Stories by CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com; photo gallery by Ella Green (@ella.green_photos on Instagram)
HORNELL — While the Lady Lions were completing perfection on one side of the school, across the way at Maple City Park in Hornell, the Wellsville baseball team was looking to complete a clean sweep of the action on Wednesday.
With Corning waiting on the other side this weekend, the defending Class B Champions were going to require all the momentum possible to carry into that showdown before they break for Spring recess.
Following a game-tying sequence by the host Red Raiders after two complete innings, the degree of separation began to unravel slowly but surely in the visiting club’s favor following a big third inning burst served as the first stepping stone.
With Hornell following their tracks right behind them, the Lions saved their most damaging string of offense for last, as they posted six straight runs in the last two frames to eclipse the double digit mark to help cruise towards an 11-4 road win to remain unbeaten with their fourth consecutive victory.
“We’re definitely happy with the win facing a rival like Hornell. They’re one of our bigger rivals not just in baseball, but across the board in multiple sports. The kids all know each other really well, they all have competed against one another. They know what this game holds. Tonight’s win was an extra incentive to all of this. Hopefully this gives us a big boost going into the weekend.” said Lions coach Tom Delahunt.
With special teams aiding each offense through the first two innings to formulate a 1-1 deadlock, the Lions (4-0) brought their offense to life with three big runs, two of them surfacing on a double down the left field line by Andrew Ordiway before coming home himself on the very next at-bat, scoring off a base hit into right field by Cam Lyons to lay claim on a 4-1 lead over Hornell.
The Red Raiders would cut their deficit in half one more time off a Logan Vondracek RBI to plate Marco Picco, but it would be as close as they would get to their archrival. From the fourth inning onwards, Wellsville took command of the game with seven unanswered runs — four of them inside a sixth inning that broke the game wide open, powered by Matt Ritter’s two-run double to left field for an 8-2 lead they continued to never look back on.
The Lions would proceed to finish off their scoring with a two-run double off the bat of Trent Green, as they finished up a nine-hit outing against the Red Raiders. Leading the bats was Aiden Cowburn, who posted a pair of doubles and scored two runs.
Ritter went 2-for-4 with two runs scored to pair with his big sixth inning double. Ordiway finished with three total RBI and a run scored, while Lyons had two hits.
At the same time, Cowburn registered a strong outing for the visitors in orange on the mound, going the first six innings with six strikeouts to pick up the victory.
Wellsville is back home for a Saturday morning battle in the Den, as they prepare to square off with the Corning Hawks at 11 a.m.
Wellsville 103 014 2 – 11 9 2
Hornell 011 000 2 – 4 3 3
WLSV – Aiden Cowburn (WP) (6K), Karson Grover (7) (K, 4BB) and Matt Ritter.
HOR – PJ Picco (LP) (K, 5BB), Christian Valle (6) (K, 2BB) and Ashton Hooker.
More stories after Ella Green photo gallery:
Fillmore 7, Andover/Whitesville 1
FILLMORE — With an early spark at the plate triggering the Fillmore offense in claiming the game’s first lead, the Eagles then rode the coattails of Malcolm Nusbickel on the mound for six straight shutout innings, as the sophomore kept visiting Andover/Whitesville at bay for as long as he could while the bats extended the gap further away down the stretch to put a ribbon on what was a 7-1 home victory at the Town Park on Wednesday.
“Mac pitched six strong innings and he pitched to a lot of contact,” said Eagles coach Kaiden Bowers. “I was very pleased with our defensive play behind him. That was a great combination that Andover/Whitesville tried to stop, but we held strong. My hats go off to our grounds crew at Fillmore, Matt and Dar Beardsley, for getting our field into shape. Especially with the poor weather we’ve had for the last several days. The field tonight looked the best I’ve ever seen it.”
With a 2-0 count displaying on the scoreboard in favor of the Eagles (3-1), both Nusbickel and Andover/Whitesville’s Gavin Frungillo twined together three straight scoreless outings on the defensive end of the spectrum to keep the bats frozen leading up to the bottom of the fifth, where the hosts in green and white broke it open with a massive four-run stanza to pull away ultimately for good.
The Eagles offense registered seven runs off seven hits, with Jared Boon, James Hillman, and Isaac Wilcox — three of the team’s first four hitters, all accounting for two hits each, with Boon and Wilcox garnering a double within their respective outings.
Along with Boon, Hillman drove in a pair of runners.
