Saturday Roundup: Lady Lions honor lone Senior Adams, Dunbar crushes homer to help offense break open home win over East Aurora; B-R baseball, softball collects pair of home tourney titles
WELLSVILLE — The regular season for Marley Adams with the Lady Lions of Wellsville has initiated its final countdown.
There were emotions shared, tears shed and memories relived for Wellsville's lone Senior who they honored before taking the field against East Aurora, Saturday night, as she went around the infield touching each bag and greeting her teammates one by one before coming back home to meet her coaches.
It would only be fitting for a day of this magnitude to end with something that the Lady Lions have done so well this season: win.
That would come after another stellar day of offense at the plate, as Adams led an offensive brigade at the plate that saw five different hitters record a pair of knocks, while in the field, Makenzie Cowburn kept East Aurora off the board behind another dominant start from within the circle, as Wellsville rolled toward an 8-0 shutout.
The win for the Lady Lions marks the 28th straight for the program that they have collected from upon their home confines of historic Tullar Field, dating back to the 2018 Postseason with a win over Midlakes in the Class B2 Tournament.
“It's fitting that Marley had three hits on her Senior Night. She has had a tremendous softball career, and it's not over yet,” Lady Lions coach Matt Burke said. “She's a great softball play, and more importantly, an even better person. Makenzie was dominant in the circle tonight, and Emma Dunaway had two more big hits tonight as she continues to swing the bat well all year.”
The Lady Lions (15-2) scored eight runs off 13 total hits, with five different hitters all posting two-hit performances, beginning with both Adams and Emma Dunaway, who started the first inning off with back-to-back singles. They would land on base and eventually come around to score on a deep double to left from Cowburn to break the ice.
More cracks were provided in the next inning for the Lady Lions – their largest of the night. After Cowburn went to work on defense with a three-up, three-down inning all with her arm, Adams drove in a pair of runs on a base hit past short, and into left field, garnering enough distance to extend Wellsville's lead to four before Brazen Beckwith pushed it to five with an RBI single of her own to bat her in.
If there was any doubt in the home half of the third, Makenna Dunbar made sure none remained, as she crushed a towering high drive to deep left field against the wind. The ball would ward off the elements and find its way out for a lead-off solo bomb to branch Wellsville's lead for good to pick up the shutout victory.
Adams went 3-for-4 to lead the Lady Lions bats, finishing with three total RBI. Cowburn finished with two hits including her two-run double, while Dunaway, Natalie Adams and Sawyer Burke each collected a pair of hits themselves.
On defense, it was Cowburn's game to control, as she helped finish off an overpowering tenure in the circle with 18 strikeouts and just two walks while holding East Aurora to a pair of hits at the plate, delivering multiple 1-2-3 innings with her arm in the beginning stages to set the tone right away.
Wellsville is back on Tullar Field on Monday, as they look to avenge an early-season defeat to the hands of the Bolivar-Richburg Lady Wolverines, in a 6 p.m. first pitch on Monday.
East Aurora 000 000 0 – 0 2 2
Wellsville 231 110 X – 8 13 1
EA – Alyssa Kingston (LP) (CG, 4K, 2BB), and Caylin Lang.
WLSV – Makenzie Cowburn (WP) (CG, 18K, 2BB), and Lindsay Stuck.
B-R Tourney: Lady Wolverines shutout A/P, roll past Addison to claim title
RICHBURG — While the baseball team was on their way to securing their second straight tournament title in Bolivar, down the road in Richburg, the Lady Wolverines were looking to end the night with a bang themselves, after their tournament was delayed to the next day due to the Friday rain.
But it would prove to be well worth the wait. Why? – Bolivar-Richburg provided some outstanding pitching and hitting.
It was evident across both games that the Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg were ready to play, as their defense took over to begin the night with a blanking of Avoca/Prattsburgh, while their bats came alive in the next, as they rolled to a rapid start against Addison to lay claim to a tournament title for themselves, scoring 3-0 and 9-2 victories on Saturday.
In game one, the Lady Wolverines (11-0) looked to Malayna Ayers not only from within the circle, but at the plate to deliver the goods. As a result, the team would score all three of their runs in the first three innings of play – one in each frame, beginning in the first when they broke the ice with a two-out double from Madigan Harris.
On the next at-bat, a clutch RBI single from Ayers would scratch the run across, giving them the early lead. After some key baserunning from Paityn Johnston extended their lead to a pair, Ayers came through once more with her bat, belting a humongous RBI double to the outfield in the bottom of the third to give Bolivar-Richburg a big piece of early insurance.
From the fourth inning forward, the rest of the game rested solely on the shoulders of Ayers, as she went on to deliver a shutout of epic proportions, holding Avoca/Prattsburgh to just two hits while handing out 11 chairs and walking two.
