Track and Field
BINGHAMTON – One can only wonder what Oxford senior Haley Witchella might have achieved had she switched to track and field sooner. Witchella, who already has set five school records in her first season under head coach Irene DeJager, won the Section IV pentathlon title Monday evening.
Witchella was nearly 200 points better than her Midstate Athletic Conference victory a week ago. She scored 2,649 points – a school record – to finish 36 points ahead of Windsor’s Leigh Martino (2,613), and 42 ahead of Ithaca’s Emma Denman (2,607) in the 17-girl field.
“This performance is astonishing considering Haley is a first-year track athlete,” DeJager said. The past three years, Witchella was a member of Oxford’s golf team. “A pentathlete has to be an outstanding athlete who can perform in five events – and excel in all of them.”
Witchella won two of the five events and placed among the top five in every one. She won the high jump clearing 4-10 1/4, and took the shot put (33-11 1/4). Witchella’s biggest improvement was the 800 meters as she finished in 2:40.04 – 14 seconds better than her time last week. Her other results were a 17.88 in the 100-meter hurdles and a 14-10 in the long jump.
Baseball
Greene 8, Unadilla Valley 4
GREENE – The wait was worth it for Greene, who shaded Unadilla Valley Monday afternoon in the Midstate Athletic Conference mini tournament.
The contest was originally scheduled for last Monday, but several rainouts pushed the contest to yesterday. Greene showed little rust at the plate scoring all of its runs in the first four innings.
Trevor Parrish had a two-run single in the first to give Greene a 2-1 lead. Nate Patrick and Jack Phillips contributed ribbies i the third, and Jeff Carlin, Matt Jones, and Andy Norton imparted more damage driving in runs in the fourth to advance the lead over UV to 8-1.
“This game was typical of our year,” said Greene coach Steve Burghardt. “We left a ton of people on base, but we did get some clutch hits when we had to. We put some pressure on them in the fourth, and were able to get some insurance runs.”
Unadilla Valley had a potential breakout inning thwarted by Greene second baseman Corbin Neudel. The Storm loaded the bases with one out, and had an apparent single up the middle. Neudel made a back-handed catch, then ran back to second base to double off the UV runner and end the inning. “That play saved two runs, and who knows how many more,” Burghhardt said. “It was a big play on (Neudel’s) part.”
Curtis Richards went 3-for-4 with two runs to lead Greene, and Jones was 2-for-4.
Brett Smith had a pair of doubles for UV.
Greene plays Bainbridge-Guilford today.
UV 100 012 0 4 6 3
Gre. 202 400 x 8 9 2
Josh Hurlburt (W), Cole Browning (6) and Andy Norton. Brett Smith (L), Brett Gage (5) and Zach Montgomery. Doubles: (UV) Brett Smith (2).
Oxford 7, McGraw 1
OXFORD – Oxford won its sixth game of the season ramping up the offense early in Monday’s victory over McGraw.
Adam Pierson led off the first with the first of three Oxford doubles in the inning. Andrew Golden hit a one-out RBI double to open the scoring, and he moved to third when Ryan Moore reached on an error. Eric Dilfer drove in two runs with an hit-and-run double to right field.
Oxford padded the advantage in the fifth and sixth innings with Pierson and Cameron Heggie collecting RBIs.
Nate Head pitched five shutout innings for the victory allowing just three hits. “We played pretty good defense today, and Head was able to keep their hitters off balance,” said Oxford coach Chris Palmer.
Pierson led the Oxford attack with three hits. The Blackhawks (6-10) play their first-round sectional game Wednesday at Union Springs.
