6/11/21
Class C Championship – Friday, June 11: #3 Elmira Notre Dame at #1 Deposit/Hancock. Two of the most successful programs in all of New York will get to lock horns for the Class C title, and perhaps be a Game of the Year candidate. On one hand, you have Elmira Notre Dame, owners of 14 Section IV titles in 20 tries. On the other hand, Deposit/Hancock has not slowed down a bit since merging and bumping up a class from D. The former Deposit teams has 11 Section IV titles in 21 attempts (with Hancock 0-5 in championship games). Add it all up, and it’s a rather prestigious game to say the least. Elmira ND has turned away two IAC opponents in Union Springs and Tioga, while D/H has bested Edison and Greene. So who has the advantage here? Well, it sure looks like a toss-up from here. For pitching, Elmira ND has Olivia Switzer, who struck out 11 against Union Springs. D/H has a trio of Rylee Smith, Kaitlyn Macumber, or Danielle Seymour who will toe the rubber. Any one of the three are easily #1 options on any number of teams. On offense, it’s one threat after another. Lawson Bigelow has 11 homers on the season for Elmira ND, and she gets plenty of support around her. D/H has power all over the lineup with names such as Haleigh Weyrauch, Riley Martin, Laycee Drake, and Alaina Smith. As far as schedules go, both challenged themselves with tough non-league matchups throughout the season. Elmira ND will be the ones hitting the road for the hour and a half bus ride, so if you’re a believer in home field advantage, D/H will be the fresher team. But, something tells me a bus ride, no matter what the length, won’t bother the Crusaders in the least bit. I would expect these two teams to play a high intensity game right until the final pitch. It might even take extra innings to settle this one. I can’t wait to see how it all shakes out!
Class D Championship – Friday, June 11: #4 Marathon at #2 Schenevus. Very quietly, Marathon has put together quite the impressive run the last three seasons. This will be their third straight Class D title game appearance. Unfortunately for them, they ran into the juggernaut known as Deposit in 2018 and 2019. This time around, they return after beating two good teams in Gilboa and top-seeded Roxbury. They’ll face undefeated, 11-0 Schenevus, who return to a sectional championship game for the first time since 1980 in Class C. Their only victory was in 1978, an 11-9 win over Margaretville in the first year of Class C play. That’s pretty amazing. This will also be the third straight season in which they’ve faced off in sectionals, with Marathon taking the first two en route to the championship game. For Marathon, Brooke Tillotson, Audrey Jasper, and Samantha Pendell led the way in the win over Gilboa. Kaitlyn Mitchell only gave up a couple of hits. Schenevus has won games both by lighting up the scoreboard on offense, and in tighter, lower-scoring games, such as their 6-5 win over Richfield Springs in the Tri-Valley Semi-finals. Cassie Snyder has been terrific on the mound all season, and even on a day she wasn’t her sharpest against Worcester in the semi-final, she got plenty of support from her offense. Just like Elmira Notre Dame, it’ll be Marathon loading up the bus and hitting the road for the long drive, which isn’t exactly ideal, but something to keep in mind if they start off the game a bit slowly. We’ll see how this one turns out. One thing is for certain - it will also be a rarity not to see Deposit or Afton in this game, as we’ll crown a new Class D champion for the first time since Edison won in 1994.
6/9/21
Class AA Championship – Thursday: #2 Horseheads at #1 Corning. After Horseheads emphatically sent Elmira home in the semi-final, they will now look to keep the momentum going against the state’s #2 ranked team in AA, the Corning Hawks. Corning is 9-1 this year, but the one loss was to Horseheads back on May 14. Their rematch the next morning was one of the wackiest games of the season. Long story short, Corning had a 14-10 advantage going into the 7th, only to have Horseheads tie it on big hits by Eva Korastis and Molly Wolf. Then Atalyia Rijo stepped up and uncorked a long fly ball that the Horseheads outfielder thought was out of play for a double. But, the umpires disagreed, and Rijo came around to score the walk-off inside-the-park home run. Whether you agreed or disagreed with the call, it’s safe to say that Horseheads has played Corning tougher than just about any other opponent this year, and when you’re up against a lineup as loaded as the Hawks’, you’ll take any positivity you can get. While it’s hard to find a weak spot with Corning, they have had a hard time quieting some of the better offenses they’ve faced, such as Horseheads twice and Vestal. For Horseheads to pull the upset, they will have to consistently score throughout the game, and not waste any at-bats. I’m not sure it’s possible to hold down some of Corning’s better hitters like Rijo, Kalea Faulk, Kelsey Booker, and Sophia Polzella, but if Horseheads can keep even some of their lineup in check, they will have a chance. If history is any indication, this game will go right down to the last pitch judging by this year’s game, and in 2018 when the Blue Raiders came back from being down 7-1 to win the Class AA title 9-8. Expect another good one here.
Class A Championship – Thursday: #3 Union-Endicott at #1 Maine-Endwell. The unbeaten Spartans look to end their season on a high note in a rematch of the best game of 2019 (in my opinion) in which U-E ended M-E’s run of 12 straight wins in the Section IV tournament with a 1-0, 10-inning thriller in the semi-final. Even though that was two years ago, I think it’s safe to say that the Spartans have been hoping to get this rematch, even without a state tournament berth on the line. These teams met twice already, with M-E winning 2-1 and 7-2. In the first game, M-E’s fireballer Olivia Lewis struck out a whopping 17, and her team needed every one of them. The pitching matchup will be juicy, as Lewis goes against Kendra Lee. Both are more than capable of pitching a shutout and carrying the team on her back. The Tigers have played some great softball lately, winning five straight over good teams like Windsor, Chenango Valley, Waverly, and the big comeback win over Vestal in the semi-final. The Spartans haven’t seen much action of late, as they’ve only played four games since May 25. Just like Horseheads in Class AA, U-E will have to hope the small downtime for the #1 seed will make them a bit rusty. Runs should be hard to come by, even with good offenses, so getting that first big run on the scoreboard will be key. At this point, U-E perhaps won’t feel the pressure that M-E will as the top seed and undefeated record on the line. This will be a great one to watch.
6/6/21
We’re down to the last week of the softball season, and it’s sectionals time! While it’s still a bummer that there will be no state tournament, let us all enjoy five champions being crowned in Section IV.