As a team, the Lady Wolverines collected seven hits in all with Ayers finishing the opener with a 3-for-3 outing at the plate. Harris, Johnston, McKinlee Harris and Haley Mascho all chipped in with hits of their own to help the cause.
The momentum the hosts would build on offense, would carry over into the nightcap under the lights. With the tournament's title on the line, the Lady Wolverines would not waste any time, as they struck while the iron was hot by posting all nine runs in the first four innings of play to immediately put the hammer down on their championship-clinching triumph over the Lady Knights of Addison.
In the opening stages, the Lady Wolverines provided a hefty amount of damage to pile against the Lady Knights right away, with Ayers and Maddy Thornton coming through to set the offense up for success behind their RBI singles to garner a 2-0 lead.
After extending their lead out with two more runs in the second, Bolivar-Richburg took it one step forward again with Ayers leading the way, collecting a big two-run double to the outfield before scoring herself on special teams to complete a three-run home half of the third, branching the team's lead in the process to seven.
Addison would erase the shutout bid a half an inning later with a two-run double themselves, but the seven-run advantage would come back shortly after with one final RBI off the bat of Ayers, who sacrificed to the outfield to score a run to help set it up.
In the midst of Bolivar-Richburg's offensive production, Jessica Majot would assume complete command within the circle, as she helped finish off a perfect night for the Lady Wolverines with another 10-strikeout performance, holding Addison to just four hits along the way.
Meanwhile, Majot along with Thornton and Madigan Harris, all finished with two hits each to pace the attack for the hosts in black and red, with Majot and Thornton driving in a pair in the process.
On Monday, the Lady Wolverines will look to complete the season sweep against the Lady Lions of Wellsville, as they hit the road for a visit to Tullar Field beginning at 6 p.m.
First Round
Avoca/Prattsburgh 000 000 0 – 0 2 1
Bolivar-Richburg 111 000 X – 3 7 1
A/P – Annabella Putnam (LP) (CG, 6K), and Riley Stowe.
B-R – Malayna Ayers (WP) (CG, 11K, 2BB), and Madigan Harris.
Championship
Addison 000 200 0 – 2 4 1
Bolivar-Richburg 223 200 X – 9 9 2
ADD – McKayla Miller (LP) (BB), Bregan Jones (2) (K, 6BB), and Hadleigh Watson.
B-R – Jessica Majot (WP) (CG, 10K), and Madigan Harris.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 12, Alfred-Almond 7
ALMOND — A back and forth affair developed bright and early Saturday morning in Almond. Both Genesee Valley/Belfast and host Alfred-Almond traded some early strikes through the opening segments of their battle.
The heat started to turn up coming down the stretch after Genesee Valley/Belfast developed a one-run lead. Fortunately enough for the Lady JagDogs, it was their bats that provided some major damage, as they went on to score six of the last seven runs to break away from the Lady Eagles and towards a 12-7 road win.
“It was a matter of getting those bats together. There were a lot of mistakes early on, and no one was finding that key hit to get that benefit that they needed,” said Lady JagDogs coach Mark Sullivan. “They had a good fifth inning, and had a good sixth and seventh inning. This is the most hits we've had all season, and Alfred-Almond has a nice team. Having a game on Prom is tough, but this was a good win against a team like them, especially with two weeks left in the season.”
The Lady JagDogs totaled 12 runs behind 14 hits at the plate, with five different hitters recording at least a pair to charge up an offense that would start to find its rhythm coming down the home stretch.
Through thick and thin with a 7-6 lead on the Lady Eagles, the visitors came through in a big way, scoring six big runs in the last two innings to pull away.
Sondra Guilford paved the way for the offense with a 3-for-4 outing at the plate. In addition, Hannah Southwick-Powers, Abby Sullivan, Raygen Haggstrom and Ashley Burrows all had two hits each, including a double from Burrows.
In the circle, the win was awarded to Burrows, who held Alfred-Almond to six hits, striking out four and walking one.
Genesee Valley/Belfast is back on the field Monday night back home, hosting Avoca/Prattsburgh in Belmont for a 5 p.m. first pitch.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 211 123 3 – 12 14
Alfred-Almond 110 130 1 – 7 6
GVB – Ashley Burrows (WP) (CG, 4K, BB), and Harley Proctor.
A-A – Olivia Flaitz (LP) (CG, 7K, 6BB), and Ali Hurd.
BASEBALL
Avoca/Prattsburgh 10, Andover/Whitesville 0
COOPERSTOWN — On a beautiful day for baseball on historic Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, the Andover/Whitesville baseball team put together a strong performance getting runners on base, hitting and making some big plays on the field.
