Barber. “I’m very proud of the girls. They have played a lot of softball this week and they finished strong. Some people forget that defense wins games, and you need to be able to hold your opponents to a couple of runs a night. If you can do that, you have a chance to win every game.”
Andover/Whitesville (6-9) forced both lead changes in the early-going against the Lady Lakers, beginning with a bases-loaded walk issued to Leigha Phelps in the first inning leading up to a solid connection on a ground ball from Emma Bentley to regain the 2-1 advantage right back in the top of the third inning.
Following a Reagan Sullivan RBI single to tie the game back up at two each side for the Lady Lakers, Andover/Whitesville assumed total control in the top of the fourth, with Olivia Waters and Lilly Ordway highlighting the go-ahead three-run frame with back-to-back RBIs. The damage continued to grow in size to finish off their final road victory of the regular season, as they tacked on two runs in each of the last three innings of play.
The visitors cemented an eight-hit outing at the plate to generate their offense, with Lilly Harrington and Olivia Waters each posting a pair of hits. On the mound, Waters fanned seven and walked three in her complete game to score the win.
Andover/Whitesville will head back home on Monday to Andover, as they host their final regular season game against the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines at 6 p.m.
Andover/Whitesville 101 322 2 — 11 8 0
Hammondsport 101 000 0 — 2 6 0
A/W – Olivia Waters (WP) (CG, 7K, 3BB) and Reece Winters.
HAM – Aimee Hurd (LP) (CG, 10K, 13BB) and Hannah Dresser.
GOLF
Fillmore 183, Genesee Valley/Belfast 201
RUSHFORD — It was the fight of their golf lives at Allegany Hills in Rushford, Friday night. In what was the very last match in Allegany County League play this season, it all boiled down to this very moment — Who was going to walk away as champions?
With Genesee Valley/Belfast already claiming a razor-thin victory earlier in the Spring, they could settle on the entire kit and kaboodle against the Eagles with just one more victory. But for the Eagles, a season series-split would make for an 8th straight year where they had a part in the capture of the coveted title.
When the final chapter was penned, two streaks remained alive — one by Genesee Valley/Belfast phenom Grant Preston, and the other from the Eagles of Fillmore themselves.
Despite Preston’s perfect 12-for-12 medalist round regular season propelling the visitors at the top of the scorecard, the balance across the board for the host Eagles is what fueled the evening on the links, as Fillmore proceeded to stake a claim in this year’s Allegany County League title with Genesee Valley/Belfast with a 183-201 win.
“I was proud of how the team shot tonight. As the weather has been getting nicer, our scores have been getting better. We had a lot of turnover from Graduation last year, and it’s taken this group a while to find their groove,” Eagles coach Tom Parks said. “Aiden Freeman in particular, he is playing very good golf right now and as a team, we have been pretty balanced. Genesee Valley/Belfast has a very nice team as well, and Grant Preston is as good as advertised. I’m anticipating that we will cross paths again in Sectionals.”
For an 8th straight year, FIllmore (9-1) received an opportunity to add more hardware to the trophy showcase with their share of the County Championship, as they used the team-low round of 40 shot by Aiden Freeman to aid in their victory. Anderson Wiltsey pitched forth his round of 46. Sam Cool had a 48, while Jameson Rhett had a 49.
For Genesee Valley/Belfast (7-5), Preston’s 12th straight medalist round once again saw him top his previous lowest round of the season, as he assembled the match-low round of 38 — his new season low, to guide the team at the front of the scorecard. Behind him was Will Guilford and his round of 50. Jackson Powers finished with a 52, while Jackson Barney concluded with a 61.
Between both teams, Freeman, Wiltsey and Preston will all now make their way to Mill Creek Country Club in Churchville this afternoon to partake in Individual Sectional action. As for Team Sectionals, both teams will await seeding for tournament play, which is set to begin next week.
TRACK
Super 8 Meet (will be included in Spring Day wrap-up, available Sunday)
