With the Region III Championship and a ticket to the NJCAA National Championship on the line, the Red Barons softball team rose to the occasion and got an 11-2 win over a very good Niagara Thunderwolves squad.
The Corning offense came up big in the first inning and took a commanding 4-0 lead. Lexi Wood struck first as she smacked a single up the middle to score Emma Loomis for the games first run. Bella Benjamin followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Grace Vondracek and then Grace Talbut hit a two-run missile over the right centerfield fence. Niagara threatened n the top of the second with their leadoff reaching base but centerfielder Kiarah Grover ran down a shot in the right-center gap and came up firing to first base to double up the Wolves and change the momentum of the inning. NCCC managed to get on the board in the top of the fourth but it was the Corning defense that again making a big play to shut down a potentially big inning. With runners on second and third with one out, a ground ball to shortstop ended up with Vondracek catching the runner at 3rd too far off the bag for the second out and again ending any threat. The Red Barons blew the game open in the bottom of the fourth, scoring 6 runs and extending their lead to 10-1. Corning loaded the bases and then Vondracek took a full count pitch deep over the left centerfield fence for a Grand Slam and four big Corning runs. Two batters later, Talbut would plate Benjamin with a double and then Jodie Burdick would single home Talbut. Corning tagged on another run in the fifth thanks to a Wood double to bring home Vondracek. In the top of the seventh, the Corning defense made another big play as Loomis chased down a foul ball down the left field line and made a diving catch to get the innings first out and put Corning within two outs of a Regional Championship. Niagara scored one in the seventh before Corning recorded the third and final out. The Red Baron pitching duo of Emily McCreery and Jayden Hill were sharp and combined to shut down a strong NCCC offense allowing only 5 hits in seven innings and recorded 6 strikeouts. Burdick ended the day going 3 for 3, Vondracek 2 for 2 with 4 RBI's, while Wood (2 RBI's) and Talbut (3 RBI's) each went 2 for 4.
With the win, Corning (39-6) has won their second straight NJCAA Region III Championship and berth in the NJCAA National Tournament. The Red Barons have a two-year Region III regular season record of 60-0 and a Region III record, inlcusive of playoffs, of 68-2.
The NJCAA National Tournament will again take place at Carrier Park in Syracuse, New York from Wednesday, May 25th through Saturday, May 28. The tournament seeding will be announced Sunday at noon by the NJCAA.