THE END OF AN ERA: In State Finals rematch, defending Class D champ Deposit/Hancock uses 6-run 5th inning to end Fri/Scio’s season again, close book on Ross era with 8-2 Semifinal win

[PHOTOS BY TRICIA DAVENPORT]

BELLPORT — It has been an incredible and prosperous ride for the Friendship/Scio softball team. A journey that saw its inception take place away from home, in Myrtle Beach, at the beginning of April. It was a trip that the defending Class D State Finalists garnered another propulsion of experience to add onto their resumes.

From that point for the rest of the season, it was full steam ahead.

Friendship/Scio, under the guidance of Nevaeh Ross all season long, went on a tear. They would witness defeat just one more time to finish off their regular season campaign, resulting in the garnering of one of Class D’s top seeds to head into Sectionals — a time where they have soaked in every beaming ray that has radiated from that spotlight for the last three years.

They progressed on to make it four after a four-game run that saw them allow just one run during that span. And for their barbaric leading lady in the circle, it was yet another dazzling puzzle piece that was added onto her everlasting legacy. But the job wasn’t done though. They all wanted more.

In fact, they wanted much more than that. They wanted redemption.

Their sights were attuned directly on Long Island. The grand return for that one final dance. With the New York City skyline more than within view off to their west, Montauk Island to their farthest of rights and Fire Island directly in front of them, the Martha Avenue Recreation Park in Bellport patiently awaited their arrival.

Friendship/Scio would affirm that road trip after a close edging of Ellicottville in the Class D Far West Regional at Webster Schroeder last weekend, all behind another dominating performance from their No. 13 in the middle. After a six-hour ride on the school bus for the final weekend upon the horizon, it was officially time.

Time to finish the story.

During their travels to the State Final Four, they have met the same opponent in back-to-back years at both stages. The most recent of them? — A dramatic 13-inning race to the finish line that no one in attendance will forget anytime soon, all for the Class D State Championship. One year later, Friendship/Scio was pinned up against defending State champion Deposit/Hancock once again.

They say diamonds are forever, but a chance to reach the Finals by knocking off their Final Four rival? Eternal.

Everything was put on the line early Friday afternoon for the third part of their stately trilogy on the softball field. And like the previous encounters in the past, level playing ground came with it. Across four dynamic innings played, just two hits were registered — both by Deposit/Hancock, but the score leaned in Friendship/Scio’s favor behind some outstanding special teams on the bases.

It was more than clear that scoring was going to be hard to come by, and with a 1-0 lead in hand, Friendship/Scio had to do everything in their power to hang onto it approaching the homestretch of the Semifinal war on the battlefield. The ball was now in Deposit/Hancock’s side entering the top of the fifth. Suddenly, the tables were turned.

What a fifth inning it was.

For the Class D champions, it was a momentous breakthrough. For Friendship/Scio, devastation.

Deposit/Hancock made the most out of every opportunity they faced. As a result, they took what was a one-run deficit and flipped it upside down in favor of a five-run lead — three of those runs stemming off a bases-clearing execution at the plate, putting them into the driver’s seat ultimately for good, as they added two more runs of insurance during their last at-bats to finish off a third straight victory over Friendship/Scio in the State Final Four, ending their season with an 8-2 victory to continue their title defense proceedings into the final day of the season.

“We had to make some changes on the infield in the last couple of weeks,” said Friendship/Scio coach Deb Warner. “Our bats struggled at the plate, and as a coach, it’s on me for not mixing up the offensive game and incorporating the short game more. I look at the team, and yes the pitcher and catcher have been here before, but the rest of the team is young behind them. I’m very proud of the young girls for stepping up in this highly intense game to do their very best.”

In the first four innings of play, the pitchers took over. Between both Deposit/Hancock and Friendship/Scio, five baserunners combined would navigate their way on base in the midst of a strikeout avalanche where 19 of them between Addison Makowski and Nevaeh Ross were collected. But the only degree of separation during that span, was some outstanding baserunning from Friendship/Scio’s phenom in the bottom of the third.