However, with the bases loaded and no outs, along with runners on second and third with no outs, Avoca/Prattsburgh's pitching and defense came to life, as Tucker Gerych struck out 13 batters in five innings while Jamel Crowder was 3-for-3 with two big doubles to help the team spring towards to a 10-0 win.
"It was a great experience for both teams playing on the iconic Doubleday Field and both teams enjoyed the National Baseball Hall of Fame after the game," said Avoca/Prattsburgh coach Dennie Miles. "Andover/Whitesville played us tough early on and used several different pitchers which seemed to be effective because we couldn't get a read on any one pitcher."
Macoy Putnam, Pacey Hopkins (double, RBI), Haden Abbott (RBI), Ashton McMahon (2 RBI's) each had two hits, and Sawyer Devoe and Sam Patterson had hits. Chris Abbott threw two scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts to ehlp the Avoca/Prattsburgh pitching staff.
"Jamel, Putnam and Hopkins have established themselves as very good table-setters for the kids in the middle of the lineup to drive in," Miles said. "When they get on, good things happen."
For Andover/Whitesville (2-8), Dylan Acor had two hits and Layton Miller and Spencer Mattison singled. On the mound, Miller struck out four in his three-inning start. The team will get set to visit Bolivar-Richburg for a 7 p.m. first pitch under the lights on Monday.
Andover/Whitesville 000 000 0 – 0 4 2
Avoca/Prattsburgh 302 302 X – 10 13 1
A/W – Layton Miller (LP) (4K), Brody Carlin (4) (2K), Joe Fonte (6) (K, 3BB), and CJ Estep.
A/P – Tucker Gerych (WP) (13K, 2BB), Chris Abbott (6) (3K), and Ashton McMahon.
Wellsville 13, Addison 0 (F-5)
WELLSVILLE — A Saturday afternoon at the ballpark for the Lions of Wellsville was nothing short of extraordinary. Hosting visiting Addison, the Lions went all-in on a fast start in their first round of at-bats and cashed in, scoring an early 5-0 lead on the Knights that they never looked back from, building upon it until the game closed up in the fifth in what was a 13-0 win.
“This was a really complete and well-rounded victory for us to get,” said Lions coach Tom Delahunt. “Once again, we had some excellent pitching really set things up for us, and we played tremendous defense behind our staff. We really fed off of that by hitting the ball really well, and we were aggressive on the bases.”
Cooper Brockway and Logan Dunbar, who made his first pitching appearance of the season for the Lions (8-6), combined to hold Addison to a four-hit shutout, with Brockway pitching a superb game behind three strikeouts and one walk, while Dunbar handed out a pair of chairs himself in relief.
In turn, the Wellsville offense came together for a nine-hit outing at the plate, with three different Lions scoring at least a pair of hits, using the momentum to get the start they wanted right from the gate, scratching across five early runs in the bottom of the first to ultimately set the tone against the Knights for the remainder of the day.
Aidan Riley led the bats with a perfect 3-for-3 outing, driving in a run and scoring twice. Dunbar drove in a run off two hits, and scored two more runs, while Cody Costello helped the cause with a pair of knocks including a double, driving in one and scoring three times.
The RBI train continued rolling down the tracks with Alex Green knocking in a pair of runs off a single.
On Monday, the Lions will look for their fourth straight victory, as they start back-to-back games beginning on Monday over the road with a 5 p.m. trip to Olean to visit the Huskies.
Addison 000 00 – 0 4 4
Wellsville 523 3X – 13 9 0
ADD – Camden Mahnke (LP) (4K, 4BB), Aidyn O'Berther (3) (3K, 2BB), Trent Watson (5) (K), and Jacob Howe.
WLSV – Cooper Brockway (WP) (3K, BB), Logan Dunbar (5) (2K), and Alex Green, Cody Costello (4).
B-R Tourney: Wolverines capture 2nd straight crown behind Danaher’s no-no
BOLIVAR — The tournament began 24 hours ago in the midst of a rainy night in Bolivar.
The host Wolverines would kick off the action with Oswayo Valley in a game that saw the offense came alive to secure a Championship game vacancy the next day. All that was left to do, was wait, with the other first round matchup between Cuba-Rushford and Honeoye being moved to Saturday morning.
In that first round battle, both the Bulldogs and Rebels broke loose in the early-going, each navigating their way towards an early first inning tie before Honeoye jumped out front. The momentum would eventually continue to swing Honeoye's way, as they went on to score the next five runs before Cuba-Rushford provided a late push in the end, holding on to secure the 8-4 victory.
“We just couldn't find that hit to break the ice against Honeoye,” said Rebels coach Pat Wight. “Honeoye had a big hit from (Evan) Cuba that really saw them stretch their lead. Credit to the guys, they made one last effort in the end to try and cut away at the deficit, but that triple took the wind out of our sails.”
