Saturday, June 4, 2016: Bradford pitcher throws perfect game in quarterfinals

   English threw a perfect game Friday, setting down all 21 batters, as Bradford defeated Franklinville 4-0 in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association softball quarterfinals in Scio.

   English struck out 10. She had won the Section 5 final with a 15-strikeout three-hitter earlier in the week.

   "Since the sectionals have started, she has absolutely upped her game," Bradford coach Kim Driscoll said. "I just think her leadership the past five (playoff) games has really come through."

   Emily Wagner delivered two-run doubles in the fourth and the sixth innings to account for all of the scoring.

   Walk-off win: MacArthur scored twice in the bottom of the seventh, capped by a walk-off walk, for an 8-7 win over Commack in the Long Island Class AA championship game.

   With MacArthur trailing 7-6, Lisa Fabig walked with the bases full to force in the tying run. Deanna Barrera also drew a walk to drive in Gabby DeNunzio and advance the Generals to next weekend's semifinals.

   "I've never been in that situation before and it was incredibly exciting," Barrera told Newsday. "My mindset was just to do my job. It was just a matter of zoning in."

   'AA' champs advance: Defending champ Orchard Park advanced to the semifinals with a 3-1 win over Webster Schroeder.    Lydia Petricca's double to the gap broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth as Orchard Park, which had a 9-8 record late in the regular season, won its eighth straight game.

   Ballston Spa wins: Sophomore Grace Thompson hit a three-run home run in the third inning to account for all the scoring in Ballston Spa's 3-0 win vs. Liverpool in another Class AA quarterfinal.

   "She is an aggressive batter and will swing at anything she can reach," coach Amanda Fifield said. "She's said all season, 'I know I can get it over (the fence).' She got it over at the best time it could."

   Senior pitcher Ashlyn Kersch tossed a four-hitter, only going to a 2-0 count once in seven innings. She fanned nine.

   Class A softball: Senior Sarah Cornell tossed a two-hitter and struck out 14 as W.T. Clarke defeated Mount Sinai 7-1 to capture a second straight Long Island championship.

   Kirstin Cox walked to lead off the first, advanced on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on a double by Victoria Sferazza to give Clarke a 1-0 lead. Sabrina Caputo followed with a single to make it 2-0, and the Rams tacked on four runs in a the second inning.

    • Pittsford Mendon improved to 25-0 by beating West Seneca East 2-0 on senior Taryn Welch's two-hitter.

   Class B softball: Depew advanced by routing Bath 11-0 as junior Karsen Cotton scattered three hits and struck out 10, while seniors Nicole Ross and Abby Nicometi (solo home run) combined for four hits, five runs and two runs batted in.

   Class C softball: Sophomore right-hander Izzy Milazzo, who didn't take over No. 1 pitching duties until the sectional semifinals, threw a five-hitter as Elmira Notre Dame blanked top-ranked Cooperstown 4-0.

   Milazzo struck out five, didn't give up a walk and fielded her position flawlessly.

   "Izzy has a way where I feel confident that nobody's going to hit it out or there's not going to be any big hits," junior infielder Maura Glovins told the Star-Gazette.

   Notre Dame broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the fifth inning en route to its second straight regional championship. Glovins went 3-for-4 and scored two runs. Senior shortstop Alivia Clark was 2-for-4 with an RBI double in the fifth inning and a two-run single in the seventh inning.

    • Eight of the nine starters had at least one hit and Caledonia-Mumford eliminated Cleveland Hill 6-4 to reach its first softball semifinals. Gillian Flint (three hits), Meghan Mietlicki (two) and Amanda Coyle drove in two runs apiece.

   More Class D softball: Fort Ann beat Crown Point 6-0 as Allison Vrooman drove in two runs in the first inning and Bri Amodio tacked on a two-run double in the seventh to improve the Cardinals' record to 22-0.

    • Makenzie Stiles retired the first 10 and final seven Eldred batters in Deposit's 8-0 triumph.

   Bryn Martin's two-out, two-run base hit accounted for the second and third runs of the first inning for the defending NYSPHSAA champions.

   Deposit has outscored its opponents by a combined 44-3 in the postseason.

   Double duty this month: Victor junior Erika Tillotson will be competing in two sets of state championships in the first two weekends of June after having qualified for the state track meet in unusual fashion Wednesday.

   Though the state golf championship is conducted in the spring, Section 5 contests the sport in the fall. Tillotson shot an 84 at Deerfield in October to win the Section 5 championship and qualify for this weekend's state competition.

   The problem, though, was that she has become a top-notch hurdler for the Blue Devils' outdoor track team and earned a berth in Friday's scheduled state qualifier in Penn Yan -- a logistical impossibility since she would already be en route to the golf tournament at Bethpage State Park.

   So Section 5 convened a special qualifying session at Penn Yan's track on Wednesday, the Democrat and Chronicle reported. Tillotson ran the 400-meter hurdles race alone from lane 4 and finished in 1:02.95 to easily crack the qualifying time of 1:04.04 for the state meet.

   When no one else in Division I beat her time or the state qualifying standard Friday -- Fairport sophomore Sinead Sargent won in 1:05.05 -- Tillotson clinched her berth in the state meet June 10-11 at Cicero-North Syracuse.

   Extra points: Roy C. Ketcham baseball coach Pat Mealy will add girls basketball to his responsibilities according to Hudson Valley Sports Report. Mealy, whose baseball team is in the state quarterfinals this weekend, is slated to be appointed Tuesday at the Wappingers Central School District school board meeting.

   Mealy will take over for Andy Cameron, who was making long commutes each day from his job at S.S. Seward.