Here is a preview of the sectional tournament:
Class AA
* Top 3 seeds: Corning, Horseheads, Elmira
* Number of teams qualified: 3
* Semi-final matchups: #3 Elmira at #2 Horseheads (#1 Corning receives a bye)
* Dates of games: Semi-final – 6/8; Championship – 6/10
* Most intriguing semi-final game: #3 Elmira at #2 Horseheads. As if often the case for Class AA and/or A, there are only three teams that qualified with the lack of bigger schools in this section. This is a rematch of 2019, in which Elmira shocked the #1 seed Horseheads 9-1, despite dropping two to the Blue Raiders by a combined 24-1 in the regular season. This time around, the scores are closer, but still have gone Horseheads’ way by wins of 10-3 and 9-7. In the first game, Erin Gill surrendered five hits, and Molly Wolf had three hits and three runs. The last game was a doozy, as it went 11 innings. Eva Koratsis had four hits, and the winning runs came in on a Madisyn Matkosky bunt and an Emma Loomis double. Elmira counters with their star player Sarah Coon, who will be playing softball for Virginia when she graduates. She’s supported by the big bats of Payton Ross and Kaitlyn Place. Horseheads has won six straight after dropping a couple to Corning and Vestal, while Elmira won four straight, then lost four straight in the middle of the season.
* Other thoughts: Corning hasn’t played a whole lot of softball the last couple of weeks, as they just beat Vestal 17-16 on Saturday, their first game in nearly two weeks. Now they’ll get another small layoff of five days before meeting the winner of the Elmira vs. Horseheads game. They’ll definitely be well-rested, but one has to wonder if it’s a little too much rest? They can’t control any of that, however, as the look to repeat as Class AA champions.
* All-time sectional records (championships in parenthesis):
#1 Corning: 6-7 (2)
#2 Horseheads: 45-29 (12)
#3 Elmira: 2-7 (0)
Class A
* Top 3 seeds: Maine-Endwell, Vestal, Union-Endicott
* Number of teams qualified: 3
* Semi-final matchups: #3 Union-Endicott at #2 Vestal (#1 Maine-Endwell receives a bye)
* Dates of games: Semi-final – 6/8; Championship – 6/10
* Most intriguing semi-final game: #3 Union-Endicott at #2 Vestal. It’s a rematch of the 2019 championship, won by Vestal 4-2. These teams are no strangers to each other. Over the history of the Section IV tournament, they’ve met 15 times. This year, they met in Vestal’s first game of the season (U-E’s second), and Vestal won 8-2, then the Golden Bears won the rematch 11-9 three weeks later. Of late, the two teams are heading in slightly different directions, as U-E has won four consecutive over Windsor, Binghamton, Chenango Valley, and Waverly, while Vestal dropped a pair to CV and Corning. Vestal did put up 16 on Corning, which is almost unheard of, so U-E’s Kendra Lee will have to silence those bats for the Tigers to advance.
* Other thoughts: Maine-Endwell is again the top seed, and they’ll be looking to get back on top of Class A after being upset two years ago in a 1-0, 10-inning thriller to U-E. They have the bats led by Amanda DeSantis and Helena Layton, the pitching of Olivia Lewis, and contributions up and down the lineup from young and veteran players. At a perfect 15-0, they’ll look to cap their season in a strong way with one more big win.
* All-time sectional records (championships in parenthesis):
#1 Maine-Endwell: 30-19 (11)
#2 Vestal: 33-35 (8)
#3 Union-Endicott: 45-27 (13)
Class B
* Top 4 seeds: Chenango Valley, Windsor, Chenango Forks, Susquehanna Valley
* Number of teams qualified: 8 (maximum amount allowed)
* Quarterfinal matchups: #8 Oneonta at #1 Chenango Valley; #7 Waverly at #2 Windsor, #6 Dryden at #3 Chenango Forks; #5 Owego at #4 Susquehanna Valley
* Dates of games: Quarterfinals – 6/7; Semi-finals – 6/9; Championship – 6/11
* Most intriguing quarterfinal game: #5 Owego at #4 Susquehanna Valley. Here’s a rematch of one of the stranger scores of the 2021 season. Back on May 27, the teams were locked up at 4-4 going into extra innings, only to see SV explode for seven runs in the top of the 8th to take command. Owego was one out away in the 8th from keeping it tied, but committed an error, and you know in this game, that’s sometimes all it takes to kickstart a big run. The Sabers started the season with a couple of tough losses to Windsor, but ran off four straight before dropping four of five. They’re back on the winning side with four wins in their last five, including the Owego win, and big 6-5 win over a hot Chenango Forks team. Owego has lost three of four, but have challenged themselves with games vs. Waverly, Deposit/Hancock, Windsor, and Elmira.
* Other thoughts: Chenango Valley returns to sectionals for the first time since 2015, with their last win in 2013. They have impressive wins over Windsor, SV (twice), and Vestal, but played a close one in a 2-0 win over Oneonta on May 25, so keep an eye on that game. Waverly is the reigning Class B champ, but will get thrown right into the fire with a trip to Windsor, who have been a bit up and down lately, but did just beat Chenango Forks. Speaking of which, the Blue Devils boast a big top of the lineup, and will need their stars like Grace Cadden and Bri Ramstine to carry them far. If the high seeds hold serve, it will be an all-STAC East semi-finals, with CV vs. SV, and Forks vs. Windsor.
* All-time sectional records (championships in parenthesis):
#1 Chenango Valley: 49-26 (7)
#2 Windsor: 52-25 (10)
#3 Chenango Forks: 43-31 (8)
#4 Susquehanna Valley: 54-22 (13)
#5 Owego: 16-27 (0)
#6 Dryden: 3-19 (0)
#7 Waverly: 15-24 (1)
#8 Oneonta: 8-16 (0)
Class C
* Top 4 seeds: Deposit/Hancock, Lansing, Elmira Notre Dame, Greene
* Number of teams qualified: 8 (maximum amount allowed)
* Quarterfinal matchups: #8 Edison at #1 Deposit/Hancock; #7 Tioga at #2 Lansing; #6 Union Springs at #3 Elmira Notre Dame; #5 Spencer-Van Etten at #4 Greene
* Dates of games: Quarterfinals – 6/7; Semi-finals – 6/9; Championship – 6/11
* Most intriguing quarterfinal game: #8 Edison at #1 Deposit/Hancock. It’s ultra-rare to see a matchup like this. Both teams won state championships in 2019, with Edison in Class C, and Deposit in Class D. Granted, that Deposit team is a thing of the past, as they are now merged with Hancock, but it’s still pretty cool to see this game happening. D/H is 15-1, and as they’ve done year after year, it’s domination on both sides of the diamond. Kaitlyn Macumber, Rylee Smith, and Danielle Seymour all can sling it on the mound. The offense is loaded and a threat in any spot. However, Edison is certainly battle tested themselves for games like this. They beat Union-Endicott in the Mary Testa Tournament, and downed Waverly twice. They were shutout twice by Elmira Notre Dame, but managed to keep the games close. Edison will have to make the long trip, but should not be intimidated by the moment.
