Monday Roundup: Key baserunning, Green’s late two-run single in 6th inning assists Wellsville in staving off Fillmore with 9-5 home victory

Written By Chris Brooks

WELLSVILLE — With tough battles against Class B powerhouse Livonia, and Class A dynamo Canandaigua on the horizon, the goal to begin the week for Wellsville, and head coach Marc Agnello on Monday was straightforward — focus on the opponent in front of them.

That being the Fillmore Eagles.

“I know we have Livonia and Canandaigua coming up, but we have to worry about today,” Agnello said. “We can't worry about those teams on our schedule in Class B, and Class A right yet, we had to worry about Fillmore. They're a great team, and they're going to do some damage if they keep playing the way they do in Sectionals.”

Fillmore has won three of their first four games of the season behind stellar offensive outings, as well as a pitching rotation that has allowed on average, just under over three runs a game. For the most part in their first of two meetings, Connor Potter traded barbs with Wellsville’s Dominic Sawyer through four innings of work and multiple strikeouts exchanged.

The Eagles and Lions also swapped multiple lead changes across the entirety of the contest. But with the end of the line quickly approaching, something had to give. And in the end, Wellsville’s baserunning and a key hit was that something.

Down 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Lions went on to capitalize on all fronts to rally back one last time, as they used their legs on the bases as well as a key two-run hit from the bat of Alex Green to stir up a four-run frame that turned a two-run deficit one way into a two-run lead back the other way, as Wellsville scored seven of the last eight runs of the game to propel forward with a 9-5 win over Fillmore.

“It came down to who would come out of this back and forth battle, but baserunning won the game for us,” said Agnello. “Guys going from first to third on base hits, guys scoring on passed balls. We had a couple of those instances help us today, especially from Liam (McKinley), he’s done that twice for us. Not only that, but they’re backbreakers. We pride ourselves on doing the little things very well, and we have to do that to find our ways to win these kinds of games.”

After a scoreless first inning concluded, the first of many lead changes began after the Wellsville (5-1) defense kept Fillmore at bay with another scoreless inning, while breaking the ice on offense in the bottom of the second with Dominic Sawyer recording an RBI single into left field. From that point forward, it wouldn’t be until the final inning when Fillmore concluded their scoring.

From the third to the sixth innings, the Eagles (3-2) played a game of their own by hanging right with the Lions every step of the way, as they traded deadlocks beginning in the third when Brent Zubikowski used some heads up baserunning to score from third after a throw down to second to catch Isaiah Voss from stealing went into the outfield. The Lions would respond by taking the lead back in the bottom of the frame with baserunning of their own, as Liam McKinley scored off a passed ball to the backstop after originally leading off the inning with a single into center.

The back-and-forth affair carried into the fourth when the game found its way toward a 2-2 tie after the fact, with Aaron Buck and Aiden Wagner starting the inning with a pair of lead-off hits down the left field line, and into center field respectively. With two on and no outs on the board, the bases would wind up being loaded after a walk to Zach Sisson, and then reloaded after a hit-by-pitch to Zubikowski results in a tie game after four innings.

Also seeing an end was the pitcher’s duel between Connor Potter and Dominic Sawyer on the rubber, as both received no-decisions after the teams made a change on the mound in the fifth inning. Potter and Sawyer would hand out 10 chairs each for the Eagles, and Lions respectively in their starts.

The heat would turn up in the fifth, as Potter’s final outing back in the fourth was a near-perfect one of its own, shelling out a trio of strikeouts in just over 10 pitches to provide a momentum boost for the visitors in gray and green, using it to take the lead immediately after on offense with Luke Colombo and Aaron Buck both reaching base, with Colombo belting a double to the left field corner to force the pitching change for the Lions.

Right after the change, the Eagles struck while the iron burned hot, as Wagner and Zach Sisson went back-to-back with a pair of one-out singles up the middle, scoring both Colombo and then Wagner on the respective hits to give Fillmore the two-run edge.

“It seems like we don't really do things the easy way. It's like we'll get a lead, then we'll walk a guy and Fillmore will get a big hit,” Agnello said. “I told the kids Fillmore is going to come here and swing the bats, and they've scored 12 runs a game because of it. They did just that all day long, and the pitching was decent. They're going to do some damage in their class, because they have the chance to do some big things.”

At that point, no lead for either team eclipsed two runs, but the Lions deficit was of the same number when the bottom half of the fifth approached. Their response — fire on all cylinders.

