Five Section V Softball teams set to compete in Far West Regionals

By DAVID DOBRASZ

Five Section V Softball teams are scheduled to compete this weekend in the 2023 Far West Regionals. Games will begin on Friday at Gowanda High School, and conclude on Saturday at Webster Schroeder High School. Here’s the breakdown:

CLASS AA
CLARENCE RED DEVILS (14-6/Erie County Interscholastic Conference I)
vs.
RUSH-HENRIETTA ROYAL COMETS (19-4/Monroe County I)
11:00 AM SATURDAY, WEBSTER SCHROEDER HIGH SCHOOL

How they arrived here: Rush-Henrietta earned wins over Greece Athena/Olympia/Odyssey (10-1) and Brighton (15-0), before besting Victor, 6-5 to win the Section V Class AA title last Saturday.

Clarence defeated both Lockport (7-1) and Niagara Falls (1-0), before claiming the Section VI Class AA title with an 8-3 win over Frontier on Tuesday. 

Tempo and trends: Rush-Henrietta averages 9.0 runs per game and allows 3.6. The Royal Comets enter having won nine straight and 13 of their last 14.

Clarence scores 5.8 runs per game and allows 2.55. The Red Devils have won their last six games.

What’s at stake: The winner will advance to the NYSPHSAA Semifinals versus Smithtown East (XI)/Massapequa (VII) on June 9^th.

History 101: Rush-Henrietta will play in the Far West Regional for the first time in program history, after winning its first sectional title on May 27^th.

Clarence has won two sectional titles in its last three seasons. The Red Devils last appeared in the Far West Regional in 2014, when the team defeated Brockport, 5-0. The team has won in three of its last five appearances in the Far West Regional. 

Players to watch for Rush-Henrietta: Olivia Sheffer Sr. SS; Sami Williams Sr. 3B; Elizabeth Gleghorn So. C; Kadyn Hartel So. P; Audrey Gleghorn 8th OF; Lizzie Rinellia Fr. OF; Katie Militello So. 2B

Clarence: Mackenzie Crawford 8th-grade SS; Madelyn Ferriter Sr. 3B; Ella Harrison Jr. P/OF; Samantha Pusloskie Jr. CF

Coaches: Lynn Rotola (Rush-Henrietta); Todd Banaszak (Clarence)

VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM DENNIS JOYCE.

CLASS A
WILLIAMSVILLE EAST FLAMES (17-5/Erie County Interscholastic Conference II)
vs.
WEBSTER THOMAS TITANS (15-7/Monroe County Division II)
4:00 PM SATURDAY, WEBSTER SCHROEDER HIGH SCHOOL 

How they arrived here: Webster Thomas defeated Greece Arcadia (10-0), Bishop Kearney (5-3) and top-seeded Irondequoit (21-5), before earning a spot in the Class A Far West Regional with a 5-3 win over Honeoye Falls-Lima.

Williamsville East defeated Sweet Home (14-2), before earning shutouts over North Tonawanda (11-0) and Niagara Wheatfield (1-0) to secure the Section VI Class A1 title. The Flames bested West Seneca East (2-0) in nine innings on Tuesday. 

Tempo and trends: Webster Thomas score 6.4 runs per game and allows 5. The Titans have won eight straight. Williamsville East scores 6.9 runs per game and allows 2. The Flames have shutout their opponent on nine occasions, and the team has not surrendered a run in its last three games. The team is 10-2 in since May 6^th. 

What’s at stake: The winner will play in the NYSPHSAA Class A Semifinals to play either Massena (X) or Troy (II). 

History 101: Webster Thomas is making their first regionals appearance since 2009. Williamsville East last won at regionals in 2019 and 2017.

Players to watch for Webster Thomas: Julia Maciag Jr. INF; Madison Hicks Jr. INF; Emma Bello Sr. OF; Ruby Marrapese So. OF; Madeleine Throumoulos Jr. OF; Emma Maloney So. UTIL 

Williamsville East: Elise Elwood Sr. OF; Grace Kessel Jr. P; Abbey Wesolowski So. UTIL; Alexis Willick Jr. 1B; Brianna White Fr. UTIL

Coaches: Emily Castro (Webster Thomas); Brianna Clark (Williamsville East)

CLASS B
IROQUOIS CHIEFS (13-7/ Erie County Interscholastic Conference II)
vs.
WELLSVILLE LIONS (20-1/Independent)
1:30 PM SATURDAY, WEBSTER SCHROEDER HIGH SCHOOL

How they arrived here: Wellsville bested Aquinas (9-0), Penn Yan (15-0) and Haverling (3-2) before defeating Batavia (15-0) to earn a spot in the Class B Far West Regional.

Iroquois beat Dunkirk (13-2), Olean (6-2), East Aurora (8-0) and Lake Shore (12-3) on its way to winning the Section VI Class B1 title. The Chiefs earned a regional berth with a 9-4 win over Fredonia on Tuesday.

Tempo and trends: Wellsville scores 12.5 runs and allows 1.4. The Lions have not lost since April 11th and bring a 14-game winning streak into regionals.
Iroquois scores 6.4 runs per game and allows 3.8. The Chiefs have gone 9-1 since May 8^th.

What’s at stake: The winner will advance to the NYSPHSAA Class B Semifinals to play either Marlboro Central (IX) or Seaford (VIII). 

History 101: Wellsville is making its second straight regional appearance. The Lions lost to Depew 5-0 last year.  Wellsville also appeared in the 2000 Class C regional. Iroquois was victorious in the 2018 Class A Far West Regional over Our Lady of Mercy.