* Other thoughts: There’s not a weak game on the schedule, as capping the tournament at the top eight teams only has led to some fun games. Elmira ND is on a roll after winning the IAC, and have played one of the tougher schedules in all of Section IV with non-league opponents such as U-E, Oneida, Nichols Academy, Windsor, Vestal, Elmira, and Horseheads. My goodness, that is one brutal schedule, and they are looking to make it all pay off this time of year. Greene will rely on the arm of Olivia Kennedy, owner of two perfect games and two no-hitters this year, though the level of competition will definitely go up now. Still, she is capable of putting her team on her back and carrying them far, especially with the offense she has. Tioga traveling to Lansing is another interesting game. Tioga kept things manageable in losing to Elmira ND 6-1 in the IAC Overall Championship, while Lansing could be reeling from being blown out by Elmira ND 19-1 in the semi-final. We’ll see if they are over that loss.
* All-time sectional records (championships in parenthesis):
#1 Deposit/Hancock: (first year playing as combined program)
#2 Lansing: 39-27 (3)
#3 Elmira Notre Dame: 71-24 (14)
#4 Greene: 22-29 (1)
#5 Spencer-Van Etten: 7-22 (1)
#6 Union Springs: 14-24 (0)
#7 Tioga: 29-26 (1)
#8 Edison: 46-24 (6)
Class D
* Top 4 seeds: Roxbury, Schenevus, Worcester, Marathon
* Number of teams qualified: 8 (maximum amount allowed)
* Quarterfinal matchups: #8 Richfield Springs at #1 Roxbury; #7 Morris at #2 Schenevus; #6 Afton at #3 Worcester; #5 Gilboa at #4 Marathon
* Dates of games: Quarterfinals – 6/7; Semi-finals – 6/9; Championship – 6/11
* Most intriguing quarterfinal game: #6 Afton at #3 Worcester. Afton by far has the most wins in Section IV tournament history at 86, but hasn’t won a title since 2013. They built the bar so high, it’s almost shocking to see them not make much noise in recent years. Here, they get a chance to face Worcester, who are enjoying a very successful season at 8-1, and still awaiting their Tri-Valley championship game against Schenevus. Afton has won their last couple of games in dominant fashion with 48 runs scored. The flip side is that in their five losses, they’ve been blown out, and been shutout four times. So that begs the question, Which Afton team will show up? Worcester’s Delimar Vega-Haley will look to make that an easy answer, as she put together a solid season in the circle and at the plate. Afton plays some tougher teams in the MAC, but two years ago, Gilboa represented the Delaware League with a 10-4 victory over Afton win in the Quarterfinals, so Worcester will also look to make the strength of schedule a moot point.
* Other thoughts: With Deposit and Hancock merging into a Class C school, this will perhaps be the first time since 1994 (Edison) where Deposit or Afton does not win Class D. Talk about a crazy piece of trivia! That’s incredible. Roxbury is sitting at 11-0, as only Gilboa has challenged them in a 7-4 decision. Bryanna Meehan has four no-hitters, and the offense is simply loaded with talent. But, if they get by Richfield Springs (who only lost by one to Schenevus in the Tri-Valley Semi-final), they will play the winner of Gilboa vs. Marathon, and that will be a very real challenge. Schenevus is also unbeaten at 9-0, and defeated their opponent Morris 18-3 earlier this year. If the top seeds win, a potential Tri-Valley Championship would take place in the semi-final with Schenevus vs. Worcester. Regardless of what happens, all eight teams have to feel like they finally have a realistic chance of winning with Deposit no longer in Class D.
* All-time sectional records (championships in parenthesis):
#1 Roxbury: 33-34 (1)
#2 Schenevus: 28-33 (1)
#3 Worcester: 9-17 (1)
#4 Marathon: 16-16 (0)
#5 Gilboa: 8-20 (0)
#6 Afton 86-13 (24)
#7 Morris: 10-12 (0)
#8 Richfield Springs: 6-7 (0)
6/2/21
Tri-Valley Championship – Thursday: #1 Worcester at #2 Schenevus. Both higher seeds held serve in the semi-finals, but it wasn’t easy. Schenevus gave away a 5-0 lead in the 7th to Richfield Springs, only to be bailed out by a Sam Osborne walk-off single. Worcester went up 8-3 on Morris, and held off a furious rally to win 8-6. Now it’s a matchup of two state ranked teams in Class D. It will also see a premier pitching duel between Schenevus’s Cassie Snyder, and Worcester’s Delimar Vega-Haley. These teams did tangle once already, though it was way back on May 7. In that one, Schenevus came away with the victory 7-2, as Snyder struck out nine, and they got production up and down the lineup. Schenevus has run the table at 9-0, and Worcester hasn’t lost a game since with an 8-1 record. While this one is truly a toss-up, Schenevus can feel good about winning the first battle, and getting to be the home team in this one. I would not count on a high scoring game, despite the big bats each team brings. This will be a good one to watch.
IAC Large School Semi-final – Thursday: (South) Elmira Notre Dame at (North) Lansing. The Large School side of the bracket will be a clash between two of the most dominant IAC teams this year. Lansing has enjoyed a tremendous turnaround season at 10-1. This comes three years after not even fielding a varsity team. With only three seniors on the roster, they have to feel great about this year and down the line. For now, they get to face Elmira Notre Dame, who not only are the cream of the crop of the IAC, but one of the best programs in the entire state year after year. The Bobcats will need to rely on one of the seniors, Kiki Lovejoy, who not only pitches, but hits leadoff. She will be faced with the tough task of keeping Elmira ND off balance, which few teams have been able to do. The Crusaders get a lot of contributions at the plate, but perhaps the most impressive has been Lawson Bigelow, who is a power hitting machine this year. She’s supported by many other players like Ava Mustico, Olivia Switzer, Ana Millazo, Shannon Maloney, and Izzy Griffin. Switzer can also spin it on the mound, as she tossed a three-hitter with 11 strikeouts over Windsor a week ago. Their one common opponent was Waverly, and Lansing earned a great win for their program 8-5 over them on May 25. That definitely put Lansing back on the map. Elmira ND is 2-0 against Waverly, including a two-hitter by Switzer back on May 12. However, they did just suffer a 15-1 setback to a very strong Horseheads team, so Lansing has to hope they can strike while the Crusaders are vulnerable if they want to pull the upset.