With their first three batters reaching base, two via walk, the pressure was kicked up a notch. But was slightly lowered after Sisson came on to provide back-to-back strikeouts to push Wellsville to the edge with two immediate outs. But the game would navigate its way toward a 4-4 tie, the third and final of its kind, as the Lions used their baserunning to their biggest advantage once more, scoring two runs on a passed ball which led to an errant throw into the infield.

A chance to break the tie once and for all came about for Wellsville, and Brayden Delahunt went on to do just that with a two-out single into the left center field gap, plating Alex Green to formulate what became a four-run fifth that evolved into a 6-4 lead with more assistance from Brayden Delahunt, and his heads-up baserunning, scoring on a passed ball to close out the scoring inside the frame.

But Fillmore did not go away just yet, recording their final run of the game off of Wagner’s two-out single into center field to scratch across Isaiah Voss, after leading the inning off with a walk. After Logan Dunbar provided a big strikeout to leave two Eagles runners on base, Wellsville delivered the knockout punch with Alex Green dropping a high blooper just inside the right field line to bring both Alex Ordiway and Liam McKinley, who led off with back-to-back singles, to score, branching the lead for the hosts in orange ultimately to four — the largest of the game, after Cody Costello scored from third on a throwing error to first base.

The Eagles would threaten with one final stand with two runners on base, but Alex Ordiway came on to shut the door to hang on for victory behind a pair of strikeouts, including the game ender.

“They win as a team, they lose as a team. It was a fun game to be a part of, but that’s why you play the game,” Eagles coach Bill Nolan said. “We did well, even though we had a few moments where we started to get sloppy. After that game we had with Bolivar, we had the idea of being in this game, and we did. They believed it, and they held in there for as long as they could. I didn’t know what to expect with Wellsville, but I did know that they could play the game well, and they could hit and pitch. We could do all those things too, and we have moments where we can play the game as good as anyone. But today just wasn’t our day.”

When it was all said and done, both Fillmore and Wellsville recorded 11 hits worth of offense, with Costello leading the charge for the Lions behind a 3-for-4 outing with two doubles, and two runs scored. Delahunt had two hits, and two RBI, while McKinley finished with two hits. Jere Havens added a double of his own. On the mound, Logan Dunbar picked up the win in relief by fanning four and walking three in his three-inning outing.

“The bats are starting to come alive, and that's a testament to some BP that we've been doing before games this year,” said Agnello. “But the at-bats are getting better, despite some of them being given away. I told them to take the first pitch fastball every time. Fillmore did that all day long, so we have to do that all the time. Our mantra is to get one percent better every day, and it may sound wacky, but it's ringing true.”

For the Eagles, Wagner finished with a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate, and two RBI. Sisson also finished with three hits, as well as three strikeouts and three walks on the hill in relief. Fillmore is back home Wednesday night, as they look to rebound back into the win column with a 5 p.m. visit from the Belfast Bulldogs.

Wellsville will now have two tough tests in front of them to end this week, as they now prepare for a Thursday night road trip in Livonia before returning home this weekend to host Canandaigua to close out their two-game series on Saturday in the Lion’s Den.

It is a pair of games that the second-year Lions skipper says will provide an eye-opener for his crew.

“They’re a great, well-coached team in Class B1, Livonia is,” Agnello said. “Coach (Scott) Gilman is a great coach, and Alex Minnehan is a great player. That’s why we want to have games like this. It gives us a great measuring stick to see where we are. It will be a good test after playing teams locally for almost a couple of weeks now. It’ll help us get rolling for sure, both this game and Canandaigua coming up this weekend.”

First pitch in Livonia is slated for a 5:30 p.m. start.

Fillmore 001 121 0 – 5 11 3

Wellsville 011 043 X – 9 11 2

FIL – Connor Potter (10K, 2BB), Zach Sisson (LP, 5), (3K, 3BB), Aaron Buck (6), and Brent Zubikowski.

WLSV – Dominic Sawyer (10K, 3BB), Logan Dunbar (WP, 5) (4K, 3BB), Alex Ordiway (7) (2K), and Alex Green.

Andover 7, Hinsdale 6

ANDOVER — Both Hinsdale and Andover went back and forth for most of the night on Monday, with multiple lead changes being exchanged between the two foes. Along with the offense, both starting pitchers — Hinsdale’s Ethan Cashimere and Andover’s Layton Miller had a back-and-forth battle of their own through the first three innings.

