Monday Roundup: Lady Lions start Spring Break trip with 4th straight shutout, blank Eleanor Roosevelt with 5-0 decision; Fri/Scio softball survives, Wellsville baseball no-hit in Myrtle

GREENBELT, MD — Spring Break has officially kicked into full gear, where four local squads have taken long bus rides down to the south in Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina, facing some of the most elite competition every step of the way. Among the travelers are the Lady Lions softball squad, who took aim at continuing their enormous, season-opening momentum swing.

Their first stop was in Maryland on their way down to Virginia, where their quest began at Eleanor Roosevelt High School early Monday evening. The Lady Lions were presented a challenge from start to finish by the Maryland school with an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students. But with Makenzie Cowburn helping provide the best of both worlds for the team, Wellsville got down to brass tax and delivered the goods.

The Lady Lions junior was a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the spectrum, holding Eleanor Roosevelt to just two hits at the plate with her arm whilst blasting her second and third home runs of the season on offense to power up a strong debut with their fourth straight victory in a 5-0 shutout.

“Eleanor Roosevelt is a solid team that is well-coached. Makenzie was dominant in the circle. She pounded the strike zone and hit her spots. It’s nice to see the spark that she gave the team swinging the bat also. Averee (Palmatier) continues to swing the bat well, and she made a nice defensive play for us in the outfield.” said Lady Lions coach Matt Burke.

Behind Cowburn’s guidance, the Lady Lions (4-0) were able to grab the start they wanted against Eleanor Roosevelt through the first four innings of play, accumulating a 2-0 lead with a pair of solo home runs off the junior phenom’s bat. Cowburn would finish with three of the team’s nine hits at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3.

In addition to her offensive spark, Cowburn held Eleanor Roosevelt to just two hits across a 10-strikeout performance.

The offense would continue to dig in and add onto their lead in the late stages of the battle, as Wellsville scored two more runs in the top of the fifth before finishing off the scoring with one more in the seventh to lock up the victory permanently.

Adding help along the way at the plate was Hailey Lanphier, who went 2-for-3 with a double and RBI. Averee Palmatier recorded a triple, while Teagan Burke recorded her first career Varsity hit.

The Lady Lions will now take the ride down to Virginia for doubleheader action beginning tonight in Waynesboro, beginning in a 4:30 p.m. game one first pitch.

Check back with WellsvilleSports.com on Thursday for the official report from both games!

Wellsville 100 120 1 – 5 9 0

Eleanor Roosevelt 000 000 0 – 0 2 1

WLSV – Makenzie Cowburn (WP) (CG, 10K) and Brazen Beckwith.

ER – Natalia Tarquin (LP) (CG) and Meriam Hjiej.

Friendship/Scio 5, Poca (WV) 3

MYRTLE BEACH, SC — Further south from the Lady Lions of Wellsville were the State Final Four finalist Friendship/Scio ladies, who began their back-to-back Class D2 title defense in Myrtle Beach with a tough and fierce battle welcomed by the Lady Poca Dots hailing from West Virginia, Monday afternoon.

Friendship/Scio would need every bit of momentum they could muster to race stride for stride with Poca. Fortunately enough, it would come in the first sequences of the game, where they created a 3-0 lead and held onto it despite some late pressure down the stretch from the Dots, as they captured their first win of the campaign by a 5-3 count.

Friendship/Scio electrified their offense with five runs off 10 total hits. Among them, big contributions from both Ross siblings — Nevaeh and Morghyn, as the two combined for six of those hits, including a perfect 4-for-4 outing by Morghyn consisting of a double and three RBI. Nevaeh would help get the scoring started right away in the first with her bat, collecting a big RBI triple to set up a 2-0 lead.

As time raced forward, Friendship/Scio fought in a back-and-forth exchange with Poca down the stretch to keep their lead intact, taking a 4-1 lead entering the bottom of the sixth. Within the frame, the Dots were able to cut their deficit to a single run — the closest they would get to Friendship/Scio, after a massive two-run double off Nevaeh Ross in the circle helped set up shop.

But the defending Class D2 champs were able to shut the door in the seventh, bolstering their advantage with one more big piece of insurance before Ross shut the door with a blanking of the offense to halt all momentum.

Ross would hold Poca to just three hits across a magnificent 14-strikeout performance for Friendship/Scio. Adding help along the way on offense were Logan Roberts, Claire Calhoun, Kadence Donohue and Katherine Lamberson, all recording a hit each.

Friendship/Scio will return to action this afternoon back in Myrtle Beach, taking on Trinity, Kentucky in a 2 p.m. first pitch.

Friendship/Scio 210 010 1 – 5 10 2

Poca 001 002 0 – 3 3 2

F/S – Nevaeh Ross (WP) (CG, 14K) and Morghyn Ross.

POCA – Kendra Dunbar (LP) (CG, 9K, 3BB) and Lilly Grady.

BASEBALL

Silverdale Academy (TN) 10, Wellsville 0

LORIS, SC — The Lions of Wellsville were also paying a visit to the Myrtle Beach area on Monday to begin their Spring Break trip, as they squared off an elite squad in the shape of Silverdale Academy representing Tennessee.

While Logan Dunbar, Gavin Haggerty and Derek Coleman provided some excellent pitching for the Lions on the hill, Silverdale Academy was able to capitalize on almost everything they were presented with from start to finish, scoring seven of their 10 runs in the first two innings of play to set the tone immediately. On defense, they were able to hold Wellsville without a single hit, as they finished off a dominant 10-0 shutout.

“We ran into a buzz saw today. It’s a great thing to play on some great, maintained fields against some tough competition. Today wasn’t how we wanted to start our season, and this team from Tennessee was outstanding,” said Lions coach Tom Delahunt. “It was their 14th game of the season, and this was our first. But having this opportunity to play down here, it will help us get ready for our schedule for when we come back home next week.”

Logan Dunbar recorded four strikeouts and walked one during his tenure that stretched into the fourth inning for Wellsville (0-1). In relief, Gavin Haggerty added in three strikeouts of his own to help further the defensive cause.

The Lions will try again this morning at Carolina Forest High School in Myrtle Beach, as they prepare to face Chester in a 10 a.m. first pitch.

Silverdale Academy 250 30 – 10 8 0

Wellsville 000 00 – 0 0 4

SA – Turner Junkins (WP) (CG, 10K) and Bennet Reagan.

WLSV – Logan Dunbar (LP) (4K, BB), Gavin Haggerty (4) (3K), Derek Coleman (5) and Alex Green.