Wednesday Roundup: Daciw smacks 6th homer of season in 1st, GV/Belfast offense runs wild in 6th to score 12-2 home win over B-R; Fillmore’s Potter blanks C-R in 1-0 shutout, Fillmore tennis rolls

BELFAST — With the softball field of view looking eerily similar on one side, the race to the finish line for the Allegany County League title remains hotter than ever. The final day for play was quickly approaching, but on Wednesday, a massive score between Bolivar-Richburg and Genesee Valley/Belfast — two of the County’s hottest teams, was needing some settling at the Rich Sullivan Complex in Belfast.

A 5-2 loss in Bolivar earlier in the season was a defeat that continued to provide a stinging resonance for Genesee Valley/Belfast leading up to their final clash of the regular season. But since that night last month, they have recaptured their winning touch emphatically, having won each of the last 10 games.

It shaped up to be another duel right to the finish, with Genesee Valley/Belfast’s lead holding intact entering a sixth inning that eventually saw it carved in half by a late pressurized stint of offense from the visiting Wolverines. With a 4-2 advantage now on the scoreboard, the hosts in black and gray were urged to take action.

The result was a response quadrupled in size. The floodgates, torn down.

The bottom of the sixth inning was Genesee Valley/Belfast’s oyster, as they hammered away against the Wolverines with eight colossal runs to change the complexion of the game at an instant, forcing the 10-run mercy rule into effect to score their 11th straight win and a regular season series split with Bolivar-Richburg by a 12-2 final count under the lights.

You simply could not ask for a better start to Genesee Valley/Belfast’s (16-1) game to kick off the festivities. With Ethan Davenport forming a clean sheet of defense in the top half of the frame, the bats provided a stinging sensation right out of the gate with Ryan Daciw’s red hot bat providing even more gasoline on a blistering two-run shot to deep right field — his sixth home run of the campaign, for a 2-0 lead of the Wolverines.

It would remain frozen in place leading up to the fourth and fifth innings where the hosts generated another run in each frame to add onto their lead before Bolivar-Richburg (10-5) cut the deficit right in half in the top of the sixth off RBIs from Braden Zilker and Mason Baldwin at the 2-3 spots of the batting order.

But the slight burst of momentum that tilted in their favor was no more in the bottom of the sixth, as Genesee Valley/Belfast produced a magnificent finale to end the game, rocketing straight towards the victory with the game’s final eight runs — their last on a bases-loaded walk-off single to the outfield.

The Genesee Valley/Belfast bats scattered 10 hits all through the field, with Davenport, Daciw, Nolan Hunter and Ian McKenzie all posting two hits each. Davenport would help drive in three runs and steal two bases along the way. Ben Cater and Ty Hutchison each had a hit to round off the sticks.

On the mound, Davenport went the entire six-inning distance, surrendering only three hits to Bolivar-Richburg in the midst of a nine-strikeout, one-walk performance.

For the Wolverines, Landon Barkley, Carson Lipyance and Bentley Youngs all had a hit to pitch in. On the mound, Baldwin went the first four innings, striking out three and walking five. Bolivar-Richburg will look to urgently regroup in time for their next battle tonight back home, hosting the Lions of Wellsville at 4:30 p.m.

Genesee Valley/Belfast will hit the road themselves coming up on Friday, visiting the Fillmore Eagles in a 5 p.m. first pitch at the Town Park.

Bolivar-Richburg 000 002 – 2 3 2

Genesee Valley/Belfast 200 118 – 12 10 0

B-R – Mason Baldwin (LP) (3K, 5BB), Ryder Iantorno (5) (2BB), Jimmy Day (5) (2BB), Waide Karnuth (6) and Iantorno, Bentley Youngs (5).

GVB – Ethan Davenport (WP) (CG, 9K, BB) and Damon Davis.

Fillmore 1, Cuba-Rushford 0

FILLMORE — A Wednesday night at the Town Park in Fillmore set the scene for a true pitcher’s duel. Cuba-Rushford’s Finn Ricketts and Fillmore’s Damon Potter gave it absolutely everything they had from their arsenals through all seven innings of hard work. Because of their relentless efforts, there was no extra wiggle room and there was no time for errors.

