Photo courtesy of Danielle Wescoat
Chautauqua Lake pitcher Cayzlee Johnson and catcher Lucy Gates celebrate after the Eagles beat Gowanda 7-0 in a Section VI Class C semifinal Thursday in Mayville.
MAYVILLE — A year after losing Olivia Herrington to graduation, Chautauqua Lake still has a fairly dominant presence in the circle.
Junior Cayzlee Johnson threw a four-hitter with four strikeouts while walking one and hitting a batter as No. 2 Chautauqua Lake shut out No. 3 Gowanda 7-0 in a Section VI Class C semifinal Thursday.
The victory sends the Eagles into Tuesday’s 5 p.m. championship game against No. 5 Westfield at Allegany-Limestone Central School. The Wolverines advanced with a 7-1 win over No. 1 Barker on Wednesday.
Chautauqua Lake took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning Thursday before a five-run fifth inning made it 7-0 to effectively eliminate last year’s state Class C champion.
In the first, Jill Miller walked and Johnson reached on an error before Lucy Gates singled to load the bases. Karagan Fairbank drove in the first run with a fielder’s choice and Kinslee Motter hit an RBI single.
In the fifth, Eden Ludwig walked and Miller hit a one-out single. Alice Scarpine followed with an RBI single, Johnson walked with the bases loaded to force in a run and Gates hit an RBI single.
Ella Luther doubled, while CeCe John, Addison Kota and Emily Pound each had a single for the Panthers. Kota threw a complete game with eight strikeouts.
Chautauqua Lake and Westfield have played twice this season. The Eagles won 5-0 on April 16 and 8-5 on May 14 on their way to the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 2 West title.
CLASS D
WOLVES TAKE OVER
IN SIXTH
CLYMER — No. 3 Clymer/Sherman broke open a 2-2 game with a six-run sixth inning en route to beating No. 7 Pine Valley 8-2 in a Section VI Class D semifinal Thursday.
The victory vaults the Wolves into Tuesday’s 7:30 p.m. final against No. 1 Ellicottville at Allegany-Limestone Central School. The Eagles beat No. 4 Panama 5-2 in the other semifinal Wednesday.
“We did not play our best game, but we did enough in the end,” Clymer/Sherman head coach Dave Bodamer said. “We need to be more disciplined at the plate for sure. Pine Valley played us tough today and teams like them who start putting it together right before the playoffs are scary.”
In the sixth inning Thursday, Kelsey Wagner and Lily Martin drew bases-loaded walks, Elli Bodamer had an RBI single, and Harleigh Faulkner had a two-run single.
“The bats were silent until the sixth,” Coach Bodamer said. “We also took advantage of some walks and manufactured some good scoring opportunities. We will have to play a lot better Tuesday if we hope to win the section.”
Wagner finished 2 for 3 with a double and three runs scored; Janelle Burchanowski doubled, drove in a run and scored a run; and Bodamer and Faulkner each had two hits.
“Harleigh Faulkner came through for us offensively along with others,” Coach Bodamer said. “Janelle and Kelsey had some very timely doubles for us as well.”
Bodamer threw a four-hitter with 12 strikeouts and a walk in the circle.
Destiney Lindquist hit a home run in the third inning and Danica Farnham had an RBI single in the fifth inning for the Panthers. Farnham struck out six while allowing nine hits and four walks in the circle.
“We are excited to be in the finals, but not satisfied,” Coach Bodamer said. “We lost to Westfield last year 4-0, so this group knows what it will take to finish the job. It’s going to be a very tough task so we will play it out and see what happens.”