The No. 1 Cincinnatus softball team worked out of a couple tough spots late to beat No. 9 Brookfield 3-2 Thursday at Cincinnatus Central School. Cincinnatus will face No. 5 Oriskany (19-2) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Carrier Park in East Syracuse in the Section III Class D semifinals.
Brookfield broke through in the sixth inning, with Kaysie White scoring on a pair of Cincinnatus errors. That left runners on second and third with two outs in a 3-1 game, and Cincinnatus head coach Mikayla Gates made the move to put Payton Gerrard in the circle to replace Kaylee Brenchley.
Gerrard escaped the inning, getting the first batter she faced to hit a weak line drive at the third baseman. The sophomore lives for big moments like that and stepped up yet again.
“I was like, ‘Let’s do it,’” Gerrard said. “‘Let’s get the job done. It’s OK.’ I love the pressure, it’s fun.”
Brookfield then made it a one-run game in the seventh. The Beavers took advantage of another Cincinnatus error, as Kylee Cucci singled home Mackenzie Bugbee with two outs. Gerrard left Cucci at first base, striking out the next batter with a high fastball.
Gates was happy her girls had it in them to make plays and pitches when needed against a tough Brookfield team.
“They’re just a very tenacious team,” Gates said. “They pull it together and they pull it together well. They pick each other up. Even when they feel like they’re struggling or floundering a little they’re good about pulling it together and making up for it.”
Brenchley and Gerrard both had success in the circle against Brookfield earlier this season. Brenchley tossed a complete game shutout on three hits and a walk with four strikeouts on April 15 and Gerrard allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits and two walks with 12 strikeouts on May 9. Gates elected to start with Brenchley and keep her defensive alignment as strong as possible.
“We wanted to start with her because we have our strongest infield when she’s on the mound with PG at short and Lucy (Finch) at second,” Gates said. “As soon as we pulled PG to the mound, you lose that voice because she’s always communicating with her team.”
Brenchley rewarded her coach by going 5.2 innings, allowing a run on four hits and three walks while striking out two. She was nearly able to replicate her success against Brookfield and didn’t want to change too much up from the first time.
“I was just attacking like usual,” Brenchley said. “I knew I had to work on my spins more outside of practice to get the job done.”
Cincinnatus’ defense was nearly perfect Thursday, which is huge for a pitcher like Brenchley who gets a lot of soft contact.
“It gives me a lot of confidence,” Brenchley said. “It shows that my family always has my back and will always support me.”
Cincinnatus scored its first runs in the bottom of the third, with Gerrard doubling and advancing to third and home on wild pitches and Brenchley singling in Finch.
The Lions scored again in the fifth, with Finch scoring from second on a Madison Stover groundout.
Cincinnatus has scored just nine runs in 19 offensive innings against Brookfield. Gates attributes that to Cucci’s pitching. She went all six innings again Thursday, allowing three runs, one earned, on five hits and a walk with seven strikeouts.
“Kylee is just a good pitcher and you’ve got to respect that,” Gates said. “They kind of know going into the game they’re going to have a difficult time batting and they have to have that headspace that they have to get the bat on the ball. When they do connect, with the way she pitches they just don’t go quite like they want them to.”
Gerrard went 2-for-2 with a double, a walk and a run scored for the Lions, Finch singled, walked and scored twice, Brenchley singled and knocked in a run and Stover drove in a run.
Cincinnatus will have a day to adjust to playing on turf before a sectional semifinal against a strong Oriskany team that beat No. 4 McGraw 12-4 Thursday. Gates is confident in her girls no matter the conditions.
“(Today) it’s just getting used to the bounce on the turf, but they’re going to play their game no matter where it is,” Gates said.