IAC Small School Semi-final – Thursday: (South) Tioga vs. (North) Union Springs at Wells College. Two days after taking care of Spencer-Van Etten 14-4 in a tiebreaker game, Tioga will now advance to take on the 9-0 Union Springs Wolves. Tioga has challenged themselves this season with a tough schedule, which included games vs. Waverly and Athens, PA in the Battle at the Border to open the season, Owego, Edison, and three games against S-VE. They’re currently on a five-game winning streak, as they’ve won games with lots of runs, and the low-scoring ones with good pitching. That’s the sign of a well-rounded team. Kindra Wessels is an experienced pitcher who also swings quite the stick. Austyn Vance, Abby Foley, Mykenzie Thetga also put up big numbers, with support up and down the lineup. Union Springs has taken care of business with their undefeated record. They have put up double-digits every game, and have yet to surrender more than 10 a game. That’s incredible consistency. It starts with Hailee Smith on the hill, as she has been quite the strikeout machine. On offense, like Tioga, there’s all sorts of production no matter what part of the order it is. Danielle Waldron, Ella Johnson, Angelia Scholz, Ava Dennis, and Natalie Wright are all capable of having big games. They haven’t played as strong of a schedule as Tioga, but that’s taking nothing away from their successful season. This one will come down to which pitcher can limit their opponent from having their typical strong game at the plate.
5/31/21
IAC South Small School Tiebreaker – Tuesday: Spencer-Van Etten at Tioga. Before the IAC Playoffs can get underway, the South Small division will have to settle things first. It will be a good matchup between state ranked teams, as #17 S-VE travels to #16 Tioga. These teams split a pair, as Tioga won in a high-scoring affair 17-12 back on May 11, only to see S-VE win a tight 3-1 contest six days later. In the first one, a combination of 34 hits, 29 runs, and nine errors was the story. S-VE tied the game at 7 in the 5th, but Tioga’s Mykenzie Thetga took over from there with three-run homer and two-run double to help widen the margin. Just when everyone thought it would be another wild game in the rematch, Rhianna Lawrence was having none of that. She tossed a four-hitter, aided by a big two-run single from Hannah Martinez, and for the first time since at least 2008, S-VE beat Tioga. The pitching matchup appears to be Lawrence against Tioga’s Kindra Wessels, although S-VE could always give the ball to Sydney Presher, owner of a pair of no-hitters this year. As far as momentum goes, Tioga has won four straight since the 3-1 loss, and S-VE ran off seven straight following their 17-12 loss, but did drop one to Waverly in their last game, 7-5. I would expect another close contest between those two, as both have to feel confident in their chances of winning. Tioga being the home team could give them a slight edge. The winner locks horns with the undefeated 8-0 North Small division champions Union Springs on Thursday.
Tri-Valley Semi-final – Tuesday: #4 Richfield Springs at #1 Schenevus. Top-seeded Schenevus will take their perfect 8-0 record into a semi-final matchup with 4-3 Richfield Springs. Schenevus has played one close game this year, a 7-2 win over Worcester. Other than that, it’s been one blowout after another, as they’ve won by at least 15 runs in every other game. Kelsey Burton threw a perfect game over Cherry Valley-Springfield/Sharon Springs on May 17. Cassie Snyder has tossed many gems as well. On offense, it’s pick your poison with many hitters like Autumn Jones, Hannah Osborne, Sam Osborne, who all put up big numbers. Richfield Springs has been a bit up and down this year, but are on a two-game winning streak. One of their losses was an 18-3 shellacking to Schenevus in which the bats went practically silent against Snyder. However, in their most recent win 18-2 over Laurens, Brook Connolly threw a one-hitter, and Kalie Evangelow went a perfect 5-for-5 with 5 RBIs at the plate. They’ll need more of that if they want to pull this upset.
Tri-Valley Semi-final – Tuesday: #3 Morris at #2 Worcester. Worcester has run off seven straight victories after opening the season with a loss to Schenevus. They’ve largely been untested during that run, too, as they’ve put up double-digits each game while limiting their opponents. Delimar Vega-Haley has been impressive on the mound, and the offense gets big production from the likes of Lily Conroe, Iriyah Haley, and Jenna Morrell. Morris has three loses this year to three state ranked teams in Roxbury, Schenevus, and Worcester. In the Worcester loss, not much went right, as they could not contain the big bats on the other side. The good news is that loss was nearly three weeks ago, and they’re currently on a four-game winning streak. Hannah Wist hit a grand slam in a win over Milford, and also handles the pitching with 14 strikeouts of Edmeston. The Mustangs will need her to be on top of her game to put the bad loss from earlier in the season behind them and advance.
5/30/21
Happy Memorial Day weekend! With no state tournament this season, we’re down to two weeks left in the Section IV season.
Let’s take a look at some of the news and notes around the world of Section IV softball.
* If you didn’t catch the news I posted the other day, the section has released the official guidelines for sectionals this year. It’s pretty much the same as in years past, with a couple of notable changes:
- Teams still need to win 40% of their overall schedule, or 50% of their league schedule to qualify.
- All games count through next Saturday, June 5. Get them in while you can!
- The higher seeded team will host every game, including the championship. “Championship Saturday” at BAGSAI will not return for this season, as social distancing is next to impossible to pull off there.
- The top four teams in AA and A will qualify, and the top eight in B, C, and D. This is a very interesting development, as many quality schools, especially in Class C, will be on the outside looking in.
- Sectional games will start Monday, June 7, and run throughout the week.
* I’ll have a preview of each section when the brackets are released, hopefully next Sunday, June 5. In going through the records, I have a general idea of who will and won’t get in as of now. But, there are a few games to go this week, so things can and probably will change. As I mentioned before, Class C will be the most intriguing, as there will be a few teams that won’t get in because it’s only the top eight this year.
