OSWEGO, NY – League softball champions, a come-from-behind lacrosse rally that fell just short, runners tearing up tracks and lady lacrosse teams prepping for post season are just some of the recent highlights in Oswego scholastic athletics.
Lady Bucs Capture Division Crown
Not only has the Oswego High School girls’ varsity softball team had to overcome opponents this year, but Mother Nature forced an unnatural type of schedule at the Lady Bucs.
However, on Saturday the OHS varsity softball team came together with a complete game in the most important game (thus far) of the 2011 season as they met their major competitor for the CNYCL American Division – the Central Square Red Hawks.
The teams were tied atop the standings entering the final regular season game and fans anticipated a nailbiter.
What the fans witnessed was a game when it all game together for the Bucs.
Coach Mike McCrobie said, “Pitching, defense, the short game and the long ball all tied together nicely” as Oswego won 8-0 to clinch the CNYCL American title for the second consecutive year.
Emily Kolenda pitched a one-hitter, retiring 21 of the 23 batters she faced. She struck out five and no Red Hawk runner reached third base.
Second baseman Erika Lazzaro handled six ground balls flawlessly and Mary Montagnola made another sparkling catch in centerfield to support Kolenda.
The lady Bucs plated the only run they would need in the home third. Lazzaro, who was on base all four times in the leadoff spot, singled and stole second. Devynn Wilder doubled home Lazzaro and it was 1-0 Bucs.
Oswego put the game out of reach with a five-run fifth inning. Lazzaro was again the catalyst singling to start the uprising. Allie Yule then bunted her way on. Wilder drove them both in with a double to left. Kolenda followed with a homerun deep over the centerfield fence, making it 5-0. Ashlee Wapen tripled to continue the rally and scored on a perfectly executed suicide squeeze bunt by Mary Montagnola.
Lazzaro, Yule, and Kolenda added sixth inning hits to add a pair of insurance runs.
The Lady Bucs wrapped up CNYCL play with a 7-3 record (12-5 overall). Though the Bucs have long tradition of success, according to veteran coach McCrobie, this year’s edition has exceeded all expectations.
“We graduated one of the best senior classes in recent memory last June and we weren’t sure we could replace them. There were some growing pains early this season, but this team figured out that with a lot of hard work and some confidence, they might be able to do it,” McCrobie stated.
With one of the team’s goals accomplished, the Lady Bucs move on to the Section III Class AA playoffs.
The Bucs are seeded number four for post season sectional play and ironically will play Central Square this Thursday at 4:30 p.m. on the OHS Field in a quarterfinal.
As the season wound down the Oswego High School varsity softball team concluded its six-game week by dropping a doubleheader by scores of 4-3 and 15-7 against West Genesee. The Lady Bucs are now 5-2 in the CNYCL and 10-4 overall.
In the first game, the Lady Bucs trailed 3-1, but rallied for two seventh inning runs to force extra innings. In the seventh, Taylor Maas reached on an infield error. Erika Lazzaro then blasted a long double to the base of the 225-foot wall in left field that scored Maas. Allie Yule drove home Lazzaro to knot the score at three.
The Wildcats won it in the eight on hits by Katie Regin and Kaleigh Churchill.
The Bucs had built a 1-0 lead to open the game. Lazzaro led off with a single, was sacrificed to second by Yule, and scored on Devynn Wilder’s single.
Lazzaro lead Oswego’s nine-hit attack with a double and two singles. Wilder and Yule added two hits apiece, with Maas and Vickie Race chipping in one apiece.
Emily Kolenda took the loss, scattering 8 hits and walking three.
The second game, a continuation of a rain-suspended game from April 25, began in the fourth inning with the Bucs trailing 4-3. The Wildcats put the game away early with a seven run outburst in their first at-bats against pitcher MacKenzie King.
The Bucs rallied for four runs in the seventh, but dropped the 15-7 verdict. Wilder had homered prior to the game was halted last month. Also providing offense for Oswego with singles were Lazzaro, Yule, Kolenda, Maas, Sarah Mancuso and Mary Montagnola.
Unbelievable Buc Lacrosse Sectional Loss
Oswego and Watertown squared off in this year’s Section III Class B varsity boys’ lacrosse game at Wilber Field on Friday night.
It was expected to be a tight game, but at the beginning it was all Watertown. However, Oswego came back with a nearly unbelievable rally before losing 11-10 in overtime.
Coach Doc Nelson said, “It was a tremendous effort by our kids as they had to dig themselves out of a huge hole.”
The Bucs trailed 8-0 after one quarter. However, Nelson noted, “Despite the score they never panicked and just kept chipping away.”
By halftime it was a 9-4 game and then the Bucs scored four more in the third to cut the deficit to 9-8. At the end of regulation the Bucs had tied it at 10-10.
Nelson said, “Jon Kaplewicz tied it with a beautify move as he scored a double pipe shot.”
Nelson was proud of the effort as he said, “We totally shut down a couple of their kids for the last three quarters and sophomore Chase Izyk did a tremendous job for us.”
