Friday Roundup: Dunbar’s 1st inning bomb, Cowburn’s magnificent gem propels Wellsville’s ascension in State-ranked win vs. St. Mary’s; Whiting fans 12 in B-R softball’s win at C-G/J-T

WELLSVILLE — The State-ranked battle was on at Historic Tullar Field. In back-to-back days, the Lady Lions of Wellsville will square off against the most formidable of opponents in order to keep the wheels churning heading into their title defense in the Class B2 Tournament.

Up first on a gorgeous Friday night at the park was an opponent that, too, also laid claim to a spot within the Top 5 in the State. That being the St. Mary’s Lady Dutch hailing from down below the border in Pennsylvania — nearly two hours to the southwest of Wellsville, as they entered town as the No. 4 ranked team in the Division AAAA rankings.

Something had to most certainly give between the two powerhouses on the softball field. And after a strong debut to open the night, the Lady Lions were worthy of accepting another difficult challenge presented before them.

Makenna Dunbar was a big reason why.

The Lady Lions sophomore is assembling a season to remember, as she set the tone right away during the team’s opening at-bats in the bottom of the first, launching a three-run detonation that left Tullar Field in an absolute hurry to help set up a game-long lead that Wellsville would never lose to St. Mary’s, as they weaved their way through some late pressure by the Lady Dutch to wrap up a huge 6-2 win in front of a packed crowd.

“Tonight’s atmosphere was electric. I’m very proud of our team for meeting the challenge,” said Lady Lions coach Matt Burke. “St. Mary’s is a very good team that will go far into the postseason. Makenzie (Cowburn) had a great performance tonight. She was really sharp, she hit her spots and she changed speeds effectively. Makenna Dunbar set the tone for us with her three-run homer, and it’s really nice to face a quality team and play well. Natalie Adams continues to swing a hot bat as well.”

After a quick 1-2-3 on defense led by a lead-off strikeout issued by Makenzie Cowburn and a pair of groundouts fielded cleanly by Emma Dunaway at shortstop, the Lady Lions (16-1) turned their attention to the spot on the field where they have been the strongest all season — the bats. They would provide a pair of baserunners in the first two at-bats, in time for Dunbar to bring both in on her eighth home run of the season. A three-run nuke to deep left field that provided a big crack into the ice.

St. Mary’s would issue what would be their biggest threat behind Cowburn in turn to start the second inning, placing a pair of runners on base after a base hit up the middle into center and a two-out walk, but the Wellsville junior phenom in the circle was able to work her way out of the jam, recording the inning-ending strikeout to keep the Lady Dutch frozen in their tracks.

That would allow the Lady Lions to continue building at the plate with a fielder’s choice from Sawyer Burke to the right side, scoring Natalie Adams, who led off with a deep double into center, from third to extend the team’s lead to four.

Wellsville would finish their scoring in the bottom of the third with two more humongous runs on back-to-back RBIs off the bat of Marissa Ordway and Natalie Adams, as they each scored one of their respective hits into the outfield to claim a 6-0 lead on the Lady Dutch going forward.

The score would remain intact for the next two scoreless innings between both squads until the Lady Dutch cracked through themselves in a run in each of the final two innings of play. But the early deficit to the Lady Lions would wind up being too much to overcome in the end, as the hosts in black took care of business with another signature victory.

Cowburn held St. Mary’s to six hits across her complete game effort, fanning nine and walking two to record the win. At the plate, Adams led the bats with her pair, while Cowburn and Stuck each had a double to further the team’s cause.

Wellsville is right back in action this afternoon over the road, as they prepare for a road trip up north against the Lady Kings of Bishop Kearney. First pitch is slated for a 1 p.m. start.

St. Mary's 000 001 1 – 2 6 1

Wellsville 312 000 X – 6 8 2

STM – Shannon Kaiser (LP) (CG, K, 3BB) and Gianna Surra.

WLSV – Makenzie Cowburn (WP) (CG, 9K, 2BB) and Brazen Beckwith.

Bolivar-Richburg 11, Canisteo-Greenwood/Jasper-Troupsburg 3

CANISTEO — With Canisteo-Greenwood/Jasper-Troupsburg hot on their trail at the beginning stage of the game, the Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg countered by producing an absolutely relentless attack while Rylee Whiting stitched together a dominant performance from within the circle as they built a big burst of momentum going into Saturday’s trip to Waterloo with an 11-3 road win, Friday night.

The scoring for the Lady Wolverines (14-1) began after Canisteo-Greenwood/Jasper-Troupsburg broke the ice with some key baserunning in the bottom of the first, responding with the next four runs in a row to go on top — three of them within a third inning that saw Madigan Harris drive in a run off a single to set up shop.