* The no-hitters continue to roll in, as there were at least four more this week. It’s a bit unofficial, because it’s always possible there are others that slip through the cracks. Nearly every single one has come from Class C or D schools, as pitchers like Olivia Kennedy of Greene and Bryanna Meehan of Roxbury are completely overwhelming some of the smaller schools. We just had our first (reported) STAC no-hitter, as Maine-Endwell’s ace Olivia Lewis shut down Oneonta on Thursday. Olivia DeMott of Sidney threw a perfect game over Afton on Monday, then hit two homers and eight RBIs at the plate against Delhi on Thursday.
(Parents, if you want your newborn daughter to be a good pitcher, you might want to consider naming her Olivia.)
It will be interesting to see how far these pitchers can carry their teams through the sectional tournament. We all know how blessed Section IV has been to watch some unbelievable pitching over the years, and it’s always great to see new aces step up. Hitting the cover off the ball is great, but in a tight playoff game, you need that horse on the mound to put up zeroes. It will be no different in the playoffs this year.
* One team that has really turned things around after a slow start has been Chenango Forks, winners of seven of their last eight. They had to go on pause for a week to start the season, and suffered losses to really good teams in Maine-Endwell, Union-Endicott, and Owego. Things turned around in game #4, as they raced out to a 7-0 lead in a rematch with Owego before holding on to win 10-6. Their biggest win was when they went to then #2 ranked Chenango Valley and won 9-8. They’ve been full speed ahead since then, with wins over Norwich, Oneonta, Binghamton, Seton, and Greene, with only a setback to Johnson City along the way. Their offense is led by Grace Cadden, who will soon be taking her talents to UMass. Bri Ramstine is another powerful threat at the top of the order, and Michelle Boyle, Bella Hovancik, Jessica Stone, and Sierra Allen, among others, have played better and better as the season has worn on. If I’m a Class B school, I’m not sure I’d want to see them in sectionals right now. That’s how potent their offense has become. They will finish up their regular season with a couple of big games at Windsor and Susquehanna Valley this week. Keep an eye on those games.
* Spencer-Van Etten is another team that has enjoyed tremendous success this year. They play in a tough IAC league, as their last championship game appearance was an 8-4 loss to Lansing in the 1998 Small School Championship. Their last win in sectionals was in 1996 when they beat Newark Valley 5-2 in the Class C 1st Round. They’ve lost their last 11 straight sectional games since. Could this be the year they break through and make some noise in the playoffs? It certainly looks like this group is capable. They’ve raced out to an 11-2 record, with key league wins over Candor and Tioga. They just suffered a 7-5 setback to Waverly in which every run scored by the Wolverines was unearned, showing that there’s always work to do. Sydney Presher and Rhianna Lawrence have been a great 1-2 punch on the mound, as Presher has tossed two no-hitters, with one being a combined effort with Lawrence. They’ll have a chance to get in the IAC playoffs if they beat Tioga in the South Small School Tiebreaker on Tuesday, then we’ll see what kind of draw they get in sectionals, as Class C is pretty loaded this year. But, if they can get past their shaky defense from last game, they have to feel good about their chances of advancing far.
* One of the big questions coming into this year centered around the combined Deposit/Hancock program. Would losing key names and moving up to Class C cause the dynasty to slow down? In a word: no. Once again, head coach Dan Briggs and crew have reminded everyone just how talented they are. They’re 13-1, with the lone setback to Vestal, a very good Class A school. How have they done it? More pitching, and more big hits on offense. Kaitlyn Macumber, Rylee Smith, and Danielle Seymour can all bring it on the mound. On offense, good luck trying to find a weak spot in an order that includes Riley Martin, Haleigh Weyrauch, Alaina Smith, Kayla Eldred, Laycee Drake, Addison Makowski, and many more. Watching them take on fresh faces in the Class C sectionals will be very fun.
* A couple of teams that have run away from the pack in the Tri-Valley are Schenevus and Worcester. Both came into the week ranked #3 and #14, respectively, in Class D. Schenevus is flawless at 8-0, and has largely only been tested by Worcester in a 7-2 victory. Cassie Snyder has been great on the mound, and they get support from bats that put up 18.5 runs/game. Wow! That’s hard to keep up, but they can count on support from Autumn Jones, Hannah Osborne, Sam Osborne, Kelsey Burton, Liana Darling, and others. Worcester only has the one loss to Schenevus, but has run off seven straight W’s since. Lily Conroe leads to way, with Delimar Vega-Haley, Iriyah Haley, and Jenna Morrell putting up big numbers as well. With Deposit no longer in Class D, I am looking forward to seeing how far schools like these two can advance in sectionals.
* It’s the last week of the regular season, with the IAC playoffs getting underway, so let’s take a look ahead at the big matchups:
- Monday: (Memorial Day)
- Tuesday: IAC South Small School Tiebreaker – Spencer-Van Etten vs. Tioga, Tri-Valley Semi-finals - #4 Richfield Springs at #1 Schenevus and #3 Morris at #2 Worcester, Susquehanna Valley at Maine-Endwell, Elmira at Owego, Chenango Valley at Vestal, Horseheads at Elmira Notre Dame, Union Springs at Trumansburg, Sidney at Deposit/Hancock, Greene at Unatego, Gilboa at Margaretville
- Wednesday: Horseheads at Elmira, Chenango Forks at Windsor, Dryden at Newark Valley
- Thursday: Tri-Valley Championship - Worcester vs. Schenevus, IAC Semi-finals - Tioga vs. Union Springs at Wells College and Elmira Notre Dame at Lansing, Corning at Owego, Union-Endicott at Chenango Valley, Chenango Forks at Susquehanna Valley, Windsor at Johnson City, Ithaca at Spencer-Van Etten, Bainbridge-Guilford at Greene, Deposit/Hancock at Oneonta, Unatego at Sidney
- Friday: Greene at Chenango Valley, Sidney at Oneonta
- Saturday: Owego at Waverly
* Enjoy the last week of the regular season!
5/23/21
What a great week it was for softball! There was action each day, thanks to the cooperation of the weather. We’ll enjoy our small victories with weather where we can take them.
We’re getting closer to league playoff time, before sectionals kick in. Let’s break down each league, and take a look at who’s making noise.
