Guilderland, Niskayuna and Ballston Spa each won opening-round games Wednesday in the Section II Class AA softball playoffs.
No. 8 Guilderland advanced to Friday’s quarterfinal game at top-seeded Shenendehowa by beating No. 9 Schenectady 17-1. The Lady Dutch scored seven runs in the bottom of the second inning on their way to posting the victory.
No. 7 Niskayuna did most of its damage in the latter innings to down No. 10 Albany 15-1. Rachel Annello and Emily O’Donnell each had three hits for the Silver Warriors, who broke the game open with seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Niskayuna travels to No. 2 Colonie Friday.
No. 11 Ballston Spa pulled off a mild upset by defeating No. 6 Catholic Central 3-0 in its opening round game. Pitcher Danielle Groat threw a one-hit shutout and helped her own cause with a home run for the Scotties, who visit No. 3 Bethlehem in Friday’s quarterfinal round.
No. 4 Shaker begins its playoff run Friday when it hosts No. 12 Columbia, which disposed of No. 5 Troy 15-1 Wednesday.
In other Sectional softball action Wednesday, Mohonasen scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to defeat Glens Falls 4-1 in a Class A opening-round game. Kayla Miller’s two-run hit highlighted the late rally for the ninth-seeded Mighty Warriors. Mohonasen travels to top-seed South Glens Falls for Friday’s quarterfinal game.
In Class B, Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk’s season ended with a 5-4 loss to Taconic Hills. The Titans scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to eliminate the Indians, who got three hits from Meghan Pentak.
In Class C, Voorheesville advanced to the quarterfinals with a 15-2 victory over Mayfield. Andrea Bollentin drove in three runs, and pitcher Amanda Gatt limited the Panthers to three hits and struck out 15 for the Blackbirds. Voorheesville travels to St. Johnsville Friday for a quarterfinal game.
Also in Class C, Loudonville Christian overcame six errors to defeat Fort Plain 8-5 Wednesday. The Eagles scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull out the win.
Jillian Hogan singled twice and tripled for Loudonville Christian, which hosts Albany Academy for Girls Friday.`