The construction of their lead progressed further on in the top of the fourth inning, where they would do just enough damage to pull away and out of reach, with McKinlee Harris and Malayna Ayers leading the way with RBI singles in the frame. The Bolivar-Richburg offense saw five different hitters all record at least a pair of hits each, with Whiting’s three-hit night, which included a two-run single in the sixth inning, at the plate leading the charge.

Helping further the team’s cause was Ayers, who had a pair of RBI singles. Madigan and McKinlee Harris each finished with two hits along with Madison Carney. In the circle, Whiting captured the victory in dominant fashion, as she handed out 12 chairs to Canisteo-Greenwood/Jasper-Troupsburg in her five-hit complete game.

On the other side, Brooke Burd led all batters for the hosts, scoring a perfect 3-for-3 outing. Sydney Drouin struck out two and walked one in her complete game twirl in the circle.

The Lady Wolverines will now gear up for a road trip up north this afternoon to Waterloo to partake in the Strikeout Cancer Tournament, where they will face Pittsford-Sutherland in a first round matchup beginning in a 12 p.m. first pitch. The victor will face either Aquinas or the host Lady Tigers in the championship game later on at 2 p.m.

Bolivar-Richburg 013 403 0 – 11 13 1

CGJT 101 010 0 – 3 5 0

B-R – Rylee Whiting (WP) (CG, 12K) and Madigan Harris.

CGJT – Sydney Drouin (LP) (CG, 2K, BB) and Ashley Allen.

Alfred-Almond 4, Genesee Valley/Belfast 2

BELFAST — Isabel Badeau and Ashley Burrows glued together the defensive battle of the night from within their respective circles under the gleaming Friday Night Lights in Belfast.

Only a combined six hits between both teams were produced at the plate, and although scoring became a rarity, for one team it was everything. That being the visiting Lady Eagles.

All it took was their opening at-bats to make their presence felt, as they scored three of their first four runs all in the first inning to break the ice against host Genesee Valley/Belfast. With command of the lead, it was threatened, especially down the homestretch, but it was never relinquished, as the Lady Eagles held on to secure a big and defensive 4-2 win over the road.

After Alfred-Almond’s presence was felt behind some key special teams play around the bases, Genesee Valley/Belfast (8-8) would begin to chip away with their first response in the bottom of the first, scoring their opening run on a wild pitch to the backstop to cut the deficit down to a pair.

Both defenses would buckle down across the next two scoreless innings before the hosts in black and gray trimmed their lead back down to a single run with what would ultimately be their final run of the game in the bottom of the fourth. With Genesee Valley/Belfast beginning to quickly close in, the Lady Eagles would have to continue staving off the late push provided by their opposition.

In the top of the sixth, they would do just that with a massive piece of insurance, scoring one final run to cement the victory for good.

In the circle, it was Badeau that outdueled Burrows in the end, as she garnered the win behind a two-hit gem, fanning 13 Genesee Valley/Belfast batters and walking three. At the plate, Badeau along with Ali Hurd, Chloe Bracken and Gracen Dusinberre all had a hit.

The hosts were paced by Burrows in the circle, as she countered with seven strikeouts and a walk of her own while holding Alfred-Almond to just four hits. At the plate, Jenna Hall accounted for both of the team’s hits, including a double.

Alfred-Almond 300 001 0 – 4 4

Genesee Valley/Belfast 100 100 0 – 2 2

A-A – Isabel Badeau (WP) (CG, 13K, 3BB) and Ali Hurd.

GVB – Ashley Burrows (LP) (CG, 7K, BB) and Jenna Hill.

And/Whi sweeps Senior Night twinbill with Ark/Can, C-R

ANDOVER — It was a beautiful night to play two in Andover on Friday, as the Andover/Whitesville ladies rang in their annual Senior Night celebration with both Arkport/Canaseraga and Cuba-Rushford in town for visits to close out the week.

Andover/Whitesville wanted to make absolutely sure that their eight seniors all got the send off they deserved at the end of the night. The proper way to do that, was the way they wanted — two wins.

The hosts would have a hayday at the plate against both the Lady Wolves and the Lady Rebels, as they went on to score at least 10 runs in each game, overcoming a deficit by as much as five runs in the first game along with a game-winning sixth inning to close out the night perfectly against Cuba-Rushford, as Andover/Whitesville galloped towards victory by 11-10 and 10-6 counts.

“The ladies hit the cover off the ball tonight, and they ran the bases well,” Andover/Whitesville coach Al Barber said. “They kept their cool on defense, and Makaila (Brewster) threw with a ton of composure. The girls bats came alive, and it came at a perfect time to help give our seniors a memorable night to remember.”