At the snap of a finger, the innings zoomed by, with zeroes being docked all throughout between the two Allegany County foes. But the difference came early for one team, and with it, the rest followed right behind it.

The savior? — Liam McCumiskey.

Out of the 12 combined hits between both the Rebels and the Eagles, just one run found its way across the plate after all seven innings of play. That belonged to the hosts in white and green, who delivered an early knockout punch, as they rode the coattails of their ace in the hole, Damon Potter, all the way to the finish line to ultimately secure what was a razor-thin 1-0 blank of Cuba-Rushford.

“Damon was on tonight,” said Eagles coach Kaiden Bowers. “He worked ahead all night and pounded the zone. We really needed an outing like that from him before Sectionals in front of our home crowd. We got a huge hit from Liam to score our only run. Finn pitched really well too for Cuba-Rushford. We made one more play than them at the end of the day, and that’s all that really counts.”

The one run for Fillmore (8-5) made all the difference in the midst of a pitching dead heat from start to finish, finding their opening in the bottom of the second with the bottom of their order coming to the plate. With one out separating the Rebels from a trip back to the dugout for the third inning, the Eagles had other plans with Liam McCumiskey’s monstrous RBI single, scoring Connor McCumiskey on the play to break the ice with a one-run fissure that proved to be wide enough for the permanent advantage.

With the lead in their possession, the rest of the game ahead was now on the shoulders of their senior ace on the rubber. Potter proceeded to shut down Cuba-Rushford (6-7) with everything he had, despite allowing seven hits, as he fanned 12 Rebels batters and walked just one to secure one of his biggest wins of the season in complete game fashion.

The Eagles countered Cuba-Rushford’s seven hits with five of their own, with Jared Boon and his two knocks leading the way. James Hillman recorded a double, while Connor McCumiskey had a single to chip in.

As for the visitors, they saw Finn Ricketts also tag right alongside Potter through all seven innings, as he fanned six and walked one. At the plate, Ricketts, as well as Stanley Gilchrist, each posted a pair of hits.

Both teams will return to the diamond on Friday, with Fillmore remaining at the Town Park to host red hot Genesee Valley/Belfast in a 5 p.m. first pitch, while Cuba-Rushford heads back out on the road for a 7 p.m. clash with the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines in a game that will serve as the latter’s Tournament Championship game from just a couple weeks ago, as well as their final League game this season.

Cuba-Rushford 000 000 0 – 0 7 1

Fillmore 010 000 X – 1 5 0

C-R – Finn Ricketts (LP) (CG, 6K, BB) and Adam Shaffer.

FIL – Damon Potter (WP) (CG, 12K, BB) and Isaac Wilcox.

Avoca-Prattsburgh 7, Andover/Whitesville 3

AVOCA — It was a game that got away from Andover/Whitesville towards the beginning of their campaign. For the first time since that day last month, an opportunity for redemption came when they hit the road to finish off their two-game set with Avoca-Prattsburgh on a gloomy Wednesday night on the diamond.

Like the beginning stages of their previous battle in Andover, the two foes were right alongside one another once more to open the game in Avoca. They had to finagle with their opposition for the reins before, but this time around, the Titans had them all for themselves, as they pieced together a gigantic third inning to branch their lead out in insurmountable fashion to sweep the season series with a 7-3 home win.

While the offense provided connections left and right in the first three innings of play to score the lead against Andover/Whitesville (4-8), Taylor Pragle issued a phenomenal performance from upon the mound in return to pace the defensive efforts, holding the visitors to just three hits while fanning seven and walking two in his complete game victory.

Of those five runs in the first three innings of play for the Titans offense, four of them came from within a bottom of the third inning that ultimately made all the difference in creating much needed breathing room ahead of Andover/Whitesville. The visitors, despite the game-long deficit, put a bit of pressure on down the stretch with all three of their runs coming in the final two innings — two of them in the top of the seventh inning to cut the Avoca-Prattsburgh lead down to four.

But in the end, it ultimately became too much to overcome, as Pragle helped the Titans lock down a big victory in Class D play.

