Saturday Roundup: Lady Lions continue hot start to season, blank host Ark/Can twice in morning twinbill to win first four in a row
ARKPORT — More rain over the course of Friday night put a damper on most of the Saturday action from across the area. But in the morning, the Lady Lions were able to stave off some raindrops to fit in their twinbill with Arkport/Canaseraga over the road.
Fresh off a thrilling nine-inning victory over Bolivar-Richburg on Thursday, Wellsville had the momentum in their back pocket rolling into Arkport to face the Lady Wolves, and when the day was over, the Lady Lions remained on fire.
In both games, the visitors in orange and black dominated across all facets, from pitching to the bats, even on the bases with Carly Young stealing six bags combined, as they clinched a pair of shutout victories over the Lady Wolves by holding them to one hit in game one before shutting them off completely to end the day in game two.
“We did a good job swinging the bats today, and both of our pitchers threw really well,” Lady Lions coach Matt Burke said. “We were fortunate to get the games in through some rain drops. It’s a tribute to both of our pitchers in how hard they work in the offseason. I’m very happy to see them earn their success today.”
In game one, the Lady Lions (4-0) saw six different batters record multiple hits, as they collected 17 runs off 15 total hits at the plate, with Marley Adams and Emma Dunaway each paving the way with 3-for-4 outings, with Adams driving in two runs in the process. Matti Burke grabbed four RBI off both hits she provided to help further the cause.
Pitching in were Makenzie Cowburn, Maddie Spicer and Marissa Ordway, who all had two hits each, with Cowburn blasting a triple and driving in two runs along the way. The Lady Lions saw Cowburn take the circle to start the day with a bang, holding Arkport/Canaseraga hitless up until the final out of the game, when the Lady Wolves registered a late fifth inning single.
In all, Cowburn managed to lock down the one-hit shutout behind 14 strikeouts and one walk.
In game two, the Lady Lions were able to get their hands on the no-hitter, but this time, from Marissa Ordway, who provided 11 strikeouts and two walks of her own in her first ever career start on Varsity to secure the no-no.
On offense, Wellsville accounted for 21 runs off another 15-hit performance at the plate, with 16 of those runs coming in the first inning to set the tone almost immediately. Leading the charge was Lauren Cicirello, who was 3-for-4 and drove in three runs. Ordway, Brazen Beckwith, Matti Burke and Maddie Spicer all had two hits to contribute to end their day on a solid note.
The Lady Lions are back home Monday night for another twinbill beginning with a 4:30 p.m. first pitch against the Addison Lady Knights, then concluding the evening with a 7:30 p.m. matchup against the Lady Eagles of Alfred-Almond under the lights.
Game 1
Wellsville 3(10)0 04 – 17 15 0
Arkport/Canaseraga 0 0 0 00 – 0 1 2
WLSV – Makenzie Cowburn (WP) (CG, 14K, BB), and Matti Burke, Brazen Beckwith (2), Lindsay Stuck (5).
A/C – Autumn LaFrance (LP) (CG, 7BB), and Val Miller.
Game 2
Arkport/Canaseraga 0 00 00 – 0 0 2
Wellsville (16)50 0X – 21 15 0
A/C – Autumn LaFrance (LP) (2K), Caitlin O'Dea (2), and Val Miller.
WLSV – Marissa Ordway (WP) (CG, 11K, 2BB), and Lindsay Stuck.
Belfast 11, Genesee Valley 7
BELFAST — The Lady Jaguars of Genesee Valley were able to get a quick bounce in their step over the road in Belfast, Saturday night, picking up the early 2-0 lead. But it was one that was taken away as soon as they earned it.
Right in the bottom half of the first inning, the Lady Bulldogs, a game after being no-hit by Friendship, used their offensive firepower to the fullest of advantages, scoring nine of their 11 runs to pull away, never losing their position in the driver’s seat despite a late rally in the end, as they held onto an 11-7 win.
“That first inning was the key to our success,” said Lady Bulldogs coach Mark Sullivan. “We had some good hits, got on base and after GV switched to their second pitcher, they came back and kept us off-balanced. But we played great defense all game, and Emma (Sullivan) threw strikes, and the girls made the plays behind her. We faced Nevaeh (Ross) the other day and we couldn’t get a hit, but we were smacking the ball tonight. I’ll take that all day long.”
Two Lady Bulldogs (2-1) combined to record five of the team’s eight total hits at the plate, with Emma Sullivan leading both fronts on offense and defense, with her hitting contributions resulting in a 3-for-5 outing. Alicia Borden added in two hits of her own. In the circle, Sullivan struck out nine and walked four to pick up the victory.
On the other side, the Lady Jaguars (2-1) saw a late rally form after falling behind 11-2 after the first three innings, as they scored the last five runs of the game to cut their deficit down to as little as four in the top of the seventh. But it was too much to overcome in the end.
Sierra Burrows played a big role during the sequence for the visitors in green and black, as she scored a perfect 4-for-4 day on offense. Kayci Bigelow added two hits of her own in process. On the mound, Burrows struck out three and walked three in her four innings of relief.
Both teams are back on the field Monday night with 5 p.m. first pitches, with Belfast looking to keep the momentum rolling into Whitesville, while Genesee Valley looks to rebound back home with their home opener against Scio.
Genesee Valley 200 120 2 – 7 7 3
Belfast 902 000 0 – 11 8 2
GV – Ashley Burrows (LP) (K, 6BB), Sierra Burrows (3) (3K, 3BB), and Savannah Werner.
BEL – Emma Sullivan (WP) (CG, 9K, 4BB), and Harley Proctor.