Before Honeoye was able to tie the game in the home half on the scoreboard, Cuba-Rushford was able to grab the game's first lead with some help from Jack Frank and his RBI single to score Noah Siegel, ending the first inning in a 1-1 tie.
From that point forward, the Bulldogs saw their offense come to life with seven straight runs coming across the plate, two off the bat of Evan Cuba, who blasted a crushing triple to the outfield, branching their lead to 8-1 before the Rebels applied some late pressure down the home stretch.
In the seventh, the frame was opened up by Finn Ricketts and Austin Clement, both going back-to-back with RBI doubles to cut their deficit in half. But the Rebels would run out of time in the end, as Honeoye secured their spot in the Championship game later in the day.
The Rebels collected four runs off five hits, with Ricketts earning three of them and a run scored.
The loss to the Bulldogs would see Cuba-Rushford drop down into the Consolation game of the tournament, where they would ultimately seek redemption against Oswayo Valley, as they posted a big seven-run frame to jump ahead of the Green Wave and towards a 9-4 victory to officially split their tenure.
“Eli looked good in his first career start for us, and he ended up helping us get the win. The defense played well behind him, and we swung the bats much better.” said Wight.
Game two was a different story for Cuba-Rushford (5-8) this time around, as they overcame an early deficit against Oswayo Valley with a big run through the fifth inning, busting the game wide open with a seven-run frame that was highlighted by their legs around the bases through multiple walks issued by the Green Wave.
The Rebels posted nine runs on seven hits, with Logan Lewis and Caleb Root leading the way with a pair and two RBI, with Root earning a double. On the mound, the win was given to Jon White in relief, fanning one and walking one after he took over for Eli Sleggs, who provided a strong first career start with five strikeouts and two walks.
The early happenings would set the table for Honeoye and Bolivar-Richburg to duke it out for this year's crown.
Despite having to wait nearly 24 hours to step back onto the field, the Wolverines made sure they didn't lose a beat. With Landon Danaher in complete command of his game on the rubber, Bolivar-Richburg would stroll their way towards a second straight tournament championship, as they shut down the Bulldogs completely behind his no-hit performance in their 11-0 triumph.
“Landon was outstanding today the entire way. He gave us his best game of the season, and stayed ahead of the count. Once again, our bats were absolutely solid. All in all, this was a total team win to have.” said Wolverines coach Dustin Allen.
Danaher was in shutdown mode for the Wolverines (12-1), as he went the distance to supply a 10-strikeout afternoon to set the tone on defense. As for the offense, they strolled towards a 12-hit spully chain, scoring at least a pair of runs in each of the four innings before the game came to a close after five.
Four different Wolverines collected a pair of hits at the plate to propel the offense to big heights, with Reiss Gaines collecting an immaculate 3-for-3 outing to lead the pack. Danaher, along with Trey Buchholz and Ethan Childs all had two hits each to add in, while Cam MacDonell had a double. Of their hits, Danaher and Childs both recorded triples.
Both Cuba-Rushford and Bolivar-Richburg are back in action Monday night on their home fields, with the Rebels welcoming in Canisteo-Greenwood/Jasper-Troupsburg for a 5:15 p.m. first pitch, while the Wolverines host Andover/Whitesville in a 7 p.m. battle under the lights.
First Round
Cuba-Rushford 100 001 2 – 4 5 4
Honeoye 120 230 X – 8 3 2
C-R – Jack Frank (LP) (9BB), Austin Pinney (5) (3BB), and Logan Lewis.
HON – Henry Covey (WP) (3K, 3BB), Sheyenne Lead (4) (3BB), Charles Farrell (6) (BB), and Lewis.
Consolation
Cuba-Rushford 200 070 0 – 9 7 4
Oswayo Valley 022 000 0 – 4 5 2
C-R – Eli Sleggs (5K, 2BB), Jon White (WP, 5) (K, BB), and Logan Lewis.
OV – Nikolas Bonney (LP) (3BB), Cayden Black (6) (3BB), Caiden Goode (7) (3BB), and Ian Bilski.
Championship
Honeoye 000 00 – 0 0 3
Bolivar-Richburg 324 2X – 11 12 0
HON – Samuel Clark (LP) (3BB), Sheyenne Lead (3) (2K), and John Gawel.
B-R – Landon Danaher (WP) (CG, 10K), and Aydin Sisson.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 8, Alfred-Almond 2
ALMOND — A road trip to Almond was made for the JagDogs of Genesee Valley/Belfast on Saturday, and it was one that they would wind up coming home victorious, as they took down the host Alfred-Almond Eagles by an 8-2 count to collect their sixth win in the last eight games.
Stats and a complete box score were not made available to report.
The JagDogs (6-8) are back in action with another road trip on Tuesday, visiting Cuba-Rushford at 5 p.m.