For Andover/Whitesville on the hill, Colton Calladine collected two strikeouts and two walks through a start that went the first four innings. Brody Vance followed up with three strikeouts and a walk of his own right after, in his relief appearance.

Coming up next for Andover/Whitesville, an opportunity to bounce back, as they hit the road once again tonight for Scio to take on host Friendship/Scio at 5 p.m.

Andover/Whitesville 000 001 2 – 3 3 3

Avoca-Prattsburgh 104 010 X – 7 4 4

A/W – Colton Calladine (LP) (2K, 2BB), Brody Vance (5) (3K, BB) and Jake Mattison.

A-P – Taylor Pragle (WP) (CG, 7K, 2BB) and Devin Stamets.

Hinsdale 17, Friendship/Scio 2 (F-5)

HINSDALE — The Hinsdale Bobcats unloaded a great wealth of offense right from the start against visiting Friendship/Scio, as they projected themselves straight to victory after five complete innings on their home field with a 17-2 win on Wednesday.

Stats and a complete box score were not made available to report upon publication.

Hinsdale (2-13) will hit the road for a 10 a.m. first pitch at Alfred-Almond on Saturday, while Friendship/Scio (0-14) hosts Andover/Whitesville back home in Scio in a 5 p.m. first pitch tonight.

SOFTBALL

Fillmore 5, Cuba-Rushford 3

FILLMORE — The lights were on for a head-to-head battle in Fillmore that featured two teams on the marquee that have started to heat up at the right time, with the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford having won seven of their last eight games, and the host Lady Eagles of Fillmore finding the win column in six of their last seven games.

The chase for the top spot in this year’s Allegany County League hunt for glory has never been closer than before with just days remaining until the regular season reaches its final chapter, with Genesee Valley/Belfast and Bolivar-Richburg maintaining their presence in the mix.

As for who continued their regular season-ending hot streak leading up to Sectionals, that saw the Lady Eagles run rampant in the first three innings of play, constructing a lead they proceeded to never relinquish against the Lady Rebels, as they made the most of their opportunities right from the start to solidify what was a 5-3 season series-sweeping victory — their seventh in the last eight games.

Fillmore (12-3) went right to work in their opening at-bat sequence against Cuba-Rushford, sending a grand total of five batters to the plate. Amongst them, three reached base — two scoring on big knocks from the middle of the order.

After Morghyn Ross originally set the table with a one-out triple to right field, Mattie McCumiskey took charge with the game’s first run on her single out to left. She then worked her way over to third before Summer Friedl brought her in on a two-out double to left to double their advantage.

The Lady Eagles kept building onto their foundation with two more runs in the bottom of the second — one of them stemming off an Abby Earley double that scored Kelsie Songster, granting the hosts a 4-0 lead on the Lady Rebels (8-7). One more run was brought across in the third inning on a passed ball to officially close out the scoring.

Immediately after both teams traded scoreless jabs in the fourth, the Lady Rebels brought their bats to life with a crucial two-run frame in the fifth, powered by a Mireya Rutkowski RBI double before she navigated her way to the plate a short time later to wrap up the scoring. Later on, the deficit climbed back down to two with one more run formulating in the top of the sixth, but that would be as close as Cuba-Rushford got to Fillmore, as Mylee Miller held her command in the circle to go 1-2-3 with the bats in the final stanza to close out the night.

In all, Fillmore assembled their five runs off eight hits, with McCumiskey and Earley leading the way with two each. For McCumiskey, the performance witnessed her crack the 100 career hit mark for the program.

In addition to the offense, Summer Friedl chipped in a double. On the mound, Miller secured the four-hit complete game win, fanning three and walking four.

On the opposite side, Cuba-Rushford was led by Moyer, who had two of the team’s four hits in total. Emma Bunk added a hit of her own into the mix. Lizzie Kocsis also went all seven innings for the Lady Rebels in the circle, fanning three and walking one.

The Lady Eagles get set to host another 7 p.m. clash under the lights tonight, this time against the Lady Bobcats of Hinsdale, while Cuba-Rushford looks to get right back into the win column on Saturday with a 3 p.m. visit to Canisteo-Greenwood.

