2026 Section IV Blog
4/19/26
Welcome back to the blog! Every team has now been in action (some much more than others), so it’s time to take a look at the happenings across Section IV.
* A couple of results really stood out from this past week. The first was an IAC heavyweight clash where Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour (aka the Schuyler Storm) defeated Edison 1-0 in 8 innings. The two starters on that day did all they could to keep their team in the game. Edison’s Hailey Clark went the distance, giving up four hits and striking out seven. Paige Ells of WG/O-M, owner of a no-hitter this season, surrendered only hit with 12 strikeouts. The winning run came in the top of the 8th when Brooklyn Thompson reached on an error and went to 2nd. Ava Stackhouse brought in the winning run with an RBI single, then Ells set down the Spartans in order in the bottom of the frame. A road win against a powerhouse program like Edison is something very few teams have been able to claim in recent years. The Spartans have won two straight IAC Large School Championships, and advanced to two straight Class B Championship games. Wins vs. them are hard to come by. WG/O-M is led in the circle by sisters Paige and Keira Ells. In 7 of the 8 wins, they’ve given up 1 run or less. Last year, these two played one heck of a Class B Semi-final game, with WG/O-M building an early 7-0 lead before Edison came storming back to win 9-8. The rematch is scheduled for May 1, so keep an eye on that one.
* The other result was Owego going to Susquehanna Valley and shocking the home team 6-2. That’s the first loss that SV has suffered on their home turf, which was installed for play last season. For much of the game, it looked like another ho-hum win for the Sabers, as they built a 2-0 lead behind their ace LilliOnna D’Introno heading into the 6th. That’s where the River Hawks put up a four-spot to take the lead for good. It all started with an error, followed by a pair of walks. With the bases juiced, Elise Silvanic stroked an RBI double to tie the game at 2. Two more runs came in on a sac-fly by Geneva Crawford and Silvanic coming home on another error. A pair of insurance runs were added an inning later on a Space triple, who then scored on a wild pitch. SV managed a couple of baserunners in the 7th, but nothing came of it. Give the River Hawks lots of credit, as they are playing the season without injured STAC All-Conference member Carsten Crawford, but aren’t letting that be an excuse to not compete and win. Space was terrific in giving up only five hits from the circle and scoring twice from the leadoff position. They are currently atop the STAC Central standings with solid wins over Waverly, Chenango Forks, and Windsor as well.
* Corning keeps on rolling along, currently at 7-0, and only getting better and better along the way. They did their annual Myrtle Beach trip and came away with a flawless 3-0 record against competition from Ohio and West Virginia. Whatever bonding they did down there sure seemed to help, as they’ve clobbered STAC West foes Horseheads (23-0) and Elmira (17-4) afterwards. It helps to have a pair of All-State athletes back in pitcher Matti Johnston (1st Team) and 3rd baseman Sophie Schoonover (3rd Team). In the win over Horseheads, they combined for five hits and five RBIs, part of an 18-hit day where the lead was already 9-0 after 1 and 21-0 after 2. Three homers were hit by Johnston, Keana Mann, and Lauren DeRosa, who drove in four. The Hawks then followed that up with 17 hits against Elmira, led by DeRosa with four and Keira Brass with three hitting in the last spot of the order. It should be noted that these games were both 5-inning mercy rule wins. Two years ago, Corning won the inaugural Class AAA State Championship. Last year, they fell to Lancaster of Section IV in the State Semi-final. It’s safe to say that based on their early season results, they are playing with a chip on their shoulder as they look to reclaim the state’s top spot.
