Thursday Sectionals: No. 1 B-R marches straight to C2 Finals behind dominant performance vs. No. 4 Kendall; Wellsville, Fri/Scio softball make return to Finals, both set sights on 4-peat this weekend
BOLIVAR — Bolivar-Richburg and the game of baseball go hand-in-hand harmoniously. Dating back to 2013, there is no team that is more synonymous with winning in the Spring time than the Wolverines, who have come away victorious with the coveted championship block eight times in a span of 10 seasons.
Thursday night, Class C2’s number one seed, after three straight victories to eclipse the 20-win plateau for the season, now found themselves one more win away from going back to the familiar realm for a sixth straight season. No. 4 Kendall was the lone obstacle separating them from Maple City Park in Hornell this weekend.
When it was all said and done, it was another night at the office.
The top seeds struck all offensive chords across the board to set the tone on the Eagles, as they garnered a sizeable advantage and continued to add more fuel to their fire as time went on, all while Landon Barkley maintained command of the pitcher’s mound from start to finish to aid Bolivar-Richburg in yet another trip back to the Finals this weekend with a 13-2 victory on their home field for the very last time this Spring.
“It was a total team effort,” Wolverines coach Dustin Allen said. “We put every phase of baseball together tonight. Landon was outstanding, and Aydin (Sisson) was consistent behind the plate, not letting anything behind him. Our fielding, we were making plays left and right. My kudos go to Maddox (Davison), he gave us a stellar stay at third base. We got the hits when we needed it, and we were aggressive on the bases. It all worked out for us to go back to the Finals.”
Following a scoreless 1-2-3 inning handed out by both parties across the first inning, the Wolverines (21-2) went to work breaking their offense open against Kendall in the bottom of the second with a 4-0 lead, generated by an early bird bases-loaded term behind the Kendall defense. With it, Kingston Loucks was able to strike gold with a single that crawled just enough into right field to bring a pair of runs home to help break the ice in a big way.
More damage was done in the next inning for the top seeds after Barkley kept the Eagles at bay for a third straight inning, as their advantage grew to six behind a beautiful display of base-running on a ground into the turf, with Kendall firing the throw to first to record the out. They would not get it, but noticed Sisson making a jailbreak run for home, sliding in before a tag could be placed to finish off a wonderful play to help extend the lead.
The Eagles would work their way back into the mix with their two lone runs — one on a towering single into right that sailed over the head of Kingston Loucks, gaining enough distance to plate a run from third. But with their bats remaining red hot, the Wolverines got those runs back and then some, posting a five-run bottom of the fourth to pull away and out of reach at an instant, with Reiss Gaines, Trey Buchholz and Caden Allen all recording an RBI to power up the frame.
The Wolverines would conclude the festivities with 13 runs off eight hits. Leading the way were Allen and Barkley, each scoring two total hits and two RBI. Buchholz and Tavyn MacDonell each had a triple, with Buchholz recording two more RBI in addition. On the mound, Barkley struck out five and walked one in his complete game four-hit gem.
Bolivar-Richburg now navigates their way into the Class C2 Finals, which will take place Saturday night in a 4 p.m. first pitch at Maple City Park in Hornell, as they prepare to rendezvous with a Sectional rival in years past — No. 2 Geneseo.
“We’ve had some great battles with Geneseo in the past, and this year will be no different,” Allen said. “They have one of the best pitchers in Section V, and we’ve got some solid pitchers ourselves to put up against them. It will be another one of those classic battles, so we’ll get back to it tomorrow with practice and then hope for the best on Saturday.”
Kendall 000 200 0 – 2 4 1
Bolivar-Richburg 042 520 X – 13 8 1
KEN – Nick Cole (LP) (3K, 2BB), Gavin Braun (4) (2BB), James Swift (4) (6K, BB) and Colby Hughes.
B-R – Landon Barkley (WP) (CG, 5K, BB) and Aydin Sisson.
SOFTBALL
Class B Semifinals
No. 2 Wellsville 6, No. 3 Midlakes 2
WELLSVILLE — The No. 2 Lady Lions of Wellsville were destined for greatness once again. Since their return home from Maryland back in the beginning of April, they have been on an absolute roll, having won every single game after their season-opening loss. Now in the Semifinal round in the Class B bracket, there was no better time for it to continue on.
Up and down the lineup, the bats have been resilient. The pitching, outstanding. With third-seeded Midlakes in town to challenge the defending State Final Four Finalists on Thursday, the Lady Lions knew they had to elevate their game to an even higher bar.
Marissa Ordway would help with that cause tremendously.
