By PAUL GOTHAM
HONEOYE FALLS, N.Y. – Less than three weeks ago, the Honeoye Falls-Lima softball team dropped an 11-10 decision to Canandaigua. Lessons learned from that setback paid dividends Saturday afternoon as the Cougars clinched a spot in Monday’s Class A2 championship game.
Quinn Adcock struck out eight and threw a no-hitter, and the HF-L offense gave their senior captain all the run support she needed in the third inning.
“We knew we had a challenge coming in,” head coach Bailey Smith said after HF-L’s 6-1 over the Braves. “We were able to take care of business, put down bunts and play a little small ball to take advantage of their youth.”
Trailing 1-0, Megan Reinke sparked a six-run third with a leadoff single as the Cougars gave Canandaigua’s infield a steady diet of bunts.
“We knew that they had great hitters,” Smith explained. “We have good hitters too, but we know they would play back at the fence. In order to try and expose that we had to do something different to take advantage.”
Maggie Adams squared and moved Reinke with a sacrifice. Emma Hellems reached on an error to bring in the first run of the inning. Olivia Friedlander put runners on the corners with a base hit. Ryann Tanner brought in a run with a bunt single, and Mari Spitz drove home two more with a single down the left field line.
Adcock and Kate Tanner kept the inning alive with back-to-back bunts.
“If we can get runners on base, we needed to move them. Definitely took advantage of that small ball.”
Adcock made the lead stand. The senior right-hander retired 17 of the last 18 batters faced while allowing just three balls out of the infield during the contest.
“Quinn brings such great energy to the team,” Smith noted. “She’s a leader. Every single game, she’s been consistent. You know what you’re going to get out of her. She’s a hundred percent determined to do well. Great role model. Great leader.
“She’s able to put the team on her shoulders and on her back and bring them up when she needs to.”
HF-L will face Pittsford Sutherland in Monday’s final with a chance for back-to-back titles having won the A2 championship in 2019.
“Even though we missed last season, we haven’t skipped a beat. It’s been a fun season for sure. The key is a lot of these girls they could have taken a whole year off with the COVID situation. They kept practicing and working hard at their game even through the pandemic. They really prepared themselves to have a great 2021 year despite some of the challenges they had to face.”
Reinke finished 2-for-3 in the game. Ryann Tanner had a base hit to go with a sacrifice.
Canandaigua took advantage of a pair of errors to score in the first inning. Ariana Buchiere scored the lone Braves’ run.
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