By STEVE BRICKLER
WEBSTER, N.Y. — Senior pitcher Makenzie Cowburn threw her second straight one-hitter and junior second baseman Natalie Adams had two doubles and three RBI to lead Wellsville (21-1) to a 5-0 victory in the Far West Regional over previously undefeated Fredonia (20-1) at Webster Schroeder High School.
The Lions scored all the runs they needed in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a pair of walks and a pair of doubles. With one out, Brazen Beckwith reached first on a walk and was brought home two batters later on a double off the bat of Lindsay Stuck. Cowburn then drew a walk to put two baserunners on with two outs. Adams delivered a two run double scoring Stuck and Cowburn to give Wellsville a 3-0 lead after the first.
“We’ve been doing that all season,” said coach Jaime McLaughlin. “That’s our motto, we hop on top right away and then have some room to wiggle.”
“Getting out on top, we’ve preached that all year long, whether we are up to bat first or second,” said coach Shelley Chaffee.
“It kind of slows the nerves down,” said Cowburn of her team’s fast start. “We’re playing with the lead; we’re playing with the lead all game and never got behind. All the energy we have all the time, you can’t get down because the team is going to pick you right back up because of the amount of energy that we have.”
Cowburn took that energy to the mound. From the second through the fifth inning, the senior right-hander put down all 12 batters that she faced, striking out nine of them on her way to a twelve strikeout game.
Wellsville tacked on some insurance in the third inning as Beckwith again reached base on a walk which was followed by a single from Makenna Dunbar. After a force play at third for the first out of the inning, Fredonia committed a throwing error while trying to pick off the baserunners following a Wellsville strikeout. This allowed Dunbar to score the fourth run for the Lions. Stuck, who reached base on the force play, scored when Adams delivered another double to left.
“Natalie Adams today had two doubles, three of our five RBI. I’m not saying she doesn’t normally hit, but those were big hits,” said Chaffee. “When our top of our lineup, I wouldn’t say that they struggled, but they just focus on them more and then the bottom of our lineup, we keep them going but she had amazing hits today.”
“She’s had some big games this year where that has happened,” added McLaughlin.
The only hint of trouble for Cowburn on the mound came in the top of the sixth as Fredonia’s leadoff batter was hit by a pitch. After a force play at second, the next Fredonia batter singled, which would be the first time Cowburn allowed a baserunner to reach second in two games. Undeterred, Cowburn struck out the last two Hillbillies’ batters to end the threat. A first inning walk was the only other time a Fredonia batter got on base the entire game.
Shortstop Tegan Burke factored into all three defensive plays in a 1-2-3 seventh inning for Wellsville’s second straight Far West Regional victory. They will play Friday in Bellport, Long Island against the winner of Marcellus of Section III and Susquehanna Valley of Section IV.
“When they are on the field they are focused, they are incredible athletes. We can’t ask for anything more, because they give us everything,” said Chaffee.
Added McLaughlin, “They just have softball sense, they just know where to be, when to be and they read the batter very well. We help them a little bit, but they know where to be. Sometimes I’m like ‘I’m going to move her’, and they move themselves.”
The Lions now turn their attention to the state semifinals where they were eliminated in last season’s state tournament.
In talking about their teams preparation, both coaches pointed to the focus of their players.
“Whether we walk in the gym, whether we walk on the field, when they start practice, when they start a game, it’s on,” said McLaughlin. “It doesn’t matter what happens outside, they drop everything, they’re there and they are 100 percent one unit.”
Said Chaffee, “The easiest part is when we’re playing softball. When we’re practicing, when we’re on the field and we’re playing a game, they are a team.”
“They’re not really looking ahead this year, just one game at a time,” continued Chaffee when talking about this seasons schedule. “Huge games in the Mudville Tournament against Nardin and South Jefferson. And we had some huge games against Bloomfield, we had Cowanesque Valley (PA.) come in that was tough and we had Webster Schroeder come in, that was tough, but one game at a time. We’re never looking that far ahead.”
“Last time I think we were just excited to make it to states and now it’s, ok, we’ve already made it here so let’s take it a step further. Let’s go that one more step that we need to go and be prepared for what’s coming in front of us,” said Cowburn.
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