With Midlakes and Wellsville going back and forth to start the game, there was some wiggle room to be had for the hosts in orange, as she allowed them to springboard into the driver’s seat with a foundation-constructing home run — a shot that would ultimately lead to even bigger and better things down line for the Lady Lions.
As a result, they punched their tickets to a fourth straight Section V title game, this time, playing for the outright Class B title on Saturday after a 6-2 win over Midlakes.
“It was a great finish for the seniors. Two years undefeated at home at Tullar Field is a remarkable accomplishment, and throughout that, they contributed in many different ways to make sure they were a part of that history,” said Lady Lions co-coach Shelley Chaffee. “You get into the Semifinals and the teams that are left, we know they are going to be great. We had to battle Midlakes and their pitcher in the beginning, and then we started timing her better. Makenzie (Cowburn) started out strong and she was excited in the moment.”
The Lady Lions (19-1) had their bats ripping and roaring, and ready to go to start the night against the Lady Screaming Eagles, as they fought off a strong challenge by the No. 3 seeds out of the gate. In turn, Ordway was the first hitter to hit the scoreboard in thrilling fashion, sending a pitch straight over the fence — a two-run blast in the bottom of the second to allow the hosts to break the ice.
From that point, Wellsville buckled down and ensured their lead would remain intact until the final pitch was thrown, as they added four more runs onto the board — three in the bottom of the third, courtesy of a two-run single blasted by Makenzie Cowburn to lead the way. After the Lady Lions posted their last run in the fourth, the visitors in light blue looked to jump their way back into the game down the stretch with some late efforts at the dish.
In the last two innings of play, Midlakes accounted for a pair of triples off Cowburn, with their first one accounting for a run in the top of the sixth inning to end Cowburn’s shutout bid. They would add their last in the top half of the seventh with one out, ultimately seeing a run score a short time later before the Wellsville senior phenom in the circle shut the Lady Screaming Eagles bats down for good to close up the victory and the team’s return trip to the Finals for a fourth straight year.
Wellsville posted six runs off a 13-hit wealth at the plate, with three different Lady Lions all posting at least a pair to charge the efforts. Leading the front of the pack were Ordway and Lindsay Stuck, each garnering three hits. Brazen Beckwith chipped in with two of her own and drove in a run. On the mound, Cowburn went all seven innings by dishing out 13 strikeouts and a walk while holding Midlakes to just three hits.
A very early morning will be in store for the Lady Lions come Saturday, as the No. 2 seeds now hop on the bus and head for Finger Lakes Community College in Canandaigua to partake in a Finals rematch with top-seeded Bath-Haverling, this time for the entire Class B kit and kaboodle. First pitch is slated for a 10 a.m. start between both teams.
“It’s certainly been talked about all season long, even though they play game by game,” Chaffee said. “Bath-Haverling is going to want to come back and try to redeem themselves. Our girls have been looking forward to the challenge. We certainly need to prepare for them after last year’s exciting finish. They’re going to want to come back and try to redeem themselves. Our girls are looking forward to the challenge.”
Midlakes 000 001 1 – 2 3 2
Wellsville 023 100 X – 6 13 1
MID – Emma LaBour (LP) (CG, 3K, BB) and Alexis Kopetchny.
WLSV – Makenzie Cowburn (WP) (CG, 13K, BB) and Lindsay Stuck.
Class C2 Semifinals
No. 2 Caledonia-Mumford 2, No. 6 Bolivar-Richburg 1
CALEDONIA — It was as close as you could imagine on Thursday.
In their Class C2 semifinal battle, it would come down to who could shift the momentum in their favor when it mattered the most. For the No. 6 Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg, they looked to maintain their presence down the homestretch, while for host No. 2 Caledonia-Mumford, they wanted to tilt the balance back in their favor one last time.
With just three runs scratching across the plate in the game’s entirety, it was safe to say that the scoring was limited.
When it was all said and done, the Lady Raiders wound up surviving down the stretch with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth, evading a late rally back into the contest from the Lady Wolverines along the way to lockdown their clinging of a 2-1 victory for good, to end Bolivar-Richburg’s chance for a four-peat while extending their season into the Finals this weekend.
Proceeding the exchange of two straight 1-2-3 innings from both the Lady Wolverines and Lady Raiders right in the beginning, the No. 2 seeds were the first team to climb aboard with their opening run in the bottom of the third inning off some key base-running, as Bri Lynn, who scored a two-out double to keep their bats alive, served up their lone run.
