By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Maddy Ward hurled a six-hit shutout, and Julianna Lyons connected on a pair of extra-base hits as Pittsford Sutherland defeated crosstown rival Pittsford Mendon, 2-0 in the Section V Softball Class A2 championship game.
“Our junior and senior leadership did a really good job getting the team comfortable in this situation,” said Sutherland head coach Mike Scialo. “Pretty good older leadership that got these kids comfortable and understanding their role.”
And for Ward it was the experience of having been in this situation previously. A year ago, the current junior was in the circle when Sutherland had a 4-1 lead in the early going against Honeoye Falls. That lead evaporated and so did Sutherland’s title hopes.
“She got tight,” Scialo said recalling last year’s championship game. “Things went crazy, and we lost. This year with experience she didn’t get tight. Made her pitches and won the game. Getting experience playing these games, playing tight games. We’re starting to get comfortable in the situation. I think we’re there.”
Scialo also pointed to the play behind Ward.
“It’s the defense, and today it was solid. That’s was does it. If we play defense, get a couple timely hits and we can win a game. That’s what they did.”
That included a pair of plays at second base made by Riley Gonzalez.
“On defense, we get the lead runner if we can,” said Scialo referring to a drill in practice that helps his middle infielders understand the timing needed to get force outs at second base. “She could have easily panicked and made the easy out (throw to first), but she stayed confident in what she does in practice. Those two plays where we got the lead runner and almost turned double plays, that’s what it’s all about. It really is.”
The Knights also scored early on Mendon’s Lilly Goldberg – the Section V Class A2 Player of the Year.
“We’re not going to score many off Lilly,” Scialo said of the Mendon sophomore who struck out eight and allowed five hits and two walks. “That’s all there is to it.
“We knew coming in that if that top four gives us two runs and we got to hold them. We go two and held on.”
Hannah Glanton worked a one-out walk in the first. Lyons followed with a double, and Glanton scored on an RBI groundout from Gonzalez.
Lyons connected on a two-run home run in the third for what proved to be the final margin of the game.
“We have a young team. It’s going to be up those juniors. Our juniors are the ones we’re going to rely on in this game. A junior shortstop hit a home run and double.”
Using a fastball, curveball combination, Ward retired five straight and nine of 10 from the end of the third into the sixth inning.
“Everything was on the outside part of the plate,” Scialo explained. “I’m sure she missed a couple that came in a little bit, but it wasn’t planned. The plan was to throw that pitch until they made the adjustment and made us do something different. We never got there.”
Petra Hunt finished 2-for-3 for the Knights. Julia Hunt added a single.
Mendon’s Mary Ciaccio went 2-for-4. Madeline Fallows, Emma Giordano and Lilly Hajec had a single apiece for the Vikings.
The title was the first for Sutherland since winning the A2 crown in 2018.
Sutherland will play the Class A1 champion (Webster Schroeder vs. Webster Thomas) in the NYS regional qualifier.
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