In the overtime Nelson explained, “their best player, nominated for All-American just two nights before, took the ball and made the play he had to make” to give Watertown the victory.
Dom Cianfarano had three goals to pace the Bucs while Kyle Clark, Matt Lloyd and Kaplewicz had two each. Dan Maniccia had the other goal. Kaplewicz and Maniccia each had two assists and Cody Mariano and Jeremy Purce each had assists.
In the net, Trent Yule had 14 saves for the Bucs who finished the year 8-9.
Keefe on the Run Again
The Oswego varsity boys track team turned in one of its best performances of the season on Saturday at the Cicero-North Syracuse Invitational.
The Bucs placed sixth out of 20 teams. The field included many of the best teams in Section III, Oswego coach Erwin Dewey said.
Oswego’s Cory Keefe continued his great season as he won the 110-meter high hurdles in 14.9. He placed second in the 200-meter dash in 23.11.
Colin Morgan had the best day of his career as he placed fourth in the 3,200 meters with his best time of 10:42.4, and placed seventh in the 1,600 meters with a personal-best time of 4:47.9.
Mike Ruggio continued to do well as he took third in the shot put (44’ 6”). “He has been a consistent scorer all season,” Dewey said.
Matt DiFabio, Jim Dillon, Dave Johnson, Mitch Rabalais, and Morgan Rabalais all closed out the season with their best times in the 1,600 meters. Pete Khamis had personal bests in the 800 meters and the 400 meters.
Dewey said he was pleased with the progress of the team throughout the season.
“The team was young, but kept working hard all season as their times showed in the results of the meet,” he said.
On Wednesday, Keefe, Morgan, and Ruggio will represent Oswego in the Section III Class AA Meet.
The Oswego varsity boys track team lost to a strong Corcoran team 91-48 recently in Syracuse.
Dewey said the Bucs turned in some of their finest performances of the season, but the Cougars just had superior athletes.
Cory Keefe led the Bucs in scoring as he won four events against outstanding competition. Keefe broke Jon Frechette’s school record in the 110-meter high hurdles by turning in a time of 14.7, winning the event going away.
Keefe also won the 100-meter dash with an excellent time of 11.0, the 200-meter dash with a season-best time of 22.7, and the long jump with a distance of 20’ in his first time in the event.
Keefe finished the season undefeated in league meets, scoring 20 points in each.
Colin Morgan continues to run well for Oswego. He won the 3,200 meters in 10:54.2 and took second in the 1,600 meters (4:53). He also placed third in the 800 meters (2:18) as he continues to earn points for the team.
Steve LiVoti broke through with a win in the discus (105’ 5”) as he finishes his senior season on a high note.
Mike Ruggio won the shot put with a distance of 43’ 11”. He placed third in the discus (90’) as he had an off day in that event.
Devlin Babcock continues to show improvement in the triple jump. He placed second with a distance of 35’ 8”.
Alejandro Lara placed second in the pole vault as he had his best effort of the season.
Mitch Rabalais finished third in the 3,200 meters as he ran well.
Other Bucs who improved their performances were Garrett Skinner in the triple jump and the 800 meters, and Lara and Ruggio in the 400 meters.
“I was pleased that almost everybody competed today as they all tried for their best times of the season,” Dewey said.
Lady Bucs Track and Field
Despite turning in many personal best performances, the Oswego girls’ track team concluded its CNYCL dual meet season with a loss to the host Lady Cougars of Corcoran.
Sophomore Alexis Washington was a winner for the Lady Bucs, placing first in the discus, with a personal best toss of 67′ 7″, an improvement of over seventeen feet. She also finished second in the shot put. Junior Alyssa Suits won the shot put for Oswego and placed third in the discus. Freshman Katrina Tafler also placed first, winning the long jump with a leap of 12′ 9″.
With all four relay runners earning personal best splits, the Oswego 4 x 800 meter relay foursome of Nikole Bonacorsi, Leah Weiss, Catherine Wells, and Tara Stacy (2:38.7), shattered their previous season best by almost two minutes, with an outstanding time of 11:19.2, to finish second by under three seconds.
Other seconds for Oswego included Weiss in the 1500 meter run, Bonacorsi in the 800 meter run, and Caylin Ward in the long jump.
Turning in fine personal best efforts, for the much improved Lady Bucs, were McKenzie Demong in the 100 meter dash, Deondra Smith in the 100 and 200 meter dash, Caylin Ward in the 400 meter dash, and Kaela Shafer in the 3000 meter run.
Strong efforts for Oswego included Paige Gray in the 800 meter run, Ciara Bezio in the discus, Teaghan Aston in the 400 meter dash, Michelle Champagne in the 1500 and 3000 meter run, and the Lady Bucs 4 x 100 meter relay of Deondra Smith, Colleen Fraser, McKenzie DeMong, and Katrina Tafler.
Temp and Lady Golfer Warm Up
The Oswego Lady Buc Golf Team has not had any decent scoring days this season. In golf, a scoring day can be defined as a day in which the weather cooperates to provide a golfer an optimal chance to play well. So far, 2011 has given the Lady Bucs rain, wind and cold temperatures, that is until recently when Oswego traveled to Hickory Hills Golf Course in Baldwinsville to do battle with the 7-2 Bees.
The dry ground, warm temperatures and light winds propelled Oswego to one of its best totals in four seasons of play. Although the team’s total stroke count of 164 did not quite eclipse B-Ville’s total of 155 on the par 31 executive course, the match did include some record breaking performances by the Bucs.
In this match, four Oswego players shot their personal best score (relative to par). These players included: Sarah Gosek (39), Meghan LiVoti (41), Caroline Reynolds (42), and Tess Gordon (42). Also during this match, Oswego accumulated a season high nine team pars and a season tying one team birdie. The team established its lowest team total (164) or the season and freshman Tess Gordon capped off the impressive team performance by qualifying for sectional play later this month, a goal she had set at the start of the season.
“It’s nice to finally get a day where we can go out and not worry about the weather,” commented a pleased Coach Rose after the match. “The girls deserve some good playing conditions and today we finally got some.”
Although Oswego lost this particular match, it is clear that they have come a long way this season. Last year, Oswego played a similar Baldwinsville team on the same Hickory Hill’s course in the same pleasant conditions, and produced a total score of 188, an astounding 24 stroke difference from this year!
“What a difference a year makes,” Coach Rose smiled as he commented on the comparison.
With three matches to go, the Lady Bucs are excited about the possibility of eclipsing last year’s win total.
They will need to win at least one more match in order to meet this goal. The team is looking forward to the opportunity when they take on Central Square at Greenview Golf Course on Tuesday.
Sectionals Next for Lady Lax
The Oswego High School Lady Bucs are headed into post season play seeded number two in Class B behind Watertown.
Recently, the Bucs headed north to play Watertown in a regular season game. Oswego lost 19-5.
Kaitlyn Armstrong had two goals while Taylor Giglio, Becca Martin and Christi Hoefer also scored for the Bucs. Sam McCarrick along with Martin each had an assist.
In the net, Hayley Lukaczyk had seven saves and Tayler Bowman three for the Bucs.
Sectional play will start on Thursday at Henninger at 7 p.m. when the Bucs will square off against the winner of Jamesville-DeWitt and Fulton.
Jayvee Softball Action
The Oswego jayvee softball team lost for the third time this season to FM, 8-4.
FM plated seven runs in the first two innings.
The Bucs scored four in the fifth inning, but the early deficit proved too much.
Margeurite Dillon doubled, Whitney Daino, Isabella Winklestine, Molly Malone, Monica Randall, Rachel Purtell, and Allison Batchelor all singled.
MacKenzie King and Batchelor shared the pitching duties.
Jayvee Lacrosse Win
The Oswego girls’ jayvee lacrosse team won its fourth consecutive game with an 8-4 win over visiting Central Square, bringing their overall record to 6 – 6.
The Bucs led 4 – 2 at half, as both teams struggled to find their offensive rhythm. Central Square came out and scored the first goal of the second half to cut the lead to 4 – 3.
The Lady Bucs responded with the next three goals to stretch their lead to 7-3 and were never challenged again.
Once again leading the scoring parade was Hannah Fitzgerald with three goals. Others contributing to the scoring column were Sydney Knight with two goals and an assist, Brooke Broadwell, Morgan Cook and Kara Collins with one goal each. Mallory Gordon added two assists and Hailey Adams one.
Goalie Kerrigan Cummins played an outstanding game with a season high 19 saves. Kerrigan now has over 100 saves through 12 games. She was ably supported by a very strong overall team defense, led by Emily Henderson, Jodi Kester, Brooke Broadwell, Madisyn Whelan, Ashley Sharkey, Ali Hare and Taite Phillips.
The Bucs fell to West Genesee 22-1 as the Wildcats stormed out to a 6-0 lead in less than five minutes and led 19-1 at intermission.
The lone goal was scored by Knight.
Oswego lost to CNS 17-7 to finish the year 6-8. It was a tight game at the half with the Bucs trailing 7-5, but CNS exploded in the second half. Knight had three goals while Catie Geroux had two goals and Broadwell along with Collins had one each.
Kerrigan Cummins had 15 saves for the Bucs while Mikayla Allen had one.
Modified Softball
Liverpool scored a 19-6 win over the Oswego modified softball team.
Kelci Sommers started off on the mound and pitched three innings and gave up 10 runs. Elexis Rinoldo pitched three innings and gave up nine runs.
The Bucs showed great progress stringing together some hits.
Hitting for Oswego were Jordan McCauley and Mai Delaney both with singles, Kennedy Thompson scorched a double and Hannah Gorman a single.
Making outstanding plays for the Bucs were Nora Culeton (shortstop), Emily Lloyd (third), Julie Pilot (left field), Allie Henderson (right field), Kelci Sommers (pitcher) and Maia Delaney (shortstop).
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