Caledonia-Mumford now had the lead in their possession, and it would remain locked in place after yet another 1-2-3 stand on defense that both teams traded, carrying it into the fifth inning. As for Bolivar-Richburg, they fired right back at the Lady Raiders with their lone run stemming in the top of the fifth from Sydney Faulkner.
A thrilling finish between the two teams would arrive in its entirety in the sixth, when the host No. 2 seeds worked their way back to the tippy top one final time behind Colleen Talty and her run off an RBI from the bat of Malina Bellos, giving the Lady Raiders the lead once and for all, as they hop, skip and jump their way to the 2024 Class D Finals in Fillmore, where they will meet No. 1 Dundee/Bradford for all of the marbles on Saturday.
The Lady Wolverines finished their final game of the season with their one run off seven hits. Leading the way was Danika Loucks, who had two hits. Five more hitters each chipped in with a hit to round off a seven-hit barrage against Caledonia-Mumford, as they saw Cassidy Stives, Sydney Faulkner, Danika Saunders, Sommer Beckwith and Alexa Fisk all have one along with Loucks’ pair.
On the mound, Rylee Whiting went the distance and held Caledonia-Mumford to just two hits, striking out five and walking just one during her start.
The 2024 season for Bolivar-Richburg is now over, as they finish up their campaign with a record of 13-10 overall. All of the Lady Wolverines will return to the team next year to do it all over again, next Spring.
Bolivar-Richburg 000 010 0 – 1 7 3
Caledonia-Mumford 001 001 X – 2 2 1
B-R – Rylee Whiting (LP) (CG, 5K, BB) and Sydney Faulkner.
C-M – Emma Years (WP) (CG, 3K) and Collen Talty.
Class D Semifinals
No. 3 Friendship/Scio 2, No. 2 Notre Dame-Batavia 0
BATAVIA — There was simply one word to describe the latest performance Friendship/Scio phenom Nevaeh Ross on Thursday.
That, being perfect. Why? Because the senior froze one of the toughest customers in Section V, No. 2 Notre Dame-Batavia, completely at the plate with 15 strikeouts, no walks and no errors from the defense behind her to complete the netting of the perfect game in the circle by a 2-0 count over the Lady Irish to move onto the Class D Finals for a fourth consecutive season.
“Nevaeh did it again. A perfect game and we had some solid contact at the plate to go with it,” said Friendship/Scio coach Deb Warner. "The bats didn’t really come alive like we hoped for. But we capitalized on some short game-play and some errors by Notre Dame-Batavia to get things to work out for us. Three hits, we got them all at the right time.”
Friendship/Scio (18-3) kept it simple across all seven innings of play to keep Notre Dame-Batavia at a complete freeze along the way. After the exchange of a quick first inning, the team in black and gold went to work. Although just four hitters reached the plate in the frame, Nora Thompson was able to work her way through to the plate off an error to break the ice in the second.
As Ross continued to deal left and right for the defending Class D State Finalists, it was only a matter of time before one final and massive piece of insurance would work its way through. In the top of the fifth, Friendship/Scio got their wish behind the aid of their star pitcher at the plate, blasting an RBI double to the outfield to garner a 2-0 lead they ultimately never looked back on.
From that point onward, the lead for Friendship/Scio was now on Nevaeh Ross’ shoulders. And with it, she would not miss, as she struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh inning to finish off another brilliant victory from within the confines of Genesee Community College.
Ross would finish off her sublime game of perfection with 15 strikeouts in the circle for Friendship/Scio.
Coming up Saturday night not too far from town, is the Class D Finals in Fillmore, as Friendship/Scio gets set to battle top-seeded Keshequa for all the marbles. First pitch is slated for a 4 p.m. start.
Friendship/Scio 010 010 0 – 2 3 0
Notre Dame-Batavia 000 000 0 – 0 0 3
F/S – Nevaeh Ross (WP) (CG, 15K) and Morghyn Ross.
ND-B – Loretta Sorochty (LP) (CG, 8K, 3BB) and Sofia Falleti.
No. 1 Keshequa 7, No. 4 Genesee Valley/Belfast 2
NUNDA — One of the key ingredients to a sound performance in the heat of Sectionals, is playing stellar defense. Through their playoff journey so far, No. 4 Genesee Valley/Belfast has allowed only three runs in their previous two rounds of battle against both Alfred-Almond and Arkport-Canaseraga at the Rich Sullivan Complex in Belfast.
Now on Thursday, they left town for a trip to the Rymer Complex in Nunda for their biggest fight of their lives this season. And right from the get-go, the hosts in orange saw everything Hannah Southwick-Powers was delivering to them, taking full advantage of it, as they went on to score the game’s first five runs to set the tone early on before putting it away down the stretch, claiming the 7-2 victory.