But when it came down to brass tax, it was the Panthers had managed to collect the final word at the end, as they scored two big runs in the bottom of the sixth, using baserunning to their advantage to scratch the runs across to overtake Hinsdale in the driver’s seat for good with a 7-6 edging at home over the Bobcats.

Both starting pitchers were given no-decisions, but it was Kayden Zengerle that picked up the win in relief for Andover (2-4), as he fanned 11 Hinsdale batters and walked six in his four innings of relief. On offense, the Panthers had to fight their way toward a 4-3 lead after the first three innings, taking the lead with a three-run third. Right in the top of the fourth, Hinsdale (0-4) was able to take the lead back with their last three runs, picking up the 6-4 lead heading into the back half of the contest.

Andover was able to hold their ground however, as they cut the deficit back down to one in the bottom half before scoring their two key runs off baserunning in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead away from the Bobcats for good.

Layton Miller, along with his seven strikeouts in his three-inning start, grabbed three of the team’s 10 hits, including a triple, double and two runs scored to lead the bats. Spencer Cook added in two hits of his own, garnering a double and two runs scored. On the other side, the Bobcats saw Cashimere record two hits, scoring two runs while Xavier Pascucci belted a double to help the Bobcats, who continue their road swing into Cuba-Rushford on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

Andover will now take an extended break off before returning to their home turf Friday night, when they host the Bulldogs of Belfast in a 6 p.m. clash.

Hinsdale 111 300 0 – 6 8 4

Andover 013 102 X – 7 10 3

HIN – Ethan Cashimere (4K), Jake Elliott (LP, 4) (6K, BB), and Pete Cummins.

AND – Layton Miller (7K), Kayden Zengerle (WP, 4) (11K, 6BB), and Spencer Cook.

Bolivar-Richburg 18, Whitesville 3 (F-5)

BOLIVAR — It was a 3-3 battle after nearly two innings of play, but it was a tie that Bolivar-Richburg almost immediately broke in the bottom of the second, as they scored 10 of their 18 runs within the frame, with three different Wolverines hitters recording at least a pair of hits as the team forced the 10-run rule to pick up the 18-3 win over visiting Whitesville on Monday, under the lights.

Wayne Karnuth and Caden Allen both led the offense for the Wolverines (6-2), as they each blasted an inside-the-park home run, with Allen garnering four total RBI while Karnuth had two total. Camdyn MacDonell added two hits of his own, and scored three runs. Helping the cause even further, were Darien Champlin and Trey Buchholz, as they chipped in with a two-run double, and RBI-triple.

In all, Bolivar-Richburg recorded 18 runs off 13 total hits as they tallied their sixth win in their first eight games. On the defensive front, Brayden Ellis traded in the catching gear for the pitching glove to pick up the victory on the hill, striking out three and walking one in his two-inning start. For Whitesville (0-4), Troy Cogar had two of the team’s three hits, both singles, to lead the bats.

Bolivar-Richburg will now hit the road Friday night, as they prepare to visit the Fillmore Eagles in a 5 p.m. showdown in Allegany County Division I action, while Whitesville continues their search for their first win on Wednesday in Scio, taking on host Friendship/Scio a 5 p.m. contest of their own.

Whitesville 0 3 0 00 – 3 3 5

Bolivar-Richburg 3(10) 1 4X – 18 13 2

WHI – Troy Cogar (LP) (5BB), Luke Erdmann (3) (2BB), and Erdmann, Tyler Lewis (3).

B-R – Brayden Ellis (WP) (3K, BB), Trey Buchholz (3) (5K, 4BB), and Wayne Karnuth.

SOFTBALL

Wellsville 21, Allegany-Limestone 0 (F-5)

ALLEGANY — Just like the Energizer Bunny, the Lady Lions of Wellsville just keep going and going, and going, as they took a road trip out west to Allegany-Limestone and returned home victorious behind another offensive slugfest with 21 runs coming off 23 hits, while Makenzie Cowburn sealed the deal on a no-hit performance in the team’s 21-0 five-inning win over the Lady Gators, Monday night.

The Lady Lions (11-1) offense saw a little bit of everything shake their way, as eight different batters recorded at least a pair of hits at the plate, with Marley Adams leading the way behind her massive day. The junior went for the cycle in her 4-for-5 outing, blasting a two-run home run to open up a five-run opening frame while adding an RBI single in the second, double in the third and finishing with an RBI-triple in the final inning to complete it.