In game one, Andover/Whitesville (3-12) had to work their way back by as much as five down to Arkport/Canaseraga, with baserunning playing a key role for each team to set up a 5-3 Lady Wolves lead through the opening three innings. Later on after the visitors branched their lead even further in the fifth, the hosts responded with their bats catching fire, rattling off five straight hits after two quick strikeouts by Grace Groves, resulting in three matching runs to trim the deficit back down to a pair.

The back and forth battle raged on between both squads down the stretch, where Andover/Whitesville came to within one in the bottom of the sixth with another three-run frame, paced by Aislinn Hamilton’s RBI double.

After shutting down Arkport/Canaseraga in the top of the seventh, it would set the stage for the hosts in blue and purple to race back to the plate and end the game with their baserunning, as Gabbi Hall served up the team’s game-winning run with an advance towards home on a passed ball, clinching the first game in walk-off fashion.

Andover/Whitesville totaled 11 runs off 12 hits at the plate, with Hamilton and Gabby Terhune both leading the way with two hits each. In the circle, the first of two wins was credited to Makaila Brewster in relief, as she fanned three and walked two.

For Arkport/Canaseraga, Grace Groves fanned three and walked three, while Autumn Frechette led the bats with three of the team’s five in total.

To close out the night, Andover/Whitesville squared off with another formidable opponent in the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford to try and close out the night on the most perfect of notes. After being caught off guard early, the hosts would manage to spring out towards a lead by as much as three.

But despite it, Cuba-Rushford fought back and forced the game towards an eventual tie at six. But Andover/Whitesville had enough damage left to apply in the bottom of the sixth, using a series of baserunning and special teams play around the bases once more to provide a go-ahead, game-winning four-run frame to swipe away a 10-6 win over the Lady Rebels.

Andover/Whitesville marched forward towards a 5-2 lead after the first three innings of play before Cuba-Rushford (8-7) navigated their way back into reach, plating the next three runs in a row to tie the game at five. But soon after, the remaining portion of scoring would all go into the favor of the hosts, as they scratched across five of the last six runs, including a second four-run frame in the bottom of the sixth to go back ahead of the Lady Rebels one last time to secure the win.

Makaila Brewster recorded her second victory of the night, this time going the distance to get it for Andover/Whitesville, as she fanned four and walked four in her five-hit complete game. At the plate, the team collected eight hits in total with Gabbi Hall, Olivia Waters, Aislinn Hamilton and Gabby Terhune all posting at least a pair of hits.

Cuba-Rushford saw five different hitters all record a hit, as Taylor Searle, Jordyn Radomski, Aubrey Williams, Gianna Loiacono and Sydney Howard all recorded a hit. The Lady Rebels will look to turn things back around this afternoon on their home field, welcoming in Campbell-Savona for a 2 p..m battle.

As for Andover/Whitesville, they will head back over the hill to Whitesville on Monday, where they will host Fillmore in a 5 p.m. first pitch.

Game 1

Arkport/Canaseraga 212 032 0 – 10 5 4

Andover/Whitesville 012 033 2 – 11 12 4

A/C – Grace Groves (LP) (CG, 3K, 3BB) and Nicole Merry.

A/W – Emma Nelson (K, 2BB), Makaila Brewster (WP, 4) (3K, 2BB) and Gabbi Hall.

Game 2

Cuba-Rushford 200 211 0 – 6 5 2

Andover/Whitesville 401 014 X – 10 8 1

C-R – Jordyn Radomski, Sydney Howard (LP, 5) (3BB) and Arlah Shaffer.

A/W – Makaila Brewster (WP) (CG, 4K, 4BB) and Gabbi Hall.

BASEBALL

Bolivar-Richburg 16, Canisteo-Greenwood 2 (F-5)

CANISTEO — The response that the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg would provide a night after a tough defeat to Fillmore, would be of massive power, as they capitalized on all fronts on offense to keep host Canisteo-Greenwood on their feet from start to finish, rolling their way towards a 16-2 victory after five innings on Friday to end the week on a strong, rebounding note.

“It was a nice bounce back game. Landon (Barkley) threw a nice game for us on the mound, and Reiss (Gaines) closed the door,” said Wolverines coach Dustin Allen. “We really hit the ball pretty hard tonight, up and down the lineup. Everyone’s putting the ball in play. I was just happy with the way we responded after yesterday’s performance against Fillmore. We were ready to put things together.”

Landon Barkley and Reiss Gaines headlined an outstanding comeback game for the Wolverines (13-4) on the mound, as the two hurlers combined to hold Canisteo-Greenwood to just a single hit, with Barkley grabbing the victory across four innings of work with seven strikeouts and two walks.

