By TIM IRVING
Hilton’s new softball diamond is serving as a motivator for not just the current team but the future of the Cadets softball program.
And Anna Smith gets that.
The senior had what every pitcher dreams of, a no-hitter, going into the fifth inning with her team leading 8-0 over Brockport.
She then volunteered to move to first base and let teammate Kayla Rogers get some work in circle.
“She needed to get some reps, might as well give it to her because she’s gonna be the pitcher next year and it was the perfect game for her to get that.” Smith said after Hilton’s 12-1 victory over the Blue Devils.
A unanimous pick as team captain, Smith struck out nine and walked just two in those four innings.
“I tried to throw some pitches I don’t really throw,” said Smith, who is heading to Division II Edinboro University on a softball scholarship, “I threw a bunch of screwballs, some were good, some were really bad.”
Run support came in bunches off a young Blue Devils team that has been hit hard by injuries in a season with no time to recover from them. Leah Davis hit a two-run single to left in the first for a 3-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second, Smith took a ball the opposite way for a bloop single scoring Paige Siciliano for a 4-0 advantage. An eighth-grader, Siciliano had three hits, scored three runs and stole four bases on the day.
Brockport held the Cadets without a run in the bottom of the fourth before Smith switched positions, highlighted by a shoestring catch by leftfielder Lael Weiss, the first of two running catches by the senior.
Amiya Plaskett led off the top of the fifth for the Blue Devils with a single to left off of Rogers before the junior struck out the next two batters.
Siciliano drove in a run and scored one in a four-run bottom of the fifth. Brockport’s run coming on a Ryan Danielak single scoring Layla Myers in the sixth.
The Blue Devils got two on with one out in the seventh before Rogers induced a grounder to third baseman Taylor Wandtke, who turned a double play to end the game for the Cadets (2-2).
It marked the second straight victory for the Cadets on their new diamond, complete with dugouts, a home run fence and press box. The facility was completed last year before COVID-19 forced the cancellation of spring sports.
“This has just been sitting out here, serving as motivation to bring our fans out to watch us play, so we’re just thrilled, “ beamed head coach Amy Centola.
Smith added, “Now that it’s here and we finally get to use it, I’m so happy. It makes gameday so much better.”
In what will be an ever-changing schedule, Hilton is slated for road games against Webster Schroeder and Churchville before hosting Fairport on Friday.
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