(Note: I am going by the playoff format from 2019. Unless I am told otherwise, I will assume the same format will be used this year. If you’re aware that I am wrong, please reach out and correct me.)
* STAC
Sometimes finding information about STAC playoffs requires quite the investigation. Not a single schedule for any STAC team lists possible playoff dates. The past few years, for the three division winners, it’s been one semi-final game, with the winner playing the team that received a bye. There is no softball handbook listed on the Section IV Athletics website, but there is one for baseball that still lists three divisions. There was a plan for four at one point, but my guess is that’s been put on hold due to this unique season.
With all that said, let’s break it down according to the three divisions:
Metro – Maine-Endwell resides here at a perfect 11-0, the #1 ranked Class A team in the state for good reason. They own the tiebreaker over Vestal with two victories, though the Golden Bears have played them tougher than anyone else with 6-3 and 3-2 losses. The Spartans would have to seriously stumble to not make the playoffs.
West – Corning and Horseheads have split their two games against each other, which was Corning’s only loss this season. Horseheads has been a little up and down by their lofty standards with a 10-0 loss to Maine-Endwell, and two one-run setbacks to Corning and Vestal. If Corning continues their run, they will win this division.
East – This is where things get more interesting. Chenango Valley started off red hot, but lost to Chenango Forks this week before bouncing back with two division wins over Susquehanna Valley. Forks has turned things around since the start of the season with wins over CV, Norwich, and Oneonta. SV has lost two games to Windsor and CV, so that most likely takes them out of contention. Windsor and CV are not scheduled to face off again, so CV’s 12-2 win over the Black Knights on May 11 might prove to be the difference.
* IAC
The IAC is back in four divisions this year – North Large, North Small, South Large, South Small. The semi-finals on Thursday, June 3 will be North Large vs. South Large and North Small vs. South Small. The winners will face off in the championship the next day. Big thanks to Elmira Notre Dame head coach Michael Maloney for the clarification on this.
North Large – Lansing raced out to an 8-0 start before a 15-14 setback to Trumansburg on Friday. They are still in the driver’s seat with three wins over Dryden, who is in second.
North Small – Union Springs is 7-0, and has taken care of the other teams in the division. They have separated themselves from the pack.
South Large – Another team has jumped to the front of the line, and it’s the #1 ranked team in Class C, Elmira Notre Dame. They’re 11-1, with impressive wins over Windsor, Edison, Oneida, and Nichols Academy. They look to be the cream of the crop of all teams in the IAC.
South Small – As of now, Spencer-Van Etten owns a one-game edge over Tioga. Tioga shook off a tough first couple of games to win seven of their last eight. The lone loss in that run was to Spencer-Van Etten, which has jumped out to a 10-1 start. Their only loss? To Tioga, as the teams have split a pair. This is the closest of all division battles, and will be interesting to watch unfold.
* MAC
Unfortunately, there will be no MAC playoffs this year. The best regular season record will be declared the MAC champion. That certainly seems to be Deposit/Hancock at this point, who are undefeated in their division thus far, and only suffered one loss in a non-league affair to Vestal in the Mary Testa Tournament. With the graduation of Makenzie Stiles, Bryn Martin, and Mikayla Martin (13 combined All-State selections, which is crazy), I’m not sure how many people expected them to keep playing this well. But, they did, and that’s all that matters. Greene has ridden the arm of Olivia Kennedy, who is already up to four no-hitters, with two perfect games included. They have also played very well this season with one loss, but it was a 7-4 setback to Deposit/Hancock. Two other teams with an outside shot are Bainbridge-Guilford and Sidney, but they would need to keep winning and get some help along the way.
* Delaware
Only the top two teams made it in 2019, so it was a true championship game. Roxbury has been unbelievable this year at 10-0, as Bryanna Meehan has matched Olivia Kennedy with four no-hitters herself. Their closest game was 7-4 decision over Gilboa. Every other game has been a complete blowout. Speaking of Gilboa, they are once again in the thick of things at 4-1, as their offense is capable of putting up big numbers. Margaretville is pretty much all or nothing so far. They’ve suffered a couple of big losses to Roxbury, but have dominated all other opponents. Gilboa and Margaretville are set to tangle on May 27 and June 1, so keep an eye out for those results.
* Tri-Valley
Like the MAC, the top four teams entered the playoffs two years ago. Milford’s Schedule Galaxy lists the semi-finals as Tuesday, June 1, with the championship two days later on June 3. The top two right now are Schenevus and Worcester. Schenevus owns the early edge with a 7-2 victory over the Wolverines early in the season, their only blemish thus far. Schenevus hasn’t lost a game yet. The rest of the division is a bit muddled, with teams trading wins and losses. Laurens and Richfield Springs started off hot, but have fallen back since. Morris lost, won two, lost two, then won two again. Milford has hovered around .500. We’ll see how it all shakes out with more games this week.
* It’s that time again to look ahead to the big matchups this week. Reminder that games are subject to change with the weather, so constantly be checking Schedule Galaxy to see any updates:
- Monday: Elmira at Horseheads, Candor at Tioga, Elmira Notre Dame at Waverly, Bainbridge-Guilford at Deposit/Hancock, Laurens at Schenevus
- Tuesday: Maine-Endwell at Elmira, Union-Endicott at Horseheads, Vestal at Elmira Notre Dame, Oneonta at Chenango Valley, Waverly at Lansing, Harpursville at Deposit/Hancock
- Wednesday: Candor at Newark Valley, Union Springs at Trumansburg, Edison at Tioga, Spencer-Van Etten at Waverly, Dryden at Moravia
- Thursday: Oneonta at Maine-Endwell, Susquehanna Valley at Owego, Windsor at Union-Endicott, Elmira Notre Dame at Elmira, Johnson City at Greene, Margaretville at Gilboa
- Friday: Chenango Forks at Greene
- Saturday: Windsor at Vestal, Fairport at Horseheads (doubleheader)
* Enjoy another big week of softball!
5/16/21
It’s not often you see this, but there were lots of games everyday this week. Not even one day where rain (or snow) wiped out the full slate of games. The action was fast and furious, which is what we love to see.
Let’s take a look at the week that was in Section IV softball:
* Unofficially, there are seven undefeated teams left standing in Section IV: Maine-Endwell (8-0), Chenango Valley (5-0), Union Springs (4-0), Lansing (6-0), Roxbury (8-0), Richfield Springs (2-0), and Schenevus (4-0). I say “unofficially” because it’s entirely possible that a score or two was missed somewhere, and one of those teams has a loss. But I’m pretty confident that those records are correct.
