Frank Speziale Photo

Owego Softball defeats Norwich 3-1 on Friday (away)
OWEGO – The Norwich varsity softball team started what would be a three game skid for weekend games – with their loss to the Owego Indians at 3-1.
Norwich traveled to Owego on Friday, April 28, in the hopes of putting together a solid outing – what came forward in the results was a loss, but a loss in which Norwich head coach Jim Sanford exclaimed his happiness with the way his team played.
“We played a great game. My girls had a ton of energy, the team played great. Best game we played all year,” said coach Sanford.
Recording the loss for Norwich was pitcher Alex Colley, who pitched six innings – striking out five batters and walking four.
Norwich was unable to add a run to the score until the sixth inning when Morgan Conkling found her way home for the run. The team finished with an impressive nine hits in the game, being led by Conkling and Kait Dowdall – each of who finished 2-4 at the plate.
Owego powered in three runs in the bottom of the sixth, essentially capping off what was a five-inning stalemated game, up until that point.
Taking the win for the Indians was Taylor Aubel, Aubel pitched all seven innings, striking out six and allowing no walks.
Norwich returned home with their heads help high knowing a solid game was just played – and in preparation for their Saturday which was about to be filled with more softball.
 
N: 0 0 0 0 0 1 0– 1 9 0
O: 0 0 0 0 0 3 x– 3 7 0
 
Mary Testa Tournament: Oneonta defeats Norwich 14-1 – Webster defeats Norwich 13-0
VESTAL – Norwich traveled to Golden Bear country to take on the slate of teams at this year’s 2017 Mary Testa Tournament.
Vestal emerged the champions, defeating Oneonta in the finals by a score of 14-2.
Prior to the finals, Oneonta downed Norwich at 14-1; while Vestal defeated Webster at 3-2.
Norwich was blown out of the tournament, taking home a fourth place finish.
“The energy was not there like it was last night,” said Norwich coach Jim Sanford following the tournament.
In the first game of the day, Norwich battled with Oneonta – only managing to grab two hits in the 14-1 loss. Oneonta would rack up 18 hits on the day, pummeling Norwich for runs. Oneonta stashed the runs, bringing home one in the first and second innings before pouring on six runs in the fourth.
Alex Colley was once again credited with the loss on the mound, tossing out seven innings with six strikeouts and one walk.
Norwich’s two errors in the game would not help the cause – despite Oneonta having four in their win.
The lady Tornado’s two hits came from freshman Parker Walsh and senior Kait Dowdall. In the win on the mound, Michelle Rossi pitched four innings for Oneonta, relying on her defense to do the dirty work as Rossi snagged just one out.
Dowdall’s RBI in the fourth inning would save Norwich from the shutout as Walsh would score however, would still be down 14-1 when the final inning ended.
Norwich then was afforded a small amount of downtime before being tossed into the consolation game against Webster.
Webster was coming off a tight 3-2 loss to the eventual champion lady Golden Bears of Vestal.
Hoping to improve on the blowout loss earlier in the day, Norwich folded – recording no runs, and only two hits in their 13-0 loss.
Dowdall would go 2-2 on the day as Norwich’s lone batter to find the ball against Webster, a team that scored 13 runs off 10 hits in 28 at-bats.
Credited with the loss for Norwich, Olivia Granquist pitched all five innings that were played to the tune of a seven strikeout, three walk game. However, with runners on base, Norwich can look back at the missed opportunities – having bases loaded in the first and third innings and two runners on in the final inning.
Taking the win for Webster – securing a third place finish – Nirustro – who pitched all five innings with four strikeouts and three walks.
Next up for Norwich softball, they are scheduled to return to the field on Monday, May 1, when they travel to Oneonta for a rematch at 4:45 p.m.
 
First game:
N: 0 0 0 1 0 0– 1 2 0
O: 1 1 6 3 0 3– 14 18 2
Consolation game:
N: 0 0 0 0 0– 0 2 1
W: 1 1 6 0 5– 13 10 0
 
Canastota Softball defeats Sherburne-Earlville 3-2 on Friday (away)
CANASTOTA – The young lady Marauders of Sherburne-Earlville found themselves in a solid matchup on Friday, April 28, losing a nine inning game at 3-2.
Canastota scored one run in the fourth and sixth innings to tie the game at 2-2 after S-E found a way to round the bases for a two run inning in the fifth. It wasn’t until the ninth inning that S-E was undone, losing 3-2.
Alexis Kane would lead the way for S-E in the loss, going 2-5 at the plate. Pitching the entire nine innings for S-E was Mattie Gunther, who recorded a massive 14 strikeouts and just one walk.
Next up for Sherburne-Earlville softball, they will be playing home against Little Falls on Monday, May 1, at 4:30 p.m.
 