Emma Dunaway added four hits, while Maddie Spicer had three hits including two doubles, an RBI and three runs scored. Matti Burke was one of five Lady Lions that recorded two hits, pacing with an RBI-triple that jump started a six-run second inning to give the team an 11-0 lead, as well as a three-run bomb in the fourth to put toward cracking the 20-run mark, finishing with four RBI in all. Lauren Cicirello, Brazen Beckwith, Mallory Sibble and Makenzie Cowburn all had two hits to add in,

In the circle, Cowburn dished out another superb showing by scoring a no-hit performance, striking out 12 and walking just two to keep Allegany-Limestone at bay across all five innings.

Wellsville is back home to Tullar Field on Wednesday, as they prepare for a 7 p.m. battle with the Portville Lady Panthers under the lights.

Wellsville 560 (10)0 – 21 23 0

Allegany-Limestone 000 0 0 – 0 0 3

WLSV – Makenzie Cowburn (WP) (CG, 12K, 2BB), and Brazen Beckwith.

A-L – Jenna Margeson (LP) (2BB), Kortney Magara (4) (2BB), and Ellie Strade.

Bolivar-Richburg 20, Whitesville 0 (F-5)

WHITESVILLE — Along with Makenzie Cowburn recording the no-hit performance for Wellsville, another one was added in Whitesville when Bolivar-Richburg’s McKinlee Harris held the host Lady Jays down with a no-hitter of her own, as she struck out two while the offense went to work in a big way in their 20-0 shutout over the road to win their sixth game in their last seven.

Five different Lady Wolverines (6-1) all grabbed at least two hits with Malayna Ayers and Madigan Harris both driving in five RBI, with Ayers recording a 4-for-5 outing with a double and two runs scored, and Harris providing a perfect 3-for-3 plate appearance including a double and four runs scored. Jianna Nix, Kelsey Pacer and Jessica Majot all contributed two hits each, including a double, with Majot driving in two additional runs along the way.

In all, Bolivar-Richburg recorded 20 total runs off 18 hits.

The team will look to carry the momentum back home with them for a quick turnaround tonight, as they prepare to host Addison in a key Class C clash at 6 p.m. in Richburg. As for Whitesville (0-4), they will stay home and welcome in Friendship for a 5 p.m. contest on Wednesday.

Bolivar-Richburg 51 (13) 01 – 20 18 2

Whitesville 00 0 00 – 0 0 0

B-R – McKinlee Harris (WP) (CG, 2K) and Madigan Harris, Kaitlyn Graves (3), Raina Bowen (4).

WHI – Jessica Erdmann (LP) (CG, 5K, 12BB), and Gabbi Hall.

BOYS TENNIS

Fillmore 5, Cuba-Rushford 0

CUBA — The brooms were brought out by Fillmore over the road, Monday night, as they collected three match victories to go with a pair of forfeit wins to provide the 5-0 sweep to take down host Cuba-Rushford to win their fourth straight match.

In the singles department, Carter Sisson and Eben Schilke led the way with a win each, with Sisson battling across three sets to earn his, defeating Cuba-Rushford’s Nate Cole behind a 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 win. Schilke added a 6-1, 6-2 win over Aaron Kumpf at second singles. On the doubles side, the first doubles team of Zach Herring and Colby Wolfer finished off the match victory with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Cuba-Rushford’s Ayden Kameck and Shayla Zaprowski.

Fillmore (4-3) would add in forfeit wins from Joe Derck at third singles, and from the second doubles team of Ryan Ballard and Henry Decker.

The Eagles will look to go for five in a row next Monday, when they return to regular season action back home at Houghton College with a 5 p.m. battle with Wellsville on the slate. As for the Rebels, they also will return to the court next Monday with a 5 p.m. match back home against Andover.

Singles

1. Carter Sisson (FIL) def. Nate Cole (C-R), 4-6, 7-6, 6-2.

2. Eben Schilke (FIL) def. Aaron Kumpf (C-R), 6-1, 6-2.

3. Joe Derck (FIL) by for.

Doubles

1. Zach Herring/Colby Wolfer (FIL) def. Ayden Kameck/Shayla Zaprowski (C-R), 6-1, 6-0.

2. Ryan Ballard/Henry Decker (FIL) by for.

Chris Brooks
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