To be fair, schedules vary so much that some teams have played much tougher competition than others. That’s not to take anything away from the above list, because no matter who you’re playing, you still have to beat the team in front of you. There are three teams with one loss that stand out to me as well: Elmira Notre Dame (lost 7-2 to Union-Endicott), Deposit/Hancock (lost 6-4 to Vestal), and Unatego (lost 7-2 to Oneonta). That’s three loses to schools in STAC that have bigger enrollments, and no doubt, those losses brought learning experiences. That will pay off in the long run.
* One battle I had circled from this past week was Chenango Valley vs. Windsor. It went CV’s way, as they came out of it with a 12-2 win. So far, they’ve come away with double-digit victories in all five of their games this year. That’s certainly something to take note of, as one glance at the Section IV Playoffs page shows that they haven’t won a sectional game since 2013, or even played in a postseason game since 2015. Things look to be changing this year, but before they get too far ahead of themselves, they’ll have a big week ahead with games against Chenango Forks, Maine-Endwell, and two against Susquehanna Valley. If they get by Forks on Monday, a matchup of 6-0 CV vs. 8-0 M-E on Tuesday will be one of the top games of the early season.
* One of the top games we’ve seen to this point was the back-and-forth, crazy, 15-14 Corning victory over Horseheads on Saturday. How crazy? Corning entered the top of 7th up 14-10, only to see Horseheads put up a four-spot on a two-run triple by Eva Korastis and a two-run homer by Molly Wolf. Then Corning’s do-everything junior Atalyia Rijo stepped in and hit a long fly to left that Star Gazette’s Andrew Legare tweeted “(the) Horseheads outfielder put her arm up thinking it was out of play. Umps ruled it was still in play.” And as we know, the umps get the final word, so Rijo, to her credit, was given the inside-the-park, walk-off home run because she never stopped hustling around the bases. The Hawks got some revenge from the day before, when the Blue Raiders won 12-3. There aren’t many Class AA teams in this section, so if we get to watch these two duke it out again in sectionals, we’ll all be blessed.
* Before the season started, I thought there was a chance that no-hitters and perfect games would take a dip, only because so many great arms have graduated the last couple of years. So far, I’ve been wrong, as (unofficially again), there have been eight no-hitters, and one perfect game by Greene’s Olivia Kennedy. One name that pops out on that list is Roxbury’s Bryanna Meehan. It’s no surprise her Rockets are 8-0 when three of those games have held the opponent hitless. That’s very impressive. There have been a lot of big offenses on display this year, but as we’ve seen in the past, if you want to get far in the postseason, you have to have that horse on the mound to limit your opponent’s chances of scoring.
* Another result that jumped out from this past week was Tioga’s 5-4 victory over Owego on Thursday. Tioga started the season with two tough loses to Waverly and Athens, PA in the “Battle of the Border,” but have since ran off five straight. What was encouraging is that they beat the Indians without needing to put up a bunch of runs. They put up four runs in the 3rd, then got a big insurance run in the 5th when Emily Sindoni scored on a passed ball. Kindra Wessels was able to shut the door in the 7th after an Owego rally chipped away at their lead. Owego plays a very tough STAC schedule, and also lost a non-leaguer to Deposit/Hancock 4-3, so they’re battle tested. Tioga will look to build on their momentum with a rematch against Spencer-Van Etten on Monday. S-VE’s only loss this season was to Tioga 16-12.
* The three Section IV teams of Elmira Notre Dame, Waverly, and Susquehanna Valley went a combined 4-2 at the Morabito Tournament in Mudville on Saturday. This tournament attracts some of the top teams across the state, and Section IV is always a big part of that. END was the most impressive, as they blew out Oneida 12-3 and Nichols Academy 21-6. There’s a lot going right for head coach Michael Maloney’s club this season, but perhaps the one who stands out the most is Lawson Bigelow, who smashed three homers in Mudville to increase her total to seven this season. According to stats provided by GameChanger, she has 22 RBI’s through seven games, including a whopping eight against Nichols Academy. For opposing teams, the gameplan starts with limiting her, and hoping that’s enough. With the talent on that team, it might not be.
* Two of the remaining unbeaten teams reside in the Tri-Valley. Richfield Springs has played only two games, with a bunch other cancelled before this past week. They’ve had no problem in downing Franklin and Milford. They look to have a deep lineup, with names like Caroline Furner, Molly Bobnick, Kayla Campbell, Marissa Campbell, Kalie Evangelow, and Sydney Burdick. Schenevus gave Worcester their only loss of the season, as Cassie Snyder has been dealing on the mound. Worcester followed that loss up with three straight blowout wins, so these three teams looked to have separated themselves from the pack, at least at this point.
* The weather looks PERFECT this upcoming week. I hope I didn’t just jinx myself. But with that said, let’s look at some big games coming up:
- Monday: Chenango Forks at Chenango Valley, Horseheads at Vestal, Elmira at Edison, Tioga at Spencer-Van Etten, Lansing at Dryden, Bainbridge-Guilford at Unatego, Harpursville at Greene
- Tuesday: Chenango Valley at Maine-Endwell, Susquehanna Valley at Vestal, Union-Endicott at Windsor, Margaretville at Roxbury
- Wednesday: Edison at Elmira Notre Dame, Richfield Springs at Schenevus
- Thursday: Deposit/Hancock at Unatego
- Friday: Vestal at Union-Endicott, Corning at Elmira, Horseheads at Ithaca, Elmira Notre Dame at Windsor, Union Springs at Marathon, Waverly at Edison, Oneonta at Bainbridge-Guilford
- Saturday: Elmira at Corning, Ithaca at Horseheads, Windsor, Union-Endicott, and Deposit/Hancock in Mudville
* Enjoy another week of the spring sports season!
5/9/21
Welcome back to the 2021 softball season! It goes without saying, but after suffering through no season in 2020, seeing the high school athletes back in action has been a long time coming.
Sure, there’s no state championships this year. But, I’ve been told that there is a plan to hold a sectional tournament, which is great news.