C: 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1– 3 7 1
SE: 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0– 2 9 1
 
Walton Softball defeats Unadilla Valley 9-8 on Wednesday (away)
WALTON – The lady Warriors held on tight to their comfortable 9-4 lead, as the Unadilla Valley Storm rallied for four runs late in the game, ending one short and therefore taking the loss on the road at 9-8.
Walton would claim the lead, and subsequent win, solely off of their huge seven-run third inning. If it weren’t for a momentary lapse of solid play the lady Storm would be notching another win under their belts.
However, it was in fact Walton who recorded the win from the mound – no players names reported – as the Warriors saw seven strikeouts and five walks out of their pitcher.
UV’s Tia Peck was credited with the loss, striking out just one batter in seven inning and allowing four walks.
Despite the loss, UV had a fabulous day at the plate when they recorded 13 hits as a team – only being outhit by Walton by two. Couple that with no errors in the game, and a 9-8 heartbreaker is what was played out on Wednesday, April 26.
UV was led on offense by Kirsten White, Meegan White, Jenna Hitt and Alysa Mumbulo. Kirsten managed to go 3-5 with one run, Meegan had 2-5 with a run and two RBI, Hitt finished 2-4 with a run and an RBI, and Mumbulo had 2-3 with a run and an RBI.
This game drained the UV squad, as they were then tasked with a home game against Unatego on Thursday, April 27.
 
UV: 0 0 0 2 2 1 3– 8 13 0
W: 0 1 7 0 1 0 x– 9 15 1
 
Unatego Softball defeats Unadilla Valley 15-0 on Thursday (home)
NEW BERLIN – The lady Storm of Unadilla Valley were taxed after a tough-fought 9-8 loss on the road to the lady Warriors of Walton – emerging from that game to take a 15-0 beating from Unatego.
UV hosted Unatego on Thursday, April 27, and struggled. Tia Peck would shine at home for Unadilla Valley, securing seven strikeouts and just two walks in her losing efforts – pitching to Megan Winton.
Unatego would have Paige McCoy on the mound, a place where McCoy went to work – striking out 10 batters and walking just one, taking the big win for the lady Spartans.
Unadilla Valley was blanked in the home matchup, but managed two hits – in an game that saw the lady Storm return to their old ways, producing 10 errors.
Mallory Frazier would hit a home run in the process of Unatego’s win, as the lady Spartans dropped runs in four of the six innings played – seven coming in the fourth.
Unadilla Valley was scheduled to play a Friday game against Bainbridge-Guilford. The result of that game was a B-G win at 10-1 – no specific statistics or details were reported by either team’s coach.
Next up for Unadilla Valley (1-8 overall), they are scheduled for a road game against Oxford on Monday, May 1, at 4:30 p.m.
 
UV: 0 0 0 0 0 0– 0 2 10
Unatego: 1 3 0 7 0 4– 15 12 0
 
Sidney Softball defeats Greene 8-6 on Wednesday (home)
GREENE – The lady Trojans were once undefeated, but have now slid to an ugly 6-4 record after dropping two games to close out last week’s play.
On Thursday, April 27, Greene hosted the Sidney Warriors and found themselves in a 8-6 game, managing only to score in one inning.
Following Sidney’s first inning strike for one run, Greene pounced in the fourth inning, racking up all six of their runs. That proved to be not enough, as Sidney slid in back-to-back three run innings with an additional run in the seventh.
Greene’s Hannah Ludolph took the loss on the mound – throwing to Tiffany Johns – for the full seven innings. Sidney pitcher, Olivia Demott snagged the win on the day.
Following the tough loss, Greene was faced with an even larger challenge – as the Afton Crimson Knights were coming to town for a Friday evening showdown.
 
S: 1 0 0 3 3 0 1– 8 11 0
G: 0 0 0 6 0 0 0– 6 8 1
 
Afton Softball defeats Greene 10-3 on Friday (home)
GREENE – Greene was overpowered in the matchup, dropping the April 28, game to Afton at 10-3.
Afton used a strong first inning of scoring – five runs – to take command over the lady Trojans.
Greene would battle, tacking on a run in the first and two runs in the second, however, it was Amanda Greenwood who went to work from the Afton mound.
Greenwood pitched six of the seven innings, taking the win for Afton – while also slamming a double and a triple in her efforts on offense.
Greene’s Hannah Ludolph again was credited with the loss for the lady Trojans, pitching the first six innings.
The Greene batters were blanked in their efforts past the second inning – resulting in a four hit game. Afton strung together a seven hit game putting up a big three-run inning in the fifth inning.
Next up for Afton, they will be playing Harpursville on Tuesday, May 2, at 4:30 p.m.
Greene (6-4 overall), is scheduled to play Bainbridge-Guilford on Tuesday, May 2, at 4:30 p.m. Prior to the B-G and Greene game on Tuesday, Bainbridge-Guilford will take on Unatego on Monday, May 1, at 4:30 p.m. in Bainbridge.
 
