Wednesday Roundup: Wolverines move to 4-0 start with home shutout of Friendship/Scio; Lady Lions wrap up perfect stint in Virginia with close win at Western Albemarle

Written By Chris Brooks

BOLIVAR — Across the area, the activity has been pretty quiet with the vast majority enjoying the time remaining in their Spring Break vacation this week. But for Friendship/Scio and Bolivar-Richburg, they made their return to action on Wednesday.

After their original matchup last week was postponed due to inclimate weather in Friendship, it was nearly the same case again. But the additional rain that was in the forecast managed to hold itself off for the two clubs to mount their return to the diamond in their first and only meeting of the season.

In their battle, both teams were trade solid stands of defense in what was a scoreless inning right from the start. But then, things would soon kick into gear later on, with Bolivar-Richburg breaking the ice with the game’s opening run.

The small crack created in the ice would soon gradually become larger as time went on, as they wound up scoring all 10 of the runs that were scratched across, three runs coming in the last three inning before ending the game after the fifth inning to force an early exit in what was a 10-0 shutout win for the Wolverines to move to a 4-0 start on the season.

Almost immediately out of the gate, Friendship/Scio provided what was their best opportunity to strike at the Wolverines (4-0) defense, loading up the bases with their first three batters reaching. But a bounce back was provided, as Wyatt Karnuth countered the threat with a fanning of the side to leave all three runners on to end their first jam.

After another striking out of Friendship/Scio’s side in the second, the Wolverines offense would come to live with their first run coming home off a wild pitch away from the plate. With a second run being waved around, the visitors regrouped to grab the out at the plate, as Joey Bednez provided a tag on Reiss Gaines to prevent further damage from being added on.

The game would soon break its way open from the bottom of third inning until the end, as Bolivar-Richburg accounted for three runs in each inning, including the bottom of the fifth where they would force an early end to the action with their fourth straight win to open the season.


Karnuth’s day was brilliant for the Wolverines, as he struck out 10 and walked five to earn the win, while Gaines provided three additional strikeouts along with one walk in relief. At the plate, Aydin Sisson led a six-hit effort with a pair himself, driving in a pair in the process. Gaines, Caden Allen (two runs), Ian Unfus and Matt Mitchell all had a hit and RBI to pitch in.

For Friendship/Scio (0-3), Bednez finished with three strikeouts and four walks in his three-inning start on the hill. At the plate, Ethan Davenport had the team’s lone hit on a single into left field during their first at-bats.

Both teams are back in action after the break ends on Monday in a pair of 5 p.m. first pitches, with Bolivar-Richburg welcoming in Andover/Whitesville, while Friendship/Scio heads back home to host Cuba-Rushford in Friendship.

Friendship/Scio 000 00 – 0 1 4

Bolivar-Richburg 013 33 – 10 6 0

F/S – Joey Bednez (LP) (3K, 4BB), Landen Arnold (4) (2BB), Jacob Golden (5), and Arnold, Cooper Greenman (4).

B-R – Wyatt Karnuth (WP) (10K, 5BB), Reiss Gaines (5) (3K, BB), and Aydin Sisson.

SOFTBALL

Wellsville 3, Western Albemarle (VA) 1

CROZET, Va. — With a chance to end their three-day stint in Virginia on the most perfect of notes, the Lady Lions of Wellsville would have to grind their way through a tough matchup against Western Albemarle to close it out on a Wednesday evening under the lights.

Through the first three innings, the defenses took center stage across what was three scoreless innings. But then, the clutch hitting came into play down the stretch.

The Lady Lions had brought it all together.

Starting in the top of the fourth, Wellsville would collect three straight runs, two of them coming with two outs on the board with Marissa Ordway leading the offensive charge with the sparkplug to help give the Lady Lions a lead that was threatened down to the end, but was never lost, as they wrapped up a perfect 3-0 tenure in Virginia with a narrow 3-1 victory over Western Albemarle to pick up their fourth straight win.

“Makenzie (Cowburn) pitched a great game tonight. She pounded the strikezone, and Western Albemarle had some good hitters tha put the ball in play. We made the plays behind her. Marissa came up with a couple of big RBI hits, and she’s been swinging the bat well. Western Albemarle is a quality team, and it was good for us to play a close game, and see what we can do in pressure situations.”

Each team would deal three consecutive shutout innings before the offense navigated their way onto the board, with Wellsville (7-1) starting first in the fourth with the first of two RBI hits for Ordway. After Makenna Dunbar worked her way into scoring position with a two-out triple, she would then score off Ordway’s single to break the ice against Western Albemarle.

The momentum carried into the fifth again with two outs. After Natalie Adams blasted a double, her older sister Marley Adams brought her in, recording another huge RBI single to extend their lead by a pair.

The scoring would come to a close with a 3-0 lead in the top of the sixth, as Ordway chipped in with her final RBI of the game, driving a one-out double to the outfield gap to plate Brazen Beckwith in the process. For the remainder of the game, it would lie on the shoulders of Makenzie Cowburn in the circle.

Even though Western Albemarle was able to cut their deficit back down to a pair with a late sixth-inning response, the Wellsville hurler was able to hand out one more scoreless outing at the plate to help secure the team’s third and final victory in Virginia to finish out a perfect stint in the Old Dominion.

Cowburn’s win was gathered behind a three-hit performance in the circle, as she struck out eight and walked four across her complete game. On offense, the Lady Lions totaled three runs off eight hits.

The Spring Break road trip for Wellsville will come to a complete finish on the ride back home tonight, as they make a stop in Pennsylvania for a 4 p.m. first pitch in Hollidaysburg.

Wellsville 000 111 0 – 3 8 1

Western Albemarle 000 001 0 – 1 3 1

Chris Brooks
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