“That was a bad third inning,” said GV/Belfast coach Mark Sullivan. “We made too many mistakes, had them draw too many walks. We had the bases loaded early on, but we couldn’t get the timely hit. In the state of this game, you can’t make many mistakes like this. But I was proud of the girls, we battled all the way through, but it just wasn’t meant to be. I will miss my three seniors, Sondra (Guilford), Abby (Sullivan) and Cassidy (Hand). They’ve been around for the last few years, and hopefully, this was a good learning experience for the younger girls to help us get better for next year.”
Five of Keshequa’s runs were scratched across in the first three innings of play, with a four-run bottom of the third doing just the trick behind the efforts of an eight-hit offensive outburst. In return, Genesee Valley/Belfast was able to garner a couple of key hits along the way themselves, grabbing a pair each from Abby Sullivan and Hannah Southwick-Powers to ignite their offense.
That seven-hit amassment at the plate would see Sullivan rise up in the late stages of battle for Genesee Valley/Belfast, poking a two-run single out into the outfield to inch closer to the top seeds. But in the end, Keshequa added two more runs during their final at-bats in the sixth inning to further cement their advantage, keeping it intact once and for all to claim their spot in Saturday night’s Class D Finals against No. 3 Friendship/Scio in Fillmore.
Despite the defeat, Southwick-Powers scored an eight-strikeout, four-walk complete game from start to finish to pace the Genesee Valley/Belfast defense on the field.
The 2024 campaign is over for Genesee Valley/Belfast, as they conclude with a record of 13-6-1. The team will say goodbye to just three seniors in Sullivan, Sondra Guilford and Cassidy Hand when Graduation arrives in its entirety to their respective schools, late next month.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 000 020 0 – 2 7
Keshequa 104 002 X – 7 8
GVB – Hannah Southwick-Powers (LP) (CG, 8K, 4BB) and Jenna Hill.
KES – Alynn Dunning (WP) (CG, 4K, 3BB) and Isabella Hugi.
GOLF
Class B Quarterfinals
No. 2 Mynderse 168, No. 7 Wellsville 189
WATERLOO — Although the No. 7 Lions of Wellsville shot their very best round of golf this season, it was not enough to overcome the challenge presented at the table by No. 2 Mynderse on Thursday at the Silver Creek Country Club in Waterloo, as the Blue Devils soared to the Semifinal round with a strong 169-189 victory.
The Lions saw Ethan Bailey take charge of the scorecard, as he fired the team’s lowest round of 38 to score medalist honors at the end of the match. Right behind him was Fletcher Kaye, who added in his round of 49. Jackson Shoughrue recorded a 50, while Payson Root rounded off the card with his round of 52.
The 2024 campaign on the links is now over for the Lions of Wellsville, as they finish with a record of 9-7 overall.
Class D Semifinals
No. 2 Fillmore 181, No. 3 Notre Dame-Batavia 219
RUSHFORD — For the first time in five years, it was back to the Class D Finals for the No. 2 Eagles of Fillmore on Thursday, as they used the co-medaling round of 43 from Sam Cool to lead the charge and towards glory with a 181-219 win over No. 3 Notre Dame-Batavia to remain undefeated with their 13th straight victory at Allegheny Hills in Rushford.
“Sam Cool took co-medalist today and that makes him the sixth different medalist we’ve had this season,” Eagles coach Tom Parks said. “These guys have shown that on any given night, a new player can take the low score. That’s very atypical of most teams and I’ve never had more than three medalists until this year. Our depth has given us a big boost this year.”
Following behind Cool for the Eagles (13-0) was Zach Sisson, who was not far behind himself with his round of 44. Anderson Wiltsey chipped in with a round of 46, while Jack Cool finished the scoring with his round of 48.
Notre Dame-Batavia was led by the co-medalist round of 43 shot by Dominic Veile.
The Class D Finals now await the Eagles of Fillmore beginning on Tuesday, as they now prepare to hop onto the bus and head for the Sodus Bay Heights Golf Club for a meeting of the minds against top-seeded Caledonia-Mumford in an 18-hole match to decide who will take home all the Sectional glory.
Tee time for the title bout is set for a 1 p.m. start.
“Anytime you're playing for a Sectional title, it's exciting,” said Parks. “We missed the finals by one stroke last season, so for this same group to take the next step this season feels good. We'll try to get some swings in over the long weekend and be ready for Tuesday. We're playing our best golf at the right time, so we'll see how it goes.”