After reaching on a two-out walk at the top of the lineup, Ross used her legs to sprint around all the bags behind the Deposit/Hancock defense before scratching her way across the plate on a throwing error, propelling Friendship/Scio into the cat bird’s seat with the 1-0 lead heading into the final heat of battle.

With time running thin and no room for error remaining, the teams entered now-or-never territory. In the top of the fifth inning, that time for Deposit/Hancock was now, as they hit the jackpot on offense with a six-run busting of the floodgates, utilizing a flurry of errors, as well as a massive three-run triple off the bat of Sarah Gross to change the complexion of the contest completely.

After Friendship/Scio trimmed the deficit back down to four with the aid of Emily Lamberson and her run off a passed ball, Deposit/Hancock went back to the drawing board and provided a seventh inning of utmost importance. In one half of it, two massive pieces of insurance to bolster their lead out to six. In the other half, a quick inning, despite their concurrent no-hit bid being broken up by Ross with a two-out single.

Deposit/Hancock would go on to score the final out of the game to end Friendship/Scio’s season. And for Ross, the descent of the curtain on a legendary career that will continue to resonate all throughout Allegany County in the years to come.

The emotions were evidence of that.

“It was very emotional, especially for that senior on the mound. Everyone knows what Nevaeh has done for Friendship and Scio. When she realized it was coming to an end, it really hit her,” Warner said. “And those players she led throughout the season, they saw their leader take in the final moments of her high school career. The toll it took on her towards the end was immense. It was hard for all the girls, but you could see all the emotions on Nevaeh.”

Ross was met by both Warner and her father, assistant coach Darryl Ross, in the infield after the final out was recorded by Deposit/Hancock. A few moments later, she rose to her feet and delivered a thrusting of her batting helmet into the air towards the crowd, holding back tears as she walked off for the last time following an outing that saw her finish with 13 strikeouts and four walks on the mound.

The impact she repeatedly brought to the table each and every game since the beginning of her journey, was second to none. With her 13 strikeouts, Ross will finish with a Section V-record 390 strikeouts in her very last season with Friendship/Scio, bringing her career grand total to 1,511 strikeouts across nearly five seasons — a mark that will stand second overall in New York State, as the program’s No. 1.

Warner remembers it all. Right from the start.

“I remember this skinny, young player as a seventh grader, she was eager to get on the mound, but she wasn’t quite ready. Over the next five years, she came up with the work ethic, she got the experience to make herself into the player she has now become,” she said. “As her coach, you cannot ask for more. She has made it exciting, fun and proud to be a part of her career. As a coach, you can only wish you get this type of athlete, knowing her character and toughness. Watching the final out of her career, her emotions brought several emotions as a coach, first tears knowing that it was the end of a journey. She has done a wonderful thing for our small schools, and she should be very proud of that.”

Ross will join fellow seniors Grace Drumm and Nora Thompson for Graduation in just two week’s time, as Friendship/Scio wraps up another stellar campaign on the field with a record of 20-4 overall, becoming four-peat champions in Section V and three-time Far West champions along the way. As for what the future lies ahead, the Friendship/Scio coach says there will be tremendous shoes to fill.

“We will still be rebuilding and retooling,” Warner said. “We will have a junior next year who served as our starting pitcher on the JV level that will come up next year and fill in for Nevaeh. Those are some big shoes, but it’s also a reason why I really pushed to get all three levels of softball. As for the team itself, the girls on the field did get some experience, but the positions will be changing again. We’ve still got a lot of extra work to do defensively, as well as on offense.”

We at WellsvilleSports.com would like to congratulate Coach Warner, Coach Ross and the Friendship/Scio ladies on a tremendous season of softball, and the best of luck to Nevaeh, Nora and Grace on their futures ahead of them.

Deposit/Hancock 000 060 2 – 8 7 0

Friendship/Scio 001 010 0 – 2 1 3

D/H – Addison Makowski (WP) (CG, 12K, 8BB) and Haley Begeal.

F/S – Nevaeh Ross (LP) (CG, 13K, 4BB) and Morghyn Ross.