BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WETM) – Two of the area’s best high school softball teams came up just short of state championships.

Horseheads and Haverling softball each earned state runner-up finishes, on Saturday. The Blue Raiders were bested by Section VI’s Orchard Park 3-1 at Binghamton’s Greenlight Grand Slam Park. The Quakers struck 1st, driving 2 runs across on 2 base hits, over the opening 2 frames. After the RBI’s from Ella Hernandez and Maggie Kandefer, HHS answered with consistent hitting.

In the bottom of the 2nd, Aubrey Howe singled, but would be the force out at 2nd, as Dylan Young delivered a base hit of her own. Grace Cronin followed up with a double, sending Young to 3rd. One batter later, 7th grader Presely McInnis put the Blue Raiders on the board, scoring Young on a sacrifice fly.

After the early offense, OP’s Ava Farina and Horseheads’ Megan Wolf would silence the bats, until the the late innings. In the 6th, McKenzie McCann executed a perfect squeeze bunt, scoring Bri Owczarczak from 3rd as the insurance run. Following the RBI, Farina would close out the win from the mound, only conceding a single to Chloe Perritt.

(Photo Courtesy: NYSPHSAA) Buffalo Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott celebrates with his daughter Madeline, as Orchard Park defeats Horseheads for the Class AA state title.

Featuring as one top stars on the Orchard Park roster was sophomore Madeline McDermott, who celebrated her team’s Class AA title win with her father, Buffalo Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott. Madeline crossed the plate, as the Quakers’ 1st run of the game.

As for the Blue Raiders, the runner-up finish in Class AA is far from a disappointment. Horseheads entered the game as the top seed in the class and reached their 1st state championship game since 2008. HHS Head Coach Paul Richmond expressed his pride in the team after their effort.

“I’m proud of these girls, said Richmond. We always say, the farther you go, the more disappointed you’ll be at the end. We just ran into a really good pitcher, but we battled, tried our best, and just came up short today.”

A few feet away, Haverling battled top-ranked Chatham in the Class B Championship. The Rams, who were appearing in their 1st ever title game, were shut down by an outstanding pitching performance from Skylar Groom.

With a 2-run cushion throughout the game, Groom no-hit Haverling until the bottom of the 7th inning. Prior to the final frame, Chatham added to their lead, as Addison Perry tacked on a 2-RBI single to extend the advantage to 4-0.

The Rams finally broke through in the 7th, as Caydence Spears ripped a single, ending the no-hit bid. Ryleigh Laverty followed in the order, reaching 1st on a wild throw, while moving Spears to 3rd. However, Laverty would be caught trying to take 2nd for the 2nd out. Groom would then, close out the game in the next at-bat, collecting her 11th strikeout of the contest.

Despite the loss, Texas State University commit Kaili Witherell turned in a solid pitching performance for her final act as Haverling’s all-time active strikeouts queen. The New York State Gatorade Player of the Year surrendered 6 hits, while striking out 9.

Haverling senior pitcher and Texas State commit Kaili Witherell closes out her high school career, striking out 9 batters in the NYSPHSAA Class B final.

Witherell was dominant all season, holding an ERA of 0.73. Prior to the state finals loss, the Rams had only allowed 2 runs over 3 playoff games, with their senior ace on the mound. Rams’ Head Coach Rachel Ratchford shared just how important Witherell was for the team.

“I think a lot of our success this year was due to the fact that we rallied around her offensively and defensively, said Ratchford. I think that made a huge difference compared to the last 3 years. I’m just really honored to have been her coach because she is phenomenal.”

The Rams will look to build off of a Section V Class B crown and their 1st state title game appearance, as their program looks towards next season.

“There is definitely a lot of promise coming back, said Ratchford. We are graduating 4 starters and 5 seniors, but we’ve got a whole lot of girls coming back. We also had a really solid JV and modified team this year, so there is a lot of promise, going forward in the program.”