By DAVID DOBRASZ
The Scio/Friendship Golden Eagles went through the handshake line for the final time on Saturday with their heads held up high.
“We knew it was going to be a a battle, and the girls took on the challenge,” head coach Deb Warner commented after the loss. “We did struggle … but I could not be more proud of what these ladies have accomplished.”
Deposit-Hancock (23-2) captured its third-straight New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Class D championship, defeating Scio/Friendship (21-4) 5-3 in 13 innings.
Olivia Johnston lined a leadoff triple over shortstop, Kadence Donohue, that traveled to the fence in the top of the 13th. The 8th -grader scored three pitches later on a wild pitch for the go-ahead run. Kaitlyn Macumber hit a home run over left-center fence on the next pitch to add an insurance run.
Macumber struck out 17 batters and allowed eight hits over a complete game. The senior went 3-for-5 with two singles, and she came came around to score on a two-out single by Sarah Gross in the first. The pitcher singled and scored on an overthrow in the fifth. Pagan Macumber reached on the same error and scored on an RBI-ground-out by Addison Makowski to make it 3-2.
Neveah Ross struck out a career-high 22 batters and gave up six hits over 13 innings. The junior recorded eight innings with two or more strikeouts, and sent down five batters looking. At the plate, Ross went 2-for-5 with a double and a two-run homer over the left-center fence in the third to put the Golden Eagles up 2-1. Avery Lamberson led off the frame with an infield single to the left side.
Donohue tied the game at 3-all when she lined a 2-2 pitch to left field to plate Katherine Lamberson with one out in the sixth. Lamberson reached on a dropped third strike and advanced to second on an overthrow at first to open the frame.
“It was a heck of a game. The girls showed a lot of resilience bouncing back after being behind.”
Morghyn Ross and Donohue had back-to-back two-out singles in the bottom of the 13th. Kiara Grover singled in the sixth.
The Golden Eagles defeated Westfield (VI), 3-0 in the Class D Far West Regionals, before knocking off Poland (III), 6-0 on Friday. The team has won back-to-back Class D2 titles.
Scio/Friendship previously faced the Eagles in the 2022 NYSPHSAA Class D semifinals, when they fell 7-2. In the game, Morghyn Ross went 1-for-3, and Neveah Ross had seven strikeouts over six innings pitched. Grover had an RBI-single in the third.
Deposit-Hancock won its sixth NYSPHSAA title in the last seven tournaments (2021 and 2020 cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and eighth overall. The team defeated Eldred (IV), 14-0, in the Class D Regionals, before outlasting Salem (II), 4-1, on Friday.
Leave a Reply