Saturday Roundup: Pinch hit three-run homer in 7th propels Canandaigua ahead of Wellsville, towards season sweep in 8-7 road win

The Lions mob baserunner Brayden Delahunt, middle, at the plate after he blasted a three-run home run in the first inning of Saturday afternoon’s home contest against Canandaigua. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville shortstop Alex Ordiway provides a off-balanced throw to first for an out during Saturday afternoon’s home contest against Canandaigua. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville pitcher Logan Dunbar fires to the plate during Saturday afternoon’s home contest against Canandaigua. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville third baseman Dominic Sawyer fires across to first for the out during Saturday afternoon’s home contest against Canandaigua. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

Wellsville second baseman Cody Costello provides a throw to first for an out during Saturday afternoon’s home contest against Canandaigua. [Chris Brooks/WellsvilleSports.com]

WELLSVILLE — The pinch hitter is designed to give opposing teams in the field, a different look. With Canandaigua and Wellsville all tied up at four in the back half of Saturday afternoon’s battle in Wellsville, it was evident that something had to give.

Starting in the bottom of the sixth inning, each team saw a pinch hitter make some noise, with the Lions breaking the tie originally with a big RBI-single to jump ahead of the Braves. But in the top of the seventh and down to their final at-bats of the game, Canandaigua played a card of their own — Sam Bement.

Off the bench for his first at-bat, Bement took his pitch for a ride, launching a pinch-hit three-run bomb to deep right center field. With the breeze making an appearance, the ball carried out of the park and down for Canandaigua’s biggest hit to allow them to pull ahead for good, despite a late rally back by the Lions, as they managed to perform a season sweep with an 8-7 win on the road.

“The guys never gave up. We battled the entire game against a big school in Canandaigua,” Lions coach Marc Agnello said. “I keep using that phrase, because they are a Class A school. We have to shore up some things a little bit, and we got a little bit tight when the game gets on the line. We weren’t really playing loose and free like we’re used to playing, but we will get there.”

Wellsville (5-3) was the first to strike after an initial buildup from the Braves in the top half of the first was evaded by the team on defense. As a response, the Lions grab three big runs off one hit — Brayden Delahunt’s first home run of the season, taking a pitch to deep right field to send the dugout into hysterics after the hit to help them break the ice.

“Brayden played a great game for us,” Agnello said of his senior. “We had Coach (Mike) Armstrong come down from Alfred State yesterday to teach the guys a couple of new things. He’s a great hitting guy, and we had him come down to help us out a little bit. The guys turned loose with the bats today. They felt loose, felt free at the plate with their swings, so that was really good to see out of them.”

The lead would hold despite some pressure from Canandaigua, but that pressure would soon cave in with four big runs coming across in the top of the third inning, led by a two-run triple down the right field line by Braden Pawlicki. The hit would clear the bases and cut Wellsville’s lead down to a single run before tying the game on a heads-up baserunning play home after a hard hit ball to Cody Costello forced the throw home, which went to the backstop to plate the run.

The Braves would find their way ahead on another run with another passed ball heading to the backstop, which would put them on top with a 4-3 lead, but not for long, as Wellsville found a way to claw back to tie the game once more in the bottom half of the third with a high chopper from Costello going straight up the middle into center field. The play would result in a single which scored Delahunt from second to close out the frame.

From that point forward, a defensive battle began to brew, as both Canandaigua and Wellsville dealt two scoreless innings, with the biggest of threats coming from the Braves in the sixth behind a pair of two-out singles to place runners on base. But a hard hit ground ball to Delahunt at first base was fielded to end the stand.

In the bottom half of the sixth, the first pinch hit situation arose with Dylan Culver making his first plate appearance of the day, and making it an impactful one by giving the Lions the lead, driving a huge RBI-single into center. That coming before the team branched the lead out to a pair on a double steal on second and home plate, with the run scoring from third to give Wellsville a 6-4 lead entering the seventh inning.

During Canandaigua’s final at-bats, they put together one last stand with two runners reaching and one out on the board, eventually being loaded after a walk was issued to continue mounting the pressure. After a run scored to cut the lead back down to 6-5, Bement’s three-run homer came into effect, as he launched his shot into deep right center field to come through with the biggest Braves hit of the day to propel the team forward into a two-run lead of their own.

