Tournament MVP Dani Koltz went the distance and delivered a run-scoring single in a three-run eighth inning Sunday to lead Chenango Valley to a 6-5 victory over Victor for the title in the 16-team James "Ace" Morabito Softball Tournament in Conklin.
The event draws a loaded field each year. Victor had won the 2008 championship with a 2-1 win against the Warriors, currently ranked third in Class B by the New York State Sportswriters Association.
The Blue Devils, No. 2 in Class A, rallied from a 3-1 deficit to tie the score in the bottom of the seventh inning. In the eighth, Koltz's RBI single drove home the go-ahead run and Abby Pierce's RBI single later in the eighth made it 6-3. Victor responded with two runs but Koltz retired the final two batters to leave runners stranded on second and third.
The right-handed Koltz was 4-0 for the weekend while also delivering a 9-for-12 batting line with five RBIs and six runs scored.
Victor had advanced earlier on Sunday with a 9-1 win on Kacie Strong’s five-hitter vs. Horseheads, No. 14 in Class AA. Chenango Valley (19-3) reached the final with a 2-1 victory over Williamsville North, No. 22 in Class AA, as Koltz threw a four-hitter and drove home Steph Linko in the eighth inning..
On Saturday, CV manager Eric Coleman made six pitching changes — situational substitutions alternating between r Koltz and lefty Taylor Hendrickson — to keep the upper hand during a 4-1 victory over Cicero-North Syracuse in the quarterfinals.
Koltz slugged a two-run double in the bottom of the third inning to provide the key offensive blow for the Warriors (17-3). C-NS, ranked eighth in Class AA, knocked out Class A No. 1 Maine-Endwell in the first round, 7-4.
Though Hendrickson started, she worked only two innings, surrendering a run and one hit. Koltz allowed a hit and struck out seven — including three in a row in the second inning after inheriting two runners in scoring position — in five innings.
Koltz began the day with a 2-for-2 showing and an RBI during a 7-0 win over Mechanicville.
Meanwhile, shorthanded Williamsville North got a triple, home run and three RBIs from Jessica Wess to beat Webster Schroeder in the second round, 10-0. Wess was called up from the JVs to help out because the Spartans were missing five players who were attending the junior prom.
Boys Basketball: Committee approves use of replays
Replays reviews for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association tournament moved a step closer to reality Friday when the organization's boys basketball committee approved the use of video equipment for its championship in Glens Falls.
Committee chairman Bill Higgins told the New York State Sportswriters Association the vote of sectional representatives was unanimous, contingent upon no additional expense being incurred. With TV rights almost certain to be awarded each year — Time Warner Cable has done finals from the Glens Falls Civic Center in recent years — there would likely be no added expense involved.
The measure must still get final approval by the NYSPHSAA Central Committee this summer.
The limited use of replay became a reality last weekend when the National Federation of State High School Associations announced that the use of replay equipment had been approved for limited uses. Meeting in Indianapolis last month, the NFHS basketball rules committee OK'd the use of a replay monitor to review field-goal attempts at the expiration of time in the fourth quarter or any overtime period.
Momentum for approval picked up in 2008 when tournament games in Michigan, South Carolina and Ohio all had situations in which the use of replays might have been helpful to the game officials. Under the new rule, referees will be able to determine if a shot attempt occurred before time expired and whether the shot was a two- or three-point attempt.
The associations comprising the Federation tournament will vote separately on the use of replays at a later date.
Track and Field: Team titles go down to the wire at Eddy Games
Albany may have only brought eight boys to the Eddy Games in Schenectady, but coach Stan Gasorowski got the desired result. The Falcons scored 36 points to hold off Uniondale (35), Shenendehowa (33) and Westbury (33) for team honors on a windy day at the 69th annual meet.
Junior Kareem Morris won the 100- and 200-meter dashes in 11.49 and 22.97 seconds, respectively, and ran the second leg on the winning 400 relay (:43.75 to fend off Uniondale's :43.80), and Alex Schettino picked up critical points with a third-place showing in the pole vault.
Morris and Chris Stogsdill of Marcellus (9:07.78 to break a 1981 meet record by Tupper Lake's Marty Beauchamp in the 3,200) were selected the outstanding male athletes.
Bay Shore took girls honors with 74 points, one better than Shendehowa. A year ago, Bay Shore edged Holy Names for the championship, 77-76½. Geannitta McClain of Utica Proctor was the female athlete of the meet, winning the 100 and as part of the 400 relay, placing second in the 200 and scoring fifth-place points in the 200.
* Cananstota's Jeff Willis tacked more than a foot onto his season best and broke the Section III pole vault record by clearing 14-7 on Friday at the Morrisville-Eaton Invitational.
Boys Tennis: Hoops star Benjamin is a big-time two-sporter
* Jonathan Benjamin of Harley Allendale-Columbia was a four-year starter and three-year co-captain in basketball who selected to the Class C first team by the NYSSWA after carrying his squad to within one win of the NYSPHSAA tournament in March. He was recruited by a number of Division II and III colleges in that sport but will attempt to make the University of Richmond roster as a walk-on next season.
On Saturday, Benjamin and doubles partner Andrew Guzick remained undefeated in tennis and clinched a berth representing Section V in the NYSPHSAA championships with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Pittsford Mendon's Paul Barrett and Kevin Fatehchand.
Baseball: A 16-run lead holds up . . . barely
Grand Island and Kenmore East combined for 35 hits on Thursday as the Vikings earned a 19-14 baseball victory. What made the score even more eye-popping was Kenmore East's near-epic rally after Grand Island scored six runs in the first inning, two in the second and a total of nine more in the next two innings for a 17-1 lead on the strength of 13 hits.
The Bulldogs chipped away to cut the deficit to 18-7 through five innings with the help of Rich Engel’s three-run home run, then batted around in the sixth and cut it to 18-14, with Dylan Vaccario, who led off the inning, singling home the final two runs.
At that point, Grand Island knew enough to not take any chances. Ace pitcher Joel Klock was brought in and struck out the side in the seventh. At the plate, Klock was 3-for-3 with two triples, a walk and five RBIs.
By the way, the first time the teams met this spring, the offense consisted of a total of three hits and one run -- all by Grand Island.
* Mamaroneck junior catcher Mike Rosenfeld, who broke a school record for RBI last spring, returned from two weeks off due to a hamstring injury and hit a home run Saturday.
* C.G. Finney senior Ed Marchand's three-run double last weekend against Warsaw gave him the Section V record for career RBIs. He stands at 163, surpassing Marcus Way of Honeoye (159).
* Galway’s season is over, with the school deciding last week to forfeit its remaining games due to a lack of players. Injuries and suspensions, coupled with a small JV roster (10 players), made an attempt to continue playing impractical.
Odds and ends
* Jenna Davis scored six goals, including one with 9:58 left to help give Levittown Division a 10-9 lacrosse win over Wantagh and push her to the 500-point mark for her career.
* Kenny Betts of Fredonia will continue his wrestling career at the University of Buffalo. The two-time NYSPHSAA champ concluded his six-year career as the state record holder in wins with a 269-37 record.
John Schiano, who has written about high school sports in western and central New York for more than 25 years, covers New York for MaxPreps. He may be reached at johnschianosports@gmail.com.