Let’s take a look at the action from the last couple of weeks:
* I’ll start off with what was supposed to be a full day of Mary Testa Tournament action on Saturday. As has been the case for the last three years, it was nearly completely derailed. Two years ago, it was snow. Last year was the pandemic. And this year was buckets of rain falling overnight, completely wiping out action at Newark Valley, Windsor, and Chenango Valley. The games at Union-Endicott got switched to Maine-Endwell at least. At Vestal, Chenango Forks was unable to compete, but they were able to get three games in.
This tournament is a great way to see the “small schools” go against the “big schools,” but boy is it snake bit time after time. Maybe next year we’ll finally get back to sunny, warm weather and lots of games.
* If you want an indication for how competitive teams are in Section IV, look no further than the results at Vestal. Vestal, Waverly, and Deposit/Hancock all went 1-1. Waverly started it off with a 1-0, 8-inning victory over Vestal, only to turn around and lose by 10 to Deposit/Hancock. And then Vestal bounced back with a 6-4 win over D/H in the nightcap. None of this should be a surprise, as each team is capable of winning at any time. All three are still the reigning sectional champs (Vestal in A, Waverly in B, D/H as Deposit in D).
* Over at Maine-Endwell, it was Edison picking up a big win over Union-Endicott, 6-4. The Spartans got five runs from their top three in the order, and put the game away with a pair of runs in the 6th. The host Spartans, Maine-Endwell, then put it all together in blanking Edison, 13-0 in 6 innings. Olivia Lewis belted two homers, Helena Layton a homer and a double, Melissa Demo had four hits in the leadoff spot, and Amanda DeSantis chipped in with three hits.
* Overall, Edison has to be very happy with the split, as they just came off a tough 6-0 defeat to Elmira Notre Dame, their first loss since an 8-1 setback to Williamsville East in the Mudville Tournament on May 11, 2019. Yes, last year was a washout, but that’s still a darn impressive stat.
* The two other defending state champions (from 2019), Corning and Deposit/Hancock, are off to solid starts. Corning has two wins over Vestal and Ithaca. The combined Deposit/Hancock team is now in Class C, and raced out to a 4-0 start before losing a close one in Vestal. You won’t see the names Laura Bennett or Makenzie Stiles for them on the mound anymore, but the talent display is still very high.
* If there’s been one theme from the early part of the season, it has to be the number of blowouts. This might be hard to believe, but since the games started on Friday, April 30, there have already been FORTY-FIVE games where the difference has been 10 runs or more. WOW. I didn’t even realize that until I looked. Simply put, some teams are just readier for “prime time” at this point of the season than others. It’s been a very short preseason, with only a couple of weeks to prepare for games, and many schools did not have even one scrimmage. I have to think the scores will at least somewhat balance out as the season continues.
* As far as what teams have started the season off on the right foot, there’s been a few. I already brought up Maine-Endwell. Just when you think they’re rebuilding, they’re actually just reloading with more talented youth. They blanked Horseheads 10-0 to start the season, then won a couple of tough games over Union-Endicott, before downing Edison and Webster Schroeder. We’ve all enjoyed watching All-State selections Amanda DeSantis and Melissa Demo over the years, and they continue to rake. Olivia Lewis is a strikeout machine on the mound, and can beat you at the plate just as well. Lauren Dundon is an incredible talent on both sides of the field as well. Neither one of those two are even juniors yet. Shannon Mentz is an 8th grader who is already the starting catcher and a terrific player. It’s pretty scary to think that their young talent hasn’t even hit their peak yet.
* In the Delaware League, Roxbury is 4-0 and completely destroying all of their opponents. Through four games, they’ve put up an average of 20.5 runs/game, and have given up only five. It all starts with Bryanna Meehan on the mound, who tossed a no-hitter in their first game against South Kortright. At the plate, it’s pick your poison. Meehan is joined by the big bats of Lacey German, Gabriella Garafolo, Brianna Cross, and Kimora Brown, among others. They’ve won the last two league titles, and so far, show no signs of giving that away.
* The MAC looks very strong this year, as the early results show a few teams that will fight it out for the top spot. Deposit (now the combined Deposit/Hancock program) has enjoyed four straight league titles, but with the graduation the last couple years of Stiles, Bryn Martin, and Mikayla Martin, the other teams have to at least feel like they have a chance to break through more than in the past. Greene’s Olivia Kennedy threw a perfect game over Oxford, and Unatego’s Madison Couperthwait tossed a no-hitter over UV/G-MU. Sidney has wins over B-G, Oxford, and Harpursville. This will be fun to watch going forward.
* A couple of STAC East teams off to 3-0 starts are Chenango Valley and Windsor. It’s been awhile since that rivalry has heated up, but they had some serious battles in Class B about 10 years ago. CV has walloped both Seton and Binghamton to start the season, while Windsor has gotten closer wins against some stronger teams in Susquehanna Valley and Owego. Circle their game this Tuesday in Windsor as one to keep an eye on.
* There’s a couple of 3-0 teams over in the IAC as well. The previously mentioned Elmira Notre Dame looks to be very dangerous once again. A “down” year for them is when they actually don’t advance to the Class C championship game, and they ended their streak of six straight such appearances in 2019 when they were upset by Harpursville in the Quarterfinal. Lansing is also 3-0, and first year head coach Pete Walker has seen his offense score about 12 runs/game thus far. They did not even field a varsity team in 2018, so it’s great to see them competitive again.
* I hesitate to give a look ahead at some notable games this week, especially since spectator limits varies at the different locations, and the inevitable bad weather. But I’ll try anyway:
- Monday: Edison at Waverly, Dryden at Lansing, Union-Endicott at Elmira Notre Dame, Harpursville at Deposit/Hancock, Greene at Sidney, Davenport at Roxbury
- Tuesday: Union-Endicott at Corning, Vestal at Elmira, Chenango Valley at Windsor, Susquehanna Valley at Oneonta, Owego at Deposit/Hancock
- Wednesday: Johnson City at Horseheads, Tioga at Candor, Waverly at Elmira Notre Dame, Morris at Laurens
- Thursday: Bainbridge-Guilford at Harpursville, Deposit/Hancock at Greene, Roxbury at Gilboa, Schenevus at Edmeston
- Friday: Maine-Endwell at Vestal, Corning at Horseheads, Unatego at Oneonta, Milford at Richfield Springs
- Saturday: Vestal at Maine-Endwell, Horseheads at Corning, Waverly, Elmira Notre Dame and Susquehanna Valley in Mudville
* Hope for warm weather, and enjoy another week of softball!