By PAUL GOTHAM
CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — Gabby Lyons showed warning-track power in her first at-bat of Saturday’s Section V Class A final. The Pittsford Sutherland shortstop cleared the fence later when it mattered most.
Lyons snapped a scoreless tie with a two-out blast in the fifth inning as top-seeded Sutherland defeated No. 3 Honeoye Falls-Lima, 2-1.
“Off the bat, I knew it was out,” said head coach Mike Scialo. “She smoked that home run.”
Lyons, the Tournament MVP, took a one-strike offering on the lower half of the plate and cleared the fence in left field at Finger Lakes Community College.
“That’s just my pitch in general,” the sophomore said. “I have a swing where I can get to those low on the plate. I wasn’t trying to hit a home run just trying to get a smooth swing. It felt really good.”
With the win, Sutherland avenged a loss to HF-L in last year’s Class A2 semifinal – a game in which the Cougars scored six runs in the seventh inning to erase a three-run deficit and win 8-6.
“It definitely feels really good especially after how things ended last year and losing to HF-L,” Lyons said. “This was a redemption game.”
HF-L had defeated Sutherland three straight times in the postseason including wins in 2019 and 2021 championship games.
Saturday’s victory clinched Sutherland’s fourth sectional title since 2017.
“It’s always us and them, so it’s going to come down to the last inning every time,” Scialo said. “That’s the way it’s going to be between these teams.”
It looked like HF-L would strike first when the first two batters reached in the fourth. The Cougars eventually loaded the bases, but junior centerfielder Olivia Vorrasi grabbed a short fly ball and came up throwing to erase the runner at the plate and end the inning.
“That’s something she does every day,” Scialo said. “Every day at practice she’s worked on that play. They’re doing what they do every day at practice and executing it in the game.”
Petra Hunt struck out five and walked two in a complete-game effort. The ninth-grade pitcher made a sliding stop and throw to first to leave runners on second and third in the sixth.
Class A: Bases loaded, Olivia Vorassi makes the catch in center comes up throwing to get the runner at the plate. Heading to the bottom of the fourth @HFLCSDAthletics 0 @Sutherland_SB 0 pic.twitter.com/yBFPprvc1I
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) May 25, 2024
Class A: Gabby Lyons gets Sutherland on the scoreboard first with a two-out, two-run shot. Five full Sutherland 2 HF-L 0 @SecVSoftball pic.twitter.com/rUQaQtLRGG
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) May 25, 2024
Class A: with runners on second and third, Petra Hunt makes the play for the final out in the top of the sixth. Sutherland 2 HFL 1 pic.twitter.com/eVFWPQakPC
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) May 25, 2024
“It’s who we are,” Scialo said. “We spend a lot of time on defense. It’s just the way we run our team. Hopefully, we get a couple hits, a couple runs. We’re working every day in practice on every situation you could possibly get. When you got probably the best shortstop in the league pitching for you, she’s just another defensive player. She’s making diving plays like that. That’s stuff you don’t see very often. That’s where we’re lucky having her making those plays.”
HF-L cut the deficit in half in the sixth inning. Kate Dailor worked a one-out walk, and Madison Schubach followed with an RBI triple. The Cougars had runners on the corners with one out after Emma Dunman reached on a fielder’s choice.
Hunt struck out the next batter and ended the threat when she fielded a combacker and threw to first for the final out of the inning.
“That’s the difference in this year’s team versus the past,” Scialo said. “We’ve lost to HF-L in the sectionals with a lead going into the seventh inning two times. Both times it was that play we do in practice every day that we execute over and over. The nerves got to them, and we failed. Whatever you want to call it. Today, with a young group which is crazy, the nerves didn’t get them. They made the plays that they needed to make.”
Class A: Madison Schubach gets @HFLCSDAthletics on the scoreboard. pic.twitter.com/maOtcljfBl
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) May 25, 2024
The teams had split the regular season series.
“Sutherland is always a good matchup for us,” said HF-L head coach Bailey Smith. “We always have a great game with them.”
HFL, the A2 champion in 2023, as looking to win its fourth title since 2017. The Cougars (14-8) outhit Sutherland 8-3 in Saturday’s matchup.
“We didn’t lose because of a lack of energy or a lack of focus or a lack of motivation,” Smith said. “Sometimes, things just don’t go your way. We gave ourselves the best shot we could. They hit a bomb on us, and we came back and scored. That just kind of shows the team that we have. We don’t let up. We can come back and face adversity, but at the end of the day we needed to hit a little bit better than we did.”
Lyons finished 2-for-3 in the game to lead Sutherland. In the first inning, she connected on a one-out double to left but was stranded.
“You’re playing on a field that’s 35 feet further than any field we play on all year,” Scialo said. “If we’re playing anywhere else, we’re up one-nothing. To come up late in the game and launch one like that it’s just the kid she is.”
Sutherland (18-4) will play either Williamsville South (18-4) or Iroquois (15-4) in the NYS Far West Regional. A 12:30 PM first pitch is scheduled next Saturday at Webster Schroeder.
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