By PAUL GOTHAM
HAMBURG, N.Y. — Not even a rare call on her second pitch of the night could disrupt the rhythm of Ashlyn Wright.
Not on this night.
Not with a chance to clinch back-to-back state semifinal appearances on the line.
Wright turned in a two-hit shutout with 14 strikeouts, and the Bloomfield Bombers (22-1) secured a return spot to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Class C Final Four with a 6-0 win over Section VI champion, Chautauqua Lake (15-4), Friday at Frontier High School.
Wright did not allow a runner past second base and improved to 21-1 on the season.
“Definitely this year I think we’re a lot more confident,” the senior right-hander said. “Overall, I think we’re in a way better position than we were last year.”
While Wright retired the first 10 batters she faced on the evening, the Bloomfield bats provided all the offense needed within its first three hitters.
Syd Falsone reached on an error to lead the game, stole second and moved to third on a ground ball from twin sister Ad Falsone. Calla McCombs followed with an RBI single to right center.
“It was great to start like we did,” said Bloomfield head coach Mark Jacobs. “They just took it home from there.”
With McCombs on second, Wright delivered a run-scoring single to right field. Brianna Leitten then put runners on the corners for Celia Salsone who made it a 3-0 game with a base hit. Abby O’Brien capped the inning with an RBI groundout.
“The girls know what to expect,” Jacobs said. “They’re a lot calmer than they were last year. They just go out and do their job, and they did it again tonight.”
Friday was the third straight shutout that Wright has tossed, and Bloomfield has outscored its opponents 40-2 in the postseason.
Truth is, Friday’s game was most likely decided before Chautauqua Lake had a chance to come to the plate. Wright has only allowed four or more runs in a game twice this season. The last time was in a 16-4 win over Waterloo on May 7th. All four of those runs were unearned.
“The whole game we were saying it’s zero-zero,” Wright said. “Just keeping our heads in the game, playing Bombers’ softball. You can’t get ahead of yourselves.”
The win over Waterloo was the start of a 15-game string that the Bombers will take into next weekend’s action.
Jacobs likes the composure his team shows.
“They do a good job of staying in the moment. As I’m walking off (the field), I’m going to tell them there’s a lot of ball to go. They’re already saying it themselves.
“They’re a veteran crew that’s been through this a lot, and it shows.”
Jacobs has nurtured that experience with a regular season schedule that frequently includes games against schools from larger classifications. The Bombers only loss this season came to Burnt Hills-Balston Lake, a Class AA school from Section II.
Over the past three seasons, Bloomfield has a 56-6 record. Only two of those losses (Addison in the 2023 sectionals and Berne-Knox-Westerlo in the 2024 state final) have come to Class C schools.
One of those setbacks was a 1-0 game last season with Wellsville, the NYS Class B champions.
“They’ve been playing together since their eighth grade year,” Jacobs said of his five seniors. “Seventh grade for our catcher (McCombs). They’ve been to four sectional finals. They’ve been in these situations before. Having the success we had last year, playing the schedule we had last year is what has clicked for them. When we played some of those teams really tough, like Wellsville, they started to think ‘Hey, we are pretty good.’ They know what they have to do now.”
Syd Falsone finished 4-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored in Friday’s win. Celia Falsone was 2-4. Sawyer Gallup accounted for a run scored in the win.
Wright was called for an illegal pitch on her second offering of the night when it was deemed she didn’t come set with her hands.
“You just keep going,” the West Point commit said of the infraction. “You can’t let it get to you mentally. That’s when people crumble.”
Bloomfield will play Deposit-Hancock (Section IV) next Friday (June 13) in the state semifinals. A 10 a.m. first pitch is scheduled at Green Light Networks Grand Slam Park in Binghamton.
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