Falconer and Dunkirk combined for 26 runs on 28 hits, including seven that went for extra bases, as the Golden Falcons beat the Marauders 17-9 in Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 West softball action.

Falconer leadoff hitter Kayla Lynn led the way for the Golden Falcons, going 4 for 5 with a double, a home run, five RBIs and three runs scored while No. 3 hitter Tess Spangenburg was 3 for 5 with a double, a triple, four RBIs and two runs scored. No. 2 hitter Emily Rhinehart chipped in three hits, three runs scored and an RBI.

“When you focus more on your game and play your own best game … it is almost an advantage to play five games this week. Short memory, move on quick because the next team is coming,” said Falconer head coach Kayleigh Sieber, whose Golden Falcons had just four hits in a 13-1 loss at Fredonia on Saturday. “It doesn’t matter who you are playing, just get right up there and take your hacks.”

Alyssa Salerno led Dunkirk with three hits, including a three-run home run, and two runs scored while Courtney Zatorski had three hits and Emily Pacheco had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs.

Golden Falcons’ Tess Spangenburg dives safely into home. P-J photo by Matt Spielman

Falconer jumped on top quickly, scoring seven runs on five hits in the bottom of the first inning. Lynn doubled to open the game and Rhinehart was hit by a pitch before Spangenburg’s two-run triple.

“Last week, Tess was slumping a little bit. … We played one game and the wind was blowing in pretty hard, and she hit two or three balls that should have been out,” Sieber said. “Today I just said keep it simple and hit line drives. … Just being able to make that adjustment down the stretch — this kid is where smarts, hard work and god-given talent really come together. Just to see it pay off and cash in is really huge for her. … She doesn’t only elevate her game, she elevates the people around her.”

After a strikeout, Dunkirk had a chance to get out of the inning, but a fly ball to right field was dropped. After two walks and a single from the bottom three hitters in the Golden Falcons lineup, Lynn hit a two-run single through the middle of the infield and Rhinehart hit an RBI single that fell in shallow right field.

Marauders pitcher Jamaladie Pacheco faced just one batter over the minimum in the next two innings and allowed her offense to make a game of it in the top of the fourth inning with four runs on three hits. Jamaladie Pacheco reached on an error to open the inning and Zatorski followed with a single before Salerno hit her first career home run, a three-run shot over the fence in left field to make it 7-3.

“We definitely needed that today,” Dunkirk head coach Tonia Piede said of the home run. “She’s a nice leader.”

Falconer second baseman Emily Melquist prepares to throw to first base during Monday’s CCAA Division 1 West game against Dunkirk at Ernie Strickland Field in Falconer. P-J photo by Matt Spielman

Gracey Kenner then walked and advanced on a pair of wild pitches before Emily Pacheco hit a two-out RBI single to make it 7-4.

Dani Krenzer doubled and scored on an error in the bottom of the fourth inning to make it 8-4 before the Golden Falcons added five runs on four hits in the fifth inning. Emily Melquist walked to open the inning and stole second before Lynn’s first home run of the season, a two-out blast that came after a dropped foul pop-up that would’ve been the third out of the inning.

“The way my team works, I have a very nontraditional leadoff hitter. This was out of character. She hits well, but usually not putting the ball out,” Sieber said of Lynn. “She keeps it simple and gets on base. … That’s the benefit of Kayla being up top. It gets us started and it gives us a chance to get to the meat of the lineup. … She wears them down. Even if it’s not a productive at-bat, it’s a quality at-bat.”

Rhinehart followed with a single and Krenzer walked before Spangenburg hit an RBI single and another run scored when the throw home got away from the catcher.

“A couple of timely outs would’ve helped,” Piede said. “Jama is doing a good job of fighting hard on the mound.”

Trailing 13-4, again the Marauders rallied with a five-run, seven-hit sixth inning. Zatorski and Aaliyah Morales opened the frame with singles before Salerno’s hard groundball between second and third hit Zatorski for the first out of the inning. Kenner followed with an RBI double, Summer Clark singled and Emily Pacheco hit an RBI double ahead of Emma Yacklon’s RBI single.

After a pair of walks, Falconer turned to its third pitcher of the game, Hannah Melquist, who got out of the inning with a strikeout.

In the bottom of the sixth, Lynn hit an RBI single, Krenzer drove in two with a single and Spangenburg hit an RBI double as the Golden Falcons scored four more runs before Melquist shut the door in the top of the seventh.

“Hannah does a really nice job of hitting her spots. She may not overwhelm you with speed, but she is going to hit her spots and she won’t leave anything hanging with two strikes on a batter,” Sieber said. “As an eighth-grader, she probably has one of the best baseball IQs of any kid I’ve ever worked with. She’s a student of the game. … She knows what she’s doing and is wise beyond her years. … We’ve leaned on her a lot and we’re going to continue to lean on her.”

NOTES: Falconer, which lost to Fredonia 13-1 on Saturday, improved to 5-2 overall and 4-2 in the league. The Golden Falcons are scheduled to host first-place Olean (6-5, 5-0) today. Dunkirk, which fell to 2-5 overall and 2-4 in the league, is scheduled to host Southwestern this afternoon.