HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL: CORNING RALLIES TO WIN THIRD SECTIONAL TITLE IN THE PAST 4 YEARS OF SECTIONAL PLAY (24 PHOTOS) (May 27, 2023)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
HORSEHEADS — After the top of the first inning the Corning Hawks found themselves trailing Elmira 3-0 in the Section 4, Class A softball final.

There was no panic in the Hawks. They quickly regrouped, scored three runs in the bottom half of the inning to tie things and then went on to allow one run the rest of the day as they beat the Express 6-4 to win their third sectional title in the past four years with sectional play.

“We played three games in a row against them (Elmira) and we have given up two runs, two runs and three runs to start the game,” Corning coach Mike Johnston Jr. said. “In the first inning they had one that was a bloop that dropped in. Other than that everything was errors. We felt like if we could tighten up our defense a little bit. In the bottom of the first our clutch hitters came up to the plate and they start things for us.

“It gets us back into it and now it’s an even ball game and then you can go out and relax a little bit. I’m just proud of our kids that our are leaders that have been with us a couple three, four years. The rest of these kids we have an eighth grader, three freshman and six sophomores playing for us right now. We joke all the time we’ve got the older kids that have got the experience pitching and catching and that’s where you need them. We just have to keep improving every single day.”

The pitcher and catcher combo of Peyton Sullivan on the mound and Sophia Polzella behind the plate came up big in the game.

Both had a big role in the first-inning rally. After Elmira scored three runs with Payton Ross reaching on an error, moving to second on the error and third on a sacrifice fly by Lily Cornacchio. Riley Ogden singled home Ross and stole second and Allie Howe singled home Ogden. Mackenzie Fusare then reached on an error scoring pinch runner Madelyn Cavalier.

Down 3-0 Polzella started the bottom of the first with a walk. Kendall Curreri then walked and Sullivan tripled home two runs. Maddie Dibble then reached on an error, scoring Sullivan.

For Corning’s young roster nerves may have impacted the first inning of the game.

“I think with how young we are as a team, it’s a lot of our teams first time in a sectional setting,” Pizzola said. “I think a lot of it, more or less, was we had to shake the nerves off and get back to what we do.”

Getting those runs in the bottom of the first calmed the team down.

“We got into our rhythm and we did what we do,” Sullivan said.

For the game Sullivan allowed six hits and four runs, one earned, with seven strikeouts and no walks in the game. Polzella had two hits, with the double, and three runs scored and Sullivan had the triple with two RBI and two runs scored.

“I’m happy for them (the team) from a confidence standpoint,” Johnston Jr. said. “I believe the game is about fundamentals. You throw and you catch and you make plays. We have to be a little more assertive I think and that’s youth. Having confidence in yourself that you are going to be the one to go and make the play and call for the ball.

“The person on the circle and the person behind the plate are our two vocal leaders. Those two have got the most experience. They have been on varsity three years and the expectations is they are going to be the ones to lead us and they are going to give those kids confidence.”

For Sullivan she always trusted her defense would make plays behind her.

“With the whole pitching outlook I know I have to trust myself and the defense behind me and know we are going to get it done no matter what,” Sullivan said. “They are going to put themselves on the line.

“I knew in my heart we were going to come back. I just had to take a second and breathe.”

A year ago in the sectional final the Hawks led Horseheads, but the Blue Raiders came back for the win.

This year it was reversed a bit as Corning capped a 3-0 year against the Express by coming back for the victory.

The Hawks took the lead in the bottom of the third as Polzella singled and Curreri sacrificed her. Sullivan reached on an error, scoring Polzella. Sullivan went to third on the error and Courtney Searfoss singled her home.

Down 5-3, Elmira didn’t quit. They quickly fought back in the top of the fourth as Madisen Jones reached on an error and an Abby Lambert ground out moved her to second. Addisyn Chorney then tripled home Jones. With the tying run at third base the Hawks got out of the inning as Sullivan induced a fly out.

Corning tacked on an insurance run in the bottom fo the fifth as Polzella got her second hit, doubling, and then she stole third. Curreri laid down a bunt and was thrown out at first. Polzella broke for home on the throw to first and she angled her slide around the tag to make it a 6-4 game.

“Coming back, beating a team three times, it’s definitely amazing after what happened last year,” Polzella said.

Johnston loves the grit he has seen from his team this year.

“People don’t understand, these kids have grit,” he said. “My shortstop broke her nose during practice in the middle of the week and she played with a mask today and my pitcher had a high ankle sprain and didn’t even practice for a week and a half.

“There are some kids that took care of their injures and came out and they played because they wanted to win, because they are competitors and that tells me all I need to know about our kids and our program. It’s culture. That’s the expectation with our kids.”

The Hawks worked on those fundamentals all week as they got ready for the game.

“We went back to it this week, right back to the basics,” Piozzla said. “Yesterday we had a three-hour practice to get everything out of our system and get back to how we do things.”

Ross went the six innings for Elmira, striking out five and allowing four hits, six runs, three earned and two walks.

Chorney had the triple and RBI and Lambert, Howe, Ogden, Cornacchio and Ross had hits in the game.

Corning will take on Section 9 champion Monroe-Woodbury in a regional semifinal at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Union-Endicott High School. Monroe-Woodbury beat Warwick for its third straight sectional title.

“We have had to battle through some inexperience,” Johnston Jr. said. “Some of these kids went from modified to varsity and we tried to get 1% better every single day. The people who have come before us, our job was to pick up the torch and keep moving forward. We won the sectional title in 2012, 2019, we won a state championship in 2019, 2021 and now 2023. Consistency is the important part for me. Like I said, we have two seniors on our roster and one of them plays defense and both hit. So we’ve got some big shoes to fill with those two, but I really like what we have coming back as well. Moving forward we are going to get a chance to play against the best teams in the state next Tuesday at 1 o’clock at Union-Endicott High School. I know the kids will be thrilled to not have to be in school that day. It will be fun.

“I am a firm believer, this is my 33rd year coaching high school ball in various sports and I think familiarity is probably the toughest thing. When you battle and you get through Section 4 you have got a really good shot when you get into regional and state play and we have to go with that because people aren’t familiar with you. We do our homework. We find out what people do well and we try and minimize that and we just have to go out and play our game.”
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IN TOP PHOTO: Corning’s Sophia Polzella reacts after Corning won the sectional title. . . . PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES