Softball: Madison Smith, Bureau Valley rally past Orion

MANLIUS – The Bureau Valley Storm softball team got its rally hats going in the bottom of the fifth inning Friday, scoring four runs on the way to a 5-3 win over Orion in a Three Rivers crossover on a chilly evening in Manlius.

It was just what the Storm (4-2) needed after a seven-day break between games because of the weather.

“We had to clean up some things tonight. But overall, we fought back as a team and got the win,” winning pitcher Madison Smith said.

Smith, a junior, didn’t mind the chilly temps at all.

“We play any day we can,” she said.

Senior right fielder Kate Stoller got the Storm’s rally going in the fifth with a leadoff single, and senior left fielder Emma Stabler doubled. Leadoff hitter Ashley Maynard slapped to Orion third baseman Hayden Gehring, who came home with the throw, but it was much too late as Stoller scooted in to cut Orion’s lead to 3-2.

Stabler scored on a wild pitch to tie the game, and sophomore Abby Jamison grounded out to first to bring Maynard home with the go-ahead run.

Wright singled, and Smith helped herself with an RBI double to put the Storm up 5-3.

“It started off with Stoller and Stabler, who really have been hitting the ball well for us,” BV coach Dave Shepard said. “I love it, because they usually put the ball in play pretty decent, and that rounds us off right to the top with Lesleigh [Maynard].”

The importance of Jamison’s RBI groundout to give the Storm the lead was not lost on the Storm coach.

“That was huge. She’s young, and you can put her in tough spots and she just keeps getting better and better,” he said.

Smith said getting that offensive support makes her stronger in the circle.

“Gives me a lot of comfort when I’m pitching. If somebody gets on, I can trust we have enough insurance runs,” she said.

Smith pitched out of a two-on, no-out jam in the seventh to nail down the win. She got the first out with a force at third, struck out the Chargers’ Lainey Kunert, who homered in the third, swinging, and got Kenadi Sovey to pop up to first baseman Olivia Eckberg to end the game.

Smith scattered eight hits and one walk, allowing only one earned run while striking out eight.

“She was throwing really hard today,” Wright said of her battery mate.

“Maddie and [Carly] Reglin are both great pitchers. It’s great having them,” Shepard said.

Wright and Smith both wrapped out two hits with Stoller and Stabler each going 1 for 3 at the plate.

“It’s such a plus having Emily and Maddie bat third and fourth for us. You see their confidence at the plate. For my rest of our team, I want them to be contagious on that,” Shepard said. “I said at the beginning, the hitting is the toughest part, and it should be, because you got really good pitching. Hits are going to come when they come.

“I really thought the girls came together for a team win. The two games we’ve lost, we made errors and we just couldn’t fight back. And that’s what we’ve been talking about the last two weeks, coming together as a team and fighting as a team. I’m really happy.”

Wright said the week layoff was really of no bother to the Storm.

“We work every day, we pitch every day. Honestly, I feel like we’ve got better,” she said.

Orion (1-5) scored single runs in each of the first three innings to take a 3-0 lead.

The Storm got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning with a bloop hit by Wright, a double by Smith and a wild pitch to score Wright to make the score 3-1.

The Bureau Valley JV won 6-1 following the varsity game.

The Storm return to action at 11 a.m. Saturday against Polo, the game switched to Manlius because of unplayable fields at Polo.