Cuba-Rushford 000 021 0 – 3 4 3

Fillmore 221 000 X – 5 8 2

C-R – Lizzie Kocsis (LP) (CG, 3K, BB) and Arlah Shaffer.

FIL – Mylee Miller (WP) (CG, 3K, 4BB) and Morghyn Ross.

Avoca-Prattsburgh 14, Andover/Whitesville 2

AVOCA — The State-ranked Avoca-Prattsburgh Lady Titans were at the very top of their game at home Wednesday night, as they kept their bats aflame at the dish to set up shop for their eighth straight victory against visiting Andover/Whitesville, rolling towards a 14-2 win in Avoca.

Stats and a complete box score were not made available to report upon publication.

Andover/Whitesville (4-9) is right back on the field this evening in Scio, as they travel to visit Friendship/Scio for a 5 p.m. first pitch.

Friendship/Scio 20, Hinsdale 9

HINSDALE — The runs came pouring in from all directions between Friendship/Scio and Hinsdale on Wednesday, with the two foes converging together to register nearly 30 runs total across the plate. But when it was all said and done, the visitors put a strong finish on the board with the host Lady Bobcats quickly closing in, as Friendship/Scio galloped away towards a 20-9 road win to split their season series down the middle.

It was back and forth all throughout the night in Hinsdale, with the first three innings featuring a pair of lead changes between the two foes. Following a quick 2-2 tie out of the gate, the Lady Bobcats springboarded ahead first with the advantage before Friendship/Scio came right back in the top of the third with a game-tying response heading into the back half of action.

The offenses began to pick up steam, with 18 combined runs finding their way across the plate — 10 of those belonging to Friendship/Scio (4-10), who used a pair of four-run frames to keep their advantage intact despite some added pressure down the stretch. After Hinsdale closed the gap to four in the bottom of the sixth, the visitors put together one massive grand finale to ensure their victory, adding seven more runs in the top of the seventh to seal the deal.

To go with their 20 total runs, Friendship/Scio only mustered six hits in all at the dish, as they capitalized on a bounty of walks and seven miscues from the Lady Bobcats along the way. Leading the bats was Kaydence Sadler, who went 2-for-6 with an RBI and three runs scored. Alexiss Herring had a double and drove in two runs, while Jadyn Wonderling had two RBI of her own to pitch in.

For Hinsdale (1-15), Kaylie Foskit led the sticks, recording three of the team’s eight hits, going 3-for-5 with two doubles, four RBI and two runs scored. Lily Bushnell continued the offensive power surge with a home run, driving in two total RBI in the process.

Both teams are back in action tonight, with Friendship/Scio heading back home to Scio to welcome in Andover/Whitesville in a 5 p.m. first pitch, while Hinsdale hits the road for a 7 p.m. battle under the lights at Fillmore.

Friendship/Scio 201 424 7 – 20 6 3

Hinsdale 210 024 0 – 9 8 7

F/S – Sydney Hadsell (WP) (3K, 6BB), Emily Lamberson (7) and Avery Lamberson.

HIN – Lily Bushnell (LP) (CG, 9K, 15BB) and Kailey Keller.

GOLF

Wellsville 200, Cuba-Rushford 202

RUSHFORD — It was as close of a degree of separation as it gets on Wednesday. Despite the weather dampening the action overnight, the Lions of Wellsville and host Cuba-Rushford came together and delivered a match that was decided by the slimmest of margins at Allegany Hills in Rushford.

After the math was calculated, Coen Kellogg received medalist honors to pace the host Rebels, but it was the visiting Lions that came out on top by just two strokes, as they squeezed their way towards victory to propel back to .500 with a 200-202 win in what was their final regular season match.

Jackson Shoughrue led the Wellsville (5-5) field at the top of the team’s scorecard at the end of the night, turning in the team’s lowest round of 49. Right behind him were both Fletcher Kaye and Payson Root, each firing a round of 50. Blake Kalkhof rounded off the Lions scorecard with his round of 51.

Following up Kellogg and his match-low round of 47 for the Rebels (2-7) was Zach Deck, who concluded with a round of 49. Ethan Fries pitched in a 51, while Evan Peterson finished off the scoring with his round of 55.

Wellsville will now await their Sectional Playoff fate, as they finish up their regular season with a record of 5-5 overall.

Cuba-Rushford will draw their regular season towards a close tonight at the Wellsville Country Club, where they will face off against Genesee Valley/Belfast in a 4 p.m. tee time.

Arkport-Canaseraga 197, Genesee Valley/Belfast 200

HORNELL — In their previous meeting at the Wellsville Country Club, both Arkport-Canaseraga and Genesee Valley/Belfast put on a magnificent display of golf. It was no different when the two collided one more time, this time at the Hornell Golf Club on Wednesday.

The level of isolation between the two squads was three strokes in their first match — a battle that saw the Wolves edge their way towards victory. History once again repeated itself, despite a 10th straight regular season medalist round from Genesee Valley/Belfast’s phenom Grant Preston, as the Wolves claimed the series-sweep at home with a narrow 197-200 victory.

Arkport-Canaseraga was powered up by Ayden Button at the top of the scorecard, posting his team-low score of 46 to set the bar. Behind him was Kevin Shinebarger and Bryant Reynolds, each recording rounds of 50. Eli Flint had a 51 to finish off the Wolves scoring.

For Genesee Valley/Belfast (6-4), it was Preston that once again medaled the entire field on the links, as he pressed on to record his lowest round of golf this Spring with a match-low score of 39. Will Guilford finished behind him with his round of 50. Afton Hamer followed with a 55, while Jackson Barney concluded with his round of 56.

The regular season will reach its conclusion for Genesee Valley/Belfast across the next two days, beginning with their final home match today at the Wellsville Country Club against Cuba-Rushford at 4 p.m.

BOYS TENNIS

Fillmore 5, Campbell-Savona 0

HOUGHTON — In the first of back-to-back regular season-ending contests on Wednesday, the Eagles of Fillmore controlled their match against Campbell-Savona at their own pace, with three rapid fire victories going the Eagles way to officially capture their 12th straight win.

As for the potential sweep waiting in the wings, they had to wait a bit longer for that result, with Brayden Walton at third singles hanging on for a strong victory before all eyes were centered on Isaiah Sisson and his first singles showdown with Campbell-Savona’s Sage Brinkerhoff, a Houghton College commit, as the two foes traded back-and-forth rallies across their exciting battle.

Despite falling into an early deficit in the second set of action, Sisson regained his focus and composure, and made Brinkerhoff earn every point possible, taking a 2-1 disadvantage and turning it into an eventual 6-4 victory to wrap up the team’s 5-0 sweep of the Panthers behind his competitive 6-3, 6-4 triumph inside the Kerr-Pegula Fieldhouse at Houghton University.

In the surrounding showcases on the tennis court, Walton warded off Campbell-Savona’s Anna Corey in a competitive fight of his own, advancing towards a 6-2, 6-1 win at third singles. To finish off the singles sweep, seventh grader Ezra Schilke continued his dominant first season for the Eagles (12-0) with a clear-cut 6-0, 6-0 shutout over Anthony Smith at second singles.

The momentum resonated into the doubles matches, where the first doubles team of Ezra Knapp and Carson Sanasith went on to score a dominant 6-0, 6-1 win over Emma Allard and Sophia Hall. The second doubles team of Kallan Sanasith and Levi Russell rounded off the match victory with a 6-0, 6-0 shutout of their own right over Michaela Jensen and Krystal Cordes.

Fillmore will put a wrap on their regular season today, tentatively on the road, as they prepare for a 5 p.m. first serve at Bolivar-Richburg.

Singles

1. Isaiah Sisson (FIL) def. Sage Brinkerhoff (C-S), 6-3, 6-4.

2. Ezra Schilke (FIL) def. Anthony Smith (C-S), 6-0, 6-0.

3. Brayden Walton (FIL) def. Anna Corey (C-S), 6-2, 6-1.

Doubles

1. Ezra Knapp/Carson Sanasith (FIL) def. Emma Allard/Sophia Hall (C-S), 6-0, 6-1.

2. Kallan Sanasith/Levi Russell (FIL) def. Michaela Jensen/Krystal Cordes (C-S), 6-0, 6-0.

Alfred-Almond at Bolivar-Richburg - No report.