The only way for the Lions to come back and win the game, was in walk-off fashion.

The stars were near alignment in the bottom of the seventh, when Delahunt provided another big whack into the outfield — scoring Logan Dunbar on an enormous one-out double to deep center field to keep the Lions alive in the hunt. Cody Costello, an at-bat later, would move Delahunt 90 feet away from home with two outs as the game-tying run. But a flyout to the outfield by Jere Havens would lock up the victory for Canandaigua, and the season sweep.

Dunbar would strikeout five and walk one in his six-inning start for the Lions. Delahunt led the bats with three hits, including his home run and double, totaling four RBI and two runs scored, while Cooper Brockway added a double.

The Lions will look to rebound once again back on the road, but under the lights on Monday when they pay a visit to Bolivar-Richburg to take on the Wolverines in a 7 p.m. battle.

Canandaigua 004 000 4 – 8 7 5

Wellsville 301 002 1 – 7 7 4

CAN – Braden Pawlicki (2K, 4BB), Chris Moroz (WP, 6) (BB), and Joey Bognanno.

WLSV – Logan Dunbar (5K, BB), Alex Ordiway (LP, 7) (2K, BB), and Alex Green.

Avoca/Prattsburgh 19, Andover 3 (F-5)

ANDOVER — The Vikings of Avoca/Prattsburgh were smacking the ball left and right over the road Saturday afternoon, compiling 19 runs of 17 total hits while the pitching staff combined to hold host Andover to just one hit in all, as they rolled to a 19-3 five-inning victory over the Panthers to rebound from their loss against Addison.

Andover (2-6) was shutout in the first four innings before they managed to use their baserunning to scratch across their first three runs of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Their first hit of the game came in the same inning to spoil Avoca/Prattsburgh’s potential no-hit bid, as Spencer Cook provided a single to reach.

On the mound, Cormac Brown fanned two and walked five in his four innings of relief.

The Panthers will look to regroup after the weekend at Alfred-Almond on Monday in a 5 p.m. first pitch.

Avoca/Prattsburgh 418 33 – 19 17 0

Andover 000 03 – 3 1 4

A/P – Tucker Gerych (WP) (4K, BB), Jamel Crowder (4) (3K), Dominick Fisher (5) (2BB), Haden Abbott (5), and Macoy Putnam.

AND – Jacob Wagner (LP) (3BB), Cormac Brown (3) (2K, 5BB), and Spencer Cook.

SOFTBALL

Wellsville 20, Our Lady of Mercy 2

ROCHESTER — The Lady Lions of Wellsville were the only team that took the stage in the Allegany County softball scene, Saturday afternoon over the road. After edging out Portville on Wednesday at home, the bats came alive especially in the seventh inning, as they scored 10 runs to pull away from Our Lady of Mercy with a 20-2 victory.

Five different Lady Lions (13-1) all recorded a pair of hits at the plate to pace an offense that recorded 17 hits to go with their 20 runs, with Lauren Cicirello collecting four of them including a double, driving in two runs in the process. Maddie Spicer added three hits including a two-run single in the top of the seventh to assist in powering the massive offensive stand.

Carly Young, Brazen Beckwith and Marley Adams all had two hits each to chip in, with Beckwith recording two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored to help the cause. Young added a double and three runs scored, while Adams provided two RBI and two runs scored to round off the Wellsville bats. In the circle, Makenzie Cowburn picked up the win to remain unbeaten, fanning six and walking five in her six-inning start.

Wellsville will look to continue the momentum swing into Monday back home, as they host red hot Bolivar-Richburg at Tullar Field in a 5 p.m. first pitch.

Wellsville 402 310 (10) – 20 17 2

Our Lady of Mercy 020 000 0 – 2 5 3

WLSV – Makenzie Cowburn (WP) (6K, 5BB), Marissa Ordway (7), and Matti Burke.

OLM – Mary Grace McCann (LP) (K, 4BB), Kaitlyn Malucci (7) (4BB), and Sophia Pomponio.