On the mound, Nusbickel went six strong for Fillmore, scoring the victory behind six strikeouts and a walk.
For Andover/Whitesville (1-1), Frungillo engineered his start on the rubber into the fifth inning, where he fanned three and walked three.
At the plate, Carter Grice was responsible for the team’s lone RBI in the top of the seventh, which scored James Miller-Young. Vinny Joyce, Colton Calladine and Rogan Perkins each had a hit to pace the bats.
The team is back to work Friday night, weather permitting, with a 6 p.m. visit from Avoca-Prattsburgh in Andover.
The Eagles are right back to it tonight at the Town Park, if the weather cooperates, as they play host to Bolivar-Richburg at 5 p.m.
Andover/Whitesville 000 000 1 – 1 3 4
Fillmore 200 041 X – 7 7 1
A/W – Gavin Frungillo (LP) (3K, 3BB), Vinny Joyce (5) (2K, BB) and Colton Calladine.
FIL – Malcolm Nusbickel (WP) (6K, BB), Isaac Wilcox (7) (2K, 2BB) and Wilcox, Connor McCumiskey (7).
Bolivar-Richburg 14, Hinsdale 8
BOLIVAR — The run supply was hot off the presses early on for the Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg on Wednesday.
But despite a feverish response from visiting Hinsdale to keep the pressure on, the defending Class C State Semifinalists came right back with a vengeance to deliver a big blow that ultimately kept the Bobcats in the rearview mirror down the stretch, as they pulled away towards an eventual 14-8 home victory.
From within an early-bird amalgamation of runs between the two teams, it was a massive first inning response that allowed Bolivar-Richburg (3-1) to springboard ahead, assembling a five-run outburst in their opening at-bats. After the Wolverines extended their lead in the second, the two foes each traded four-run barbs in the third, with the Bobcats closing the gap down from five to one before the hosts regained a six-run advantage once more.
The Bobcats would continue to apply pressure down the stretch, but the Wolverines were able to finish off the victory behind two big outings in the middle frames — a pair of two-run frames in the fifth and sixth, to get back into the win column following a tough Friday loss in Olean.
While the offense was plugging away against their visiting opposition in blue and white, the Wolverines were able to grant Mason Baldwin his first career Varsity win on the mound, as he went the first three innings with five strikeouts.
At the plate, Baldwin also contributed a triple, two RBI and a run scored.
Ryder Iantorno and Maddox Davison each had two hits, including two RBI for the former and a double for the latter. Tavyn MacDonell scored four runs, while Landon Barkley scored three times.
For Hinsdale, Jackson Jones turned in another sterling outing of relief on the mound, striking out six and walking two when he approached the rubber in the middle of the third inning.
On the attack, he also finished a perfect 4-for-4 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored. Peyton Keller and Tyler Richards each had a double to chip in.
The Bobcats will look to rebound back home Friday night, hosting Alfred-Almond at 5 p.m.
Bolivar-Richburg will hit the road tonight, weather permitting, for a 5 p.m. first pitch against Fillmore.
Hinsdale 104 201 0 – 8 8 4
Bolivar-Richburg 514 022 X – 14 8 2
HIN – Cody Hand (LP) (K, 5BB), Jackson Jones (3) (6K, 2BB), Tyler Richards (6) (K, 3BB) and Peyton Keller.
B-R – Mason Baldwin (WP) (5K), Braden Zilker (4) (3K, 3BB), Maddox Davison (7) (K) and Ryder Iantorno.
Genesee Valley/Belfast 13, Friendship/Scio 1 (F-5)
BELMONT — Although only six hits were registered at the plate, the Genesee Valley/Belfast offense generated plenty of momentum in their first home game in Belmont on Wednesday, as they turned the heat up with 12 of their 13 runs all coming across to score in the first three innings of play, helping set up shop for what ultimately morphed into a 13-1 five-inning win over visiting Friendship/Scio.
With the attack taking care of business against the Friendship/Scio defense, they also rode the coattails of a dynamic pitching performance from Ryan Daciw along the way, as the Genesee Valley/Belfast (3-0) senior surrendered just two hits to the opposition across a 10-strikeout, one-walk complete game to aid the defense in a sterling effort across the board.
After their 2-1 lead was cut in half by Friendship/Scio (0-3) in the top half of the second, Genesee Valley/Belfast cushioned their advantage in insurmountable fashion by posting 11 straight runs thereafter — eight of which serving as the offensive genesis in the bottom of the third inning to provide a massive fracture in the floodgates at the plate.
Two hitters recorded multi-hit outings to lead the way, including Derek Calanni, who played a big role behind the team’s gargantuan third inning, as he went 2-for-3 with a two-run double within the frame, totaling three RBI altogether. Ben Cater also had two hits, driving in a pair, while Ethan Davenport and Hunter Newman each had a hit to chip in.
For Friendship/Scio, Blake Perry went the first four innings on the rubber, striking out four and walking four. The team will look to bounce back tonight on their home grounds, weather permitting, as they welcome in Alfred-Almond for a 5 p.m. first pitch in Scio.
Genesee Valley/Belfast will now aim to keep their foot down on the gas entering the weekend, as they step right back inside the Jungle on Saturday for a 12:30 p.m. battle against Jasper-Troupsburg.
Friendship/Scio 010 00 – 1 2 2
Genesee Valley/Belfast 228 1X – 13 6 0
F/S – Blake Perry (LP) (4K, 4BB), Cooper Greenman (5) (3K) and Charlie Taylor.
GVB – Ryan Daciw (WP) (CG, 10K, BB) and Donivan Fields.
GOLF
Genesee Valley/Belfast 206, Wellsville 210
WELLSVILLE — For the first time this Spring, the golf season was in full swing at the Wellsville Country club for both Wellsville and Genesee Valley/Belfast’s season opener, Wednesday afternoon.
Like the previous season, the crosstown rivals have come together for some incredibly close golf. In match one of the young campaign, it was most certainly no different. But when the final scores were tallied together, it was a medalist round of 43 by Genesee Valley/Belfast’s Grant Preston that helped wedge out another razor thin victory from Wellsville’s grasp, as they held on tight to claim a 206-210 win.
Following behind Preston on the Genesee Valley/Belfast (1-0) scorecard was Will Guilford, who trailed by two strokes after finishing with a sublime round of 48. Afton Hamer chipped in with his round of 55, while Jordan White-Phipps had a 58 to round off the scoring.
Wellsville (0-1) was captained by a team-leading round of 49 shot by Jackson Shoughrue. Fletcher Kaye scored a 52. Payson Root concluded with a score of 54, while Noah Brogan rounded off with a 55.
The two foes will reconvene at Wellsville Country Club after Spring Break for a 4 p.m. tee time on April 24.
Before then, Genesee Valley/Belfast will make their return to Wellsville in quick turnaround fashion tonight, hosting the Eagles of Fillmore at 4 p.m.
BOYS TENNIS
Wellsville 4, Campbell-Savona 1
CAMPBELL — On the heels of a competitive defeat to the hands of Addison back on Monday, the Lions of Wellsville flipped the script in their favor on Wednesday in their latest road trip to Campbell-Savona, where they utilized a clean sweep of all three doubles matches on the court to clinch the match victory in style, as they rebounded successfully with a strong 4-1 win over the host Panthers on Wednesday.
Paving the way forward towards victory for the Lions (2-1) was a pair of shutout sweeps in the second and third singles matches, with the second singles team of Jonah MacCartney and Keenen O’Connor, along with the third singles duo of Brayden Ketchner and Carter Newman, holding down the fort with a pair of dominant matches to set up a 2-0 lead against the Panthers.
The match victory was claimed with one more win within the department, as the team of Liam Smith and Jeremiah Pensyl at first singles captured a 6-2, 6-2 decision. Wellsville’s final victory came at second singles from Michael Bidzerkowny, as he held his ground through two tough sets to score the 6-1, 6-3 victory.
The Lions are now off until after Spring Break, as they hit the road upon their return to the court on April 23, visiting Allegany-Limestone at 5 p.m.
Singles
1. Sage Brinkerhoff (C-S) def. Wheeler Dahlgren (WLSV), 6-1, 6-0.
2. Michael Bidzerkowny (WLSV) def. Anna Corey (C-S), 6-1, 6-3.
Doubles
1. Liam Smith/Jeremiah Pensyl (WLSV) def. Emma Allard/Anthony Smith (C-S), 6-2, 6-2.
2. Jonah MacCartney/Keenen O’Connor (WLSV) def. Lily Mortensen/Michaela Jensen (C-S), 6-0, 6-0.
3. Brayden Ketchner/Carter Newman (WLSV) def. Sophia Hall/Kate Vanzile (C-S), 6-0, 6-0.
