By STEVE BRADLEY
BELLPORT, N.Y. – With a roster made up of eight seniors, including two players with five years of varsity experience, the Fairport softball team hoped to make a deep postseason run this spring.
“We knew that we had the talent and, sure enough, we made it to the last day of the season and the last game of the season,” Fairport coach Curt Johnson said.
The Red Raiders, who were seeking their first state softball championship, ran into a hot-hitting opponent and dropped an 8-2 decision to Corning-Painted Post of Section IV in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class AAA title game at Martha Avenue Recreation Park.
The Hawks (14-6), who won the 2019 state Class AA title, scored twice in the first inning, four times in the fifth and twice in the seventh to win the inaugural AAA crown.
“They were a very, very good team,” Johnson said. “They hit the ball well, they ran the bases well and they deserved to win today. We just want to be that team the next time.”
Fairport scored both of its runs in the sixth inning. Nicole Allen notched the Red Raiders’ first hit, a one-out single, and Lauryn Smith reached on an error. Juliana Catalano followed with an RBI-single to right and Waverly Milliman also delivered a run-scoring hit.
Senior Kailey Gardner pitched 6 1/3 innings for the Red Raiders (14-10). Junior Annabella Clark came on in the seventh and recorded the final two outs.
Smith reached base three times for Fairport on a walk and two errors but the Hawks made some key plays to thwart Red Raider rallies.
“We had opportunities to score some runs and they certainly played great defense to keep us off the board,” Johnson said.
Fairport was making its first appearance in the state final since falling to Brentwood in the 2009 Class AA title game. The Red Raiders won the Section V Class AA championship in 2022 before taking the AAA title this spring.
Saturday’s game concluded the careers of Allen and Catalano, who joined the varsity as eighth graders, Millie Reed and Makayla Strack, Smith, Gardner, Hayden Perry and Isidora Hubert.
“Total dedication,” Johnson said in describing the Class of 2024. “They are the reason that we pointed to this year, they were certainly the leaders and it was their job to teach the younger players our philosophies and how to do things the way the coaching staff wanted them done. They did a great job with that and the program is in good hands moving forward.”
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