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Hillbillies Win Battle Of Young Hurlers

Southwestern’s Alanna Dibble awaits a throw at first base as Fredonia’s Grace Mroczka beats out an infield single during Friday’s CCAA Division 1 West game at Southwestern. P-J photo by Valory S. Isaacson

Heading into this spring, Fredonia and Southwestern looked like similar softball teams, seemingly needing their offense to pick up the slack for the graduation of all-time great pitchers in Hannah Cybart and Sydney Burk.

The Hillbillies offense was just a little better Friday afternoon, in the third game of the season for both teams.

Fredonia scored nine runs over the first three innings — seven coming with two outs — and used the large early lead to hold off Southwestern for an 11-5 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 West victory.

“Overall, being 3-0 is good, but there is still plenty to work on,” Fredonia coach Jesse Beers said. “I liked the way we hit the ball today. I thought we did a much better job with pitch selection. We were aggressive with balls in the zone and we let balls go that weren’t.”

Leadoff hitter Kazlin Beers had a double and a triple, two runs scored and an RBI; Grace Pucciarelli had two hits, including a triple, and two RBIs; and Grace Mroczka added two hits, including a two-run home run, and scored three runs for the Hillbillies (3-0, 2-0).

Southwestern’s Erin Radack slides safely into third base with a triple ahead of a late throw to Fredonia’s Cassie Essex during the third inning of Friday’s CCAA Division 1 West game at Southwestern. P-J photo by Valory S. Isaacson

Freshman Maddy Marsh earned the win in the circle, but she had some help closing out the game. Marsh threw the first four innings, allowing seven hits and four runs while walking one and striking out two. Mroczka threw two innings, allowing a run on one hit and a walk while striking out one before Pucciarelli got the final three outs, including a strikeout, for the Hillbillies.

“Pitching, we are still kind of by committee,” Beers said. ” … Maddy is only a freshman. She did a nice job and then she started fatiguing a little bit in the fourth inning.”

Alanna Dibble doubled twice, scored a run and drove in a run while Erin Radack tripled and scored a run to lead the Trojans (0-3, 0-2) offense.

Fredonia got on the board twice in the top of the first, and everything started with two outs. Cassie Essex walked and Mroczka reached on an error ahead of Syd Bigelow’s RBI single to center field. Marsh followed with a walk and a bases-loaded walk to Kelly Gullo brought in the second run of the inning.

After Southwestern answered with a leadoff walk to Radack, a sacrifice bunt by Haydn Swan-Leuze and a two-out RBI double from Dibble, the Hillbillies tacked on three more runs. No. 9 hitter Maggie Mignoli led off with a walk, stole second and scored on Beers’ RBI triple to right-center field. Pucciarelli followed with a sacrifice fly to right field before three straight singles from Mroczka, Bigelow and Marsh scored courtesy-runner Emily Smith with the fifth Fredonia run.

“We’ve been working hard on a variety of things … finding ways to get on base,” Beers said. “If you are struggling hitting, there are other things you can do to try and get on base to set the table for the top half of the order.”

The Hillbillies took control with a four-run third inning. Hannah Gullo reached on a bunt single and stole second before a walk to Mignoli. A wild pitch moved both runners up before Essex’s two-out, two-run single up the middle. Mroczka followed with a two-run home run over the center fielder’s head to give Fredonia a 9-1 lead.

“We got up 9-1 … we hit some balls hard … but we had a little bit of a lull there,” Beers said. “The same thing happened earlier in the year against Maple Grove. … I think we need to work on that killer instinct.”

The Trojans chipped away with a run in the bottom of the third as Radack hit a one-out triple and scored on a Swan-Leuze groundout. Southwestern added two more in the fourth, but a controversial play ended what could’ve been an even bigger inning. Samicka Mathews, Jade Derby, Ashton Beckerink and Haili Herb hit four straight singles to plate a pair of runs and made it a 9-4 game.

“That was the bottom of the order,” Southwestern coach Jen Anderson said. “It’s definitely great to have the whole order contribute.”

With one out, Radack hit a sharp grounder to second and a throw to Beers — the shortstop covering second base — forced Herb out. Beers then attempted to throw to first, but made contact with Herb and the throw popped up in the air. The umpires then came together and ruled Radack out on a double play due to interference at second base, ending the rally.

“That was huge,” Anderson said. “We already had a couple of runs that inning and to have it cut short like that, especially after they reversed the call … ”

The Trojans got another run back in the fifth as Dibble doubled with two outs and scored on a pair of wild pitches, but they would get no closer.

“We just keep plugging away, plugging away and working hard to scrap our way back into it,” Anderson said.

Beckerink, an eighth-grader, took the loss in the circle, throwing a complete game while allowing 13 hits and seven walks in addition to hitting a batter. Fredonia had just five hits over the final four innings.

“She did a pretty good job. She’s a young pitcher. She got better as the game went along and stuck it out,” Anderson said. “The defense didn’t help her a lot. We made some mistakes in the first couple of innings that really cost us.”

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