A: 5 1 1 0 3 0 0– 10 7 0
G: 1 2 0 0 0 0 0– 3 4 2
 
Unatego Softball defeats Oxford 14-10 on Friday (home)
OXFORD – The Oxford lady Blackhawks showed promise early on in the season, but are currently taking part in a six game losing streak.
Four of those six losses game in the last week, as Oxford took an 18-0 thrashing at the hands of Deposit on Wednesday, before losing 10-4 against Sidney on Thursday.
With the losses growing – and still two more scheduled games for the week – Oxford approached Friday’s game with a new a winning attitude. This proved to be the difference in another blowout and a solid 14-10 loss at home.
Oxford lost to Unatego at 14-10, losing the game in the final inning when the Unatego bats exploded for seven runs to take the final lead.
In the evenly matched game, Oxford would see runs scored in all but the fourth inning – while only committing two errors to Unatego’s five.
Kylie Roys of Oxford had a big day at the plate, going 3-4 with two runs and two RBI. Allison Beckwith would be credited with the home loss for Oxford, recording four strikeouts and three walks in her four innings. Karly Marshman added one strikeout and two walks as she finished out the game – surrendering seven of Unatego’s 12 hits.
Frazier was credited with the win for Unatego, snagging just three strikeouts and two walks in her winning efforts.
 
O: 3 1 1 0 3 1 1– 10 11 2
U: 2 3 1 1 0 0 7– 14 12 5
 
Harpursville Softball defeats Oxford 21-3 on Saturday (away)
OXFORD – The fight had been drained, after watching a potential home win slip away in the final inning, Oxford turned around and played the Hornets of Harpursville on Saturday, April 29. The morning game became a slaughter as the Hornets swarmed for an impressive road win at 21-3.
Recording Oxford’s top batting stats in the loss – six team hits – was Layla Kriz who managed to go 2-3 with an RBI and a run.
Oxford sent runners in sporadically with one coming in the second, third and fifth innings. For the Hornets it was all about how many they could fit in one inning. Harpursville led 3-2 after the third inning, that is when they doubled their production to send six runners in for scores in the fourth inning. If that wasn’t enough, the lady Hornets once again doubled their production – sending 12 runners in for scores in the fifth inning.
The game was called following the fifth inning.
Oxford’s Allison Beckwith took the loss, pitching 4.1 innings and securing five strikeouts and four walks coupled with her 11 hits and nine earned runs.
Following their soul-crushing week, Oxford (2-8 overall) is scheduled to play home against Unadilla Valley on Monday, May 1, at 4:30 p.m.
 
O: 0 1 1 0 1– 3 6 8
H: 2 0 1 6 12– 21 16 3
 
DeRuyter Softball defeats Otselic Valley 9-5 on Thursday (home)
OTSELIC VALLEY – The Otselic Valley lady Vikings have made it their mission to get their first win of the season – however, that goal had to wait potentially one more week after falling to Madison and DeRuyter twice.
Coming off an 18-3 loss to Madison on Wednesday, April 26, it was all about focusing for the big home doubleheader against the DeRuyter Rockets.
In the first game of the night on Thursday, April 27, it was OV that took the 3-1 lead following the first inning. However, following that, OV would struggle to send in runners – only recording six hits in the 9-5 loss.
Leading Otselic Valley in batting in the first Thursday game was Amber Meigs, 2-3. The lady Rockets would find runners coming in in all but the second inning, officially claiming the lead in the game in the fourth inning. The fifth inning, DeRuyter added four runs to OV’s one, a mismatch that hurt the outcome for OV.
Whitney Hamilin pitched the entire game for OV, striking out two batters and walking eight. DeRuyter’s pitcher, Tayler Marshall, struckout six in her winning efforts and walked seven.
 
D: 1 0 2 2 4– 9 8 3
OV: 3 0 0 1 1– 5 6 2
 
DeRuyter Softball defeats Otselic Valley 23-4 on Thursday (home)
OTSELIC VALLEY – Following a short recess the second game began, this result proved much different.
The lady Vikings dropped a big three points on the lady Rockets, a mark that DeRuyter met and exceeded in the very first inning.
OV struggled at the plate the second time around, recording just two hits – Grace Costa and Jessica Comfort.
DeRuyter managed five runs in the first, nine in the second, and six in the third – all to lead OV 20-3 emerging from the third inning. OV would not score again the remainder of the game.
Taking the loss for Otselic Valley on the mound was Whitney Hamilin. Hamilin pitched 2.2 innings to the tune of one strikeout and three walks, while her replacement, Jolanda Ponce snagged one more strikeout and four walks in her two innings pitched.
DeRuyter’s pitcher, Michaela Gordon came away with the win on the day, pitching six strikeouts and just two walks.
Next up for Otselic Valley (0-6 overall), they will be home against Brookfield on Monday, May 1, at 4:30 p.m.
 
OV: 1 0 3 0 0– 4 2 7
D: 5 9 6 3 x – 23 16 4