Players to watch for Wellsville: Kaylie Fuller Jr. OF; Makenna Dunbar So. P/1B; Marissa Ordway Jr. P/1B; Averee Palmatier So. OF; Lindsay Stuck So. C/3B; Makenzie Cowburn Jr. P; Brazen Beckwith Jr. C/3B.

Iroquois: Olivia Beyer Sr.; Alexa Chiaramonte Jr. P; Madeline Grieble Sr. SS; Megan Nottis Jr.; Alexandra Robillard Jr. 

Coaches: Matt Burke (Wellsville), Aaron Vanderlip (Iroquois)

 

CLASS C
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG WOLVERINES (23-2/Allegany County Division I)
vs.
GOWANADA PANTHERS (15-6/Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association East I)
5:00 PM FRIDAY, GOWANDA HIGH SCHOOL 

How they arrived here: Bolivar-Richburg’s path to the Far West Regional included wins over Eugenio Maria de Hostos (7-0), Cuba-Rushford (2-1), Byron-Bergen (10-5), Dundee-Bradford (5-0) and Addison (10-8).

Gowanda defeated Frewsburg (15-1), Randolph (8-5) and Silver Creek (5-3), before clinching the Section VI Class C title with a 4-1 win over Chautauqua Lake.

Tempo and trends: Bolivar-Richburg scores 12.4 runs per game and holds teams to 2.2 runs per game. The Wolverines enter regionals on a nine-game winning streak. Gowanda scores 7.5 runs per game and allows 4.4. The Panthers have won five-consecutive games and have gone 10-2 since April 25^th.

What’s at stake: The winner will play the either Sandy Creek (III) or Edison (IV) in the NYSPHSAA Class C Semifinals on June 9^th. 

History 101: Bolivar-Richburg won in the Far West Regional in 2014 (Class C) and 2010 (Class D).

Players to Watch for Bolivar-Richburg:  Malayna Ayers Sr. P/SS (.552 BA, 32 RBI, 10 HR), McKinlee Harris Sr. P/INF (.565 BA, 22 RBI, 40 RS, 2 HR), Madigan Harris (.457 BA, 29 RBI), Haley Mascho (.487 BA, 13 2B)

For Gowanda: Hailey Christopher Jr. C/INF (.309 AVG, 13 RBI); Addison Kota 9^th  SS (.533 AVG, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 27 R, 4 3B/2.93 ERA, 90.2 IP, 95 K, 59 BB); Gao:wisa:s Stevens Sr. INF (.392 AVG, 13 RBI, 22 R, 5 2B); Jada Geiger Sr. OF (.385 AVG, 16 R, 11 RBI, 5 2B, 14 SB);

Coaches: Mark Emery (Bolivar-Richburg); Mike Maloney (Gowanda)

CLASS D
SCIO/FRIENDSHIP TIGERS (19-3/Allegany County Division II)
vs.
WESTFIELD WOLVERINES (20-1/ Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association West II)
7:00 PM FRIDAY GOWANDA HIGH SCHOOL

How they arrived here: Scio/Friendship Andover/Whitesville (8-0) and Charles G. Finney (13-0), before earning a spot in the Class D Far West Regional with a 3-0 win over Notre Dame-Batavia.

Westfield defeated Maple Grove (13-2) and Ellicotville (16-0), before earning a regionals berth with a 4-0 win over Sherman Clymer.

Tempo and trends: Scio/Friendship scores 7.2 runs per game and allows 1.2. The Golden Eagles have won their last 13 games, with 11 shutouts and two runs allowed during that time. The team has allowed only 27 runs this season with 15 shutouts. Westfield scores 10.2 runs per game and allows 1.4. The Wolverines have won their last 18 games, with their last loss coming on April 15^th. The team has allowed only 30 runs this season, good for nine shutouts.

What’s at stake: The winner will play either Edwards-Knox (X) or Poland (III) in the NYSPHSAA Class D Semifinals on June 9^th.

History 101: Scio/Friendship is appearing in its second-straight Far West Regional.

Players to watch for Scio/Friendship: Claire Calhoun Sr. 3B (.265 AVG, .396 OBP, 7 1B, 4 2B, 1 3B, 4 RBI, 15 R, 6 SB); Kadence Donohue Sr. SS (.352 AVG, .476 OBP, 11 1B, 4 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 11 R); Kiara Grover Sr. 1B (.255 AVG, .412 OBP, 12 1B, 2 2B, 1 HR); Katherine Lamberson Sr. 3B/CF (.286 AVG, .439 OBP, 14 1B, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 15 R, 7 SB); Morghyn Ross Fr. C (.510 AVG, .594 OBP, 20 1B, 5 2B, 4 3B, 21 RBI, 10 SB, 11 CS); Neveah Ross Jr. P (.530 ERA, .087 OBA, 14 SHO, 2 Perfect Games, .580 AVG, .653 OBP, 21 1B, 5 2B, 4 3B, 7 HR, 23 RBI, 34 R, 20 SB).

For Westfield: Tanleigh Bestine Jr. SS/P (.425 AVG, 23 R, 22 RBI); Haleigh Dellow Sr. P/SS/3B (.556 AVG, 14 2B, 6 HR, 40 R, 28 RBI/18-1, 0.50 ERA,16 CG, 8 Shutouts, 111 IP, 204 K, 29 BB); Eva Gnadzinski So 2B/P (.430 AVG, 11 2B, 4 HR, 28 R, 28 RBI); Mackenzie Schumaker 9^th 1B/SS/P (.435 AVG, 19 R, 21 RBI).

Coaches: Deb Warner (Scio/Friendship); Shawn Gnadzinski (Westfield)