Lady Tigers earn return trip to sectional finals

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Lyndonville shortstop Lorelei Dillenbeck awaits the throw as Honeoye’s Sydney Pulver slides to second base on a steal. The action took place during the Lady Tigers sectional semifinal win this afternoon at Oakfield-Alabama.

Earning a fourth straight trip to the finals, No. 2 seed Lyndonville downed No. 3 Honeoye 10-8 in the semifinals of the Section V Class D1 softball playoffs this afternoon at Oakfield-Alabama.

Breaking away from a 3-3 deadlock, Lyndonville regained the lead for good by erupting for 7 runs in the third inning on RBI singles by Addison Dillenbeck and Brooke Robinson along with three fielders choice plays, a bases loaded walk and an error. Singles by Brianna Krisher, winning pitcher Haley Shaffer and Bella Groves set up the threat.

Honeoye did cut the deficit to two at 10-8 by scoring 4 times in the fifth frame aided by a three-run error but could get no closer.

Shaffer and her defensive mates blanked Honeoye over the final two innings. A double play from Addison Dillenbeck in centerfield to Groves at first base closed out the seventh inning to put a lock on the victory.

Earlier in the game the Lady Tigers scored twice in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Lorelei Dillenbeck and an RBI single by Shaffer and once in the second on an RBI triple by Lorelei Dillenbeck.

Shaffer finished with a total of 3 hits and Groves 2,

Improving to 15-3, Lyndonville will now face the No. 4 Notre Dame in the D1 title contest at Fillmore at 1 p.m. Saturday. Notre Dame upended No. 1 Keshequa 7-4 in the other semifinal.

The Lady Tigers lost to Keshequa 10-8 in the 2019 title contest and bowed to Bolivar-Richburg in both the 2021 and 2022 championship contests. There were no sectionals in 2020 because of the Covid 19 shutdown.

Lyndonville’s Bella Groves gets the out a first base on Honeoye’s Alexa Colon.