As for the offense, the Wolverines broke it open after a quick 1-0 lead through the opening frame, as they went on to post a pair of four run frames to branch out their advantage insurmountably. In all, the Bolivar-Richburg bats produced just six hits while capitalizing on baserunning along the way, with Barkley and Gaines leading the charge with a hit and three RBI each. Evan Pinney, Aydin Sisson, David Baldwin and James Margeson all had a hit to chip in.

For the Redskins, Noah Warriner struck out four and walked seven in his start across two innings. Thomas Sirianni accounted for the team’s lone hit.

Bolivar-Richburg is back on the road Monday night with a 5 p.m. visit to Hinsdale.

Bolivar-Richburg 144 25 – 16 6 4

Canisteo-Greenwood 000 20 – 2 1 6

B-R – Landon Barkley (WP) (7K, 2BB), Reiss Gaines (5) (2K) and Aydin Sisson, Cayden Gaines (4).

C-G – Noah Warriner (LP) (4K, 7BB), Taige Stewart (3) (2K, 3BB), Kevin Sirianni (5) (K, 5BB), Evan Sarvis (5) (2K, BB) and Thomas Sirianni.

GOLF

Wellsville 265, Bolivar-Richburg 294

BOLIVAR — On their very last day of the regular season, the Lions of Wellsville made the most of the opportunity to finish their season on the links strong in their final trip over the road to the Bolivar Golf Club, Friday night.

Although the host Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg were able to come away with medalist honors, it was a balanced scorecard on the other side for the Lions that airlifted them towards triumph, as Maddy Parks helped lead the way in the team’s 265-294 win to close out their 2023 regular season under first-year coach Colin Brown with a record of 7-9 overall.

Parks led all Lions golfers at the end of the day, as she fired the team’s lowest round of 62. Jackson Shoughrue was not far behind on the card, recording a round of 64. Fletcher Kaye chipped in a 67, while Serena Boussa rounded off with her score of 72.

Bolivar-Richburg (2-5) saw two medalist rounds take shape on their side of the scorecard, as both Ryder Easton and Andrew Cox each fired the match’s best round of 57.

The Wolverines are back in action Tuesday night at the Bolivar Golf Club, as they host Genesee Valley/Belfast at 4 p.m.

Hinsdale at Cuba-Rushford - No report.

BOYS TENNIS

Bolivar-Richburg 3, Andover/Whitesville 2

BOLIVAR — After a tough 5-0 sweep to the hands of Wellsville over the road on Thursday, the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg made it back home the next night and made sure that their week would end on the most successful of notes, as they squeezed their way through visiting Andover/Whitesville with a 3-2 edge on Friday.

“I’ve told the team all season to just be better today than yesterday, and be better tomorrow than today,” Wolverines coach Eric Baldwin said. “They have made a lot of progress. We have had several 3-2 losses this year, so it was finally nice to grab one of those for the taking.”

Each team would garner a pair of wins in competition, with a third singles forfeit awarded to Bolivar-Richburg’s Guinevere Coats being the x-factor in the end, as the Wolverines (3-8) saw Ben Kisel take a strong second singles win by a 6-2, 6-2 count over Andover/Whitesville’s Trey Kent. In the doubles department, the first doubles team of Zane Pangburn and Dylan Crawford fought their way through a tough first set that featured a seven-point tiebreaker, navigating their way towards triumph by a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 count.

Andover/Whitesville (3-6) grabbed their two victories, one in each division, from Will Kent at first singles by a 6-3, 6-1 win over Bolivar-Richburg’s Anthony Densmore. At second doubles, the team of Isabella Potter and Zoe Baert took care of business with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Nebula Wilson-Smith and Alex Parker.

On Saturday, Bolivar-Richburg will head for the Class B3 Individual Sectional Tournament at Spencerport, while Andover/Whitesville travels to Pittsford-Mendon to partake in the Class B4 tournament. Both teams will resume regular season play on Monday in a pair of 5 p.m. first serves, as the Wolverines host Wellsville, while Andover/Whitesville visits Genesee Valley/Belfast.

Singles

1. Will Kent (A/W) def. Anthony Densmore (B-R), 6-3, 6-1.

2. Ben Kisel (B-R) def. Trey Kent (A/W), 6-2, 6-2.

3. Guinevere Coats (B-R) by for.

Doubles

1. Zane Pangburn/Dylan Crawford (B-R) def. Taegan MacCrea/Kori Carlin (A/W), 7-6 (7-3), 6-3.

2. Isabella Potter/Zoe Baert (A/W) def. Nebula Wilson-Smith/Alex Parker (B-R), 6-2, 6-1.