* We all know the dominant program Deposit-Hancock has been for a long time, as they continue to set the bar extremely high. Replacing former Class D State Player of the Year Addison Makowski in the circle was going to be interesting to watch. So far, they’ve won all four games by blowout, and have used a pair of pitchers in Ivy Tice and Aubrey Smith. Tice was sensational in an 8-0 win over Harpursville on Thursday, striking out 17 and allowing only one hit. She also doubled and drove in two. Smith, who pitched quite a few innings last year, started the game before and tossed a five-inning no-hitter in an 18-1 win over Walton/Downsville, striking out 13. These things don’t happen by accident for this team. You can argue luck in having good players all you want, but these players are dedicated to their craft and developed at a young age, which pays dividends once it’s time for varsity softball in high school (or even in junior high if you’re skilled enough). Other All-State players like Pagen Macumber and Olivia Johnston are hitting over .500 and have been contributing to wins for several years now. They’ll be participating in the Morabito Tournament at Greenlight Park this coming weekend, starting with a game against Fayetteville-Manlius. As a Class C school, it’s great to see them willing to “play up” in competition, and that’s what they’ll get.
* A few other schools are off to undefeated starts. In the MAC, Delhi started off the season with a huge 14-8 win over Bainbridge-Guilford, then won the next four. The closest one was a 3-2 walk-off win over Greene, with Lexi White’s RBI single ending the game. Kinsley Tracy struck out nine. She combined with Bri Pringle for 14 K’s in an 11-2 defeat of Roxbury/Gilboa last game. Oxford is another MAC school playing great. They walloped Unadilla Valley/Gilbertsville-Mount Upton 32-0 to start the season. Their last three games have all been close, winning by a combined seven runs over B-G, Edmeston/Morris, and Greene. Cora Hodge led the way with seven K’s in the circle and two hits at the plate over E/M, the reigning Class D champions.
* In the Delaware League, Charlotte Valley/Schenevus and Windham-Ashland-Jewett are unbeaten and on a collision course a week from Monday, April 27. There’s been many lopsided results this season, but CV/S has largely gone the opposite way, winning their first four games by scores of 5-3, 3-1, 5-4, and 4-3 (then busting out for 22 runs against Margaretville on Saturday.) The pitching of Brinlee Wright has been a big reason why. In a tight 5-4 win over Stamford/Jefferson, she struck out 14, then followed that up with 9 in a victory past Schoharie of Section II. Speaking of pitching, Hannah Tuttle of W-A-J has been about as good as it gets, throwing a pair of no-hitters against Margaretville and Laurens/Milford, then “only” a one-hitter past South Kortright. She has a ridiculous 48 strikeouts in three games. Any time you have a pitcher with that much swing-and-miss stuff, you are capable of winning any game. CV/S vs. W-A-J will be must-see in a week.
* This is the spot where big games for the upcoming week are shared. It’s also the spot where the annual reminder of “Check Schedule Galaxy for any changes” is stated. Considering how we’ve seen sunny and 70s this weekend, then snow and 30s a day later, you know how often weather changes things. Note that there’s some different tournament games happening on Saturday, so fingers crossed for cooperating weather.
- Monday: Johnson City at Maine-Endwell, Owego at Chenango Forks, Richfield Springs at Edmeston/Morris
- Tuesday: Delhi at Bainbridge-Guilford, Windham-Ashland-Jewett at South Kortright
- Wednesday: Vestal at Corning, Tioga at Southern Cayuga, Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour at Lansing, South Kortright at Charlotte Valley/Schenevus
- Thursday: (No big games yet, but possible rescheduled games)
- Friday: (No big games yet, but possible rescheduled games)
- Saturday: Edmeston/Morris at Delhi, Morabito Tournament at Greenlight Park (Susquehanna Valley, Deposit-Hancock, Horseheads, Edison, Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour) Mary Testa Tournament at Windsor (Windsor vs. Tioga, Corning vs. Abington Heights, winners and losers play next), Mary Testa Tournament at Oneonta (Oneonta vs. Union-Endicott, Pittsford Sutherland vs. Oneonta, Pittsford Sutherland vs. Union-Endicott)
- Sunday: Morabito Tournament at Greenlight Park (Susquehanna Valley, Deposit-Hancock, Horseheads, Edison, Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour)