IAC SOFTBALL: EDISON EDGES WAVERLY, 2-1, LEAGUE TITLE GAME (16 PHOTOS) (2019-05-17)
Valley Sports ReportITHACA "” Edison scored a pair of runs early, and Bella Willsey made it stand up as the Lady Spartans avenged a regular-season loss with a 2-1 win over Waverly in a battle of state-ranked teams here Thursday evening in the IAC Championship game at Cornell's Niemand-Robinson Field.
The Lady Wolverines, ranked second in Class B in New York State, fall to 15-2, while Edison, ranked fifth in Class C, improves to 15-3. Waverly beat Edison 1-0 two weeks ago.
"The IAC championship lived up to the hype, a 2-1 ball game and a true pitchers duel between Wendi (Hammond) and Bella (Willsey)," said Waverly coach Brian Wendela. "Unfortunately, today we gave a few extra outs to a good Edison team and it came back to hurt us back-to-back innings.
"I'm proud of the way the girls battled until the end of the game," added Wendela. "Tonight, Edison just had the answers when they needed them most."
Wendela believes the loss will prove beneficial.
"It's a good game moving forward into sectional play, but we need to clean up some mental mistakes we have made the last two nights," he said.
"Overall, it was a good test and a game where we can use the experience gained to our benefit going into the sectional playoffs," added Wendela.
Edison took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second on an RBI single by Emily Baker, and extended its lead to 2-0 in the third inning on an RBI double by Bella Willsey, whose two-out single in the fifth inning was the Lady Spartans' only hit the remainder of the game.
Junior Riley Hall belted a two-out double in the top of the first inning, but Waverly did not have another run reach second base until the sixth inning.
Hammond smacked a two-out double, and scored on an RBI double sophomore Hali Jenner to trim the deficit to 2-1. After walks to Hall and junior Paige Lewis loaded the bases, a fly ball to left field ended the inning.
Bella Willsey struck out the side in order in seventh inning to preserve the win.
Waverly wraps up the regular season Friday at Tioga.
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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly's Wendi Hammond. ... PHOTOS COURTESY OF MATT PATTON.
