Hot Stove softball: Black River Marquis Graphics rolls past Keystone Breva Construction to win Class A state title, end season undefeated

SPENCER — Make that 2-for-2 for Black River. Second-seeded Marquis Graphics used strong pitching and plenty of offense to defeat top-seeded Keystone Breva Construction 12-1 in five innings Wednesday night to win the Hot Stove Class A (ages 9-10) state championship at J.B. Firestone Park. The win came just a day after Black River Stumpwater Farms won the Class B (ages 11-12) state title. Marquis Graphics ended the season 19-0, while Breva Construction suffered its only loss to finish 19-1. Like her older sister Addy in the Class B game, Emery Phelps started and threw the first two innings for Marquis Graphics, allowing no runs on just a pair of hits with four strikeouts. She was followed in the circle by Elly Leidy, who went the next three innings, giving up the lone run on four hits while striking out five. "Both of my pitchers work really hard with pitching coaches and they're opposites on the mound and a dynamic duo," Marquis Graphics coach Shawna Bowersock said. "One throws harder (Phelps) than the other and one has a lot of accuracy (Leidy)." Harper Kehl started for Keystone and gave up just one run through two innings. Kaylee Galloway started the game by reaching on an error and came around to score on Phelps' single through the middle. Marquis Graphics added a pair of runs in the third when Leidy walked and Annalese Delesky crushed a ball to the fence for a two-run homer and a 3-0 lead. Breva Construction got its lone run in the bottom of the third when Hadley Thompson singled and came home on Ellie Schwartz's hit down the right-field line to cut the lead to 3-1. Marquis Graphics put the game away with four runs in the fourth inning and and five in the fifth. In the fourth, Ella Scarbrough walked and scored on a hit by Galloway, who then scored on a Leidy hit through the middle. Leidy stole home for a run and Phelps walked and scored on a wild pitch to go up 7-1. Marquis Graphics scored the maximum five runs with no outs as in the fifth. Carygan Phillips walked and Kinsley Jones and Ella Scarbrough reached on errors to load the bases. Galloway then drove home a pair with a single to right and two more runs scored on Phelps' second hit of the night. The fifth run came home on the third error of the inning. "We were in this same spot last year against a Black River team (Farm Major class) and we knew this was going to be a tough game," Breva Construction coach Amanda Thompson said. "I have a small, but fearless first-year team and they are amazing. We will get back to work and try to get back here next year." Amherst takes title The fourth-seeded Amherst Legends took control in the first inning, scoring the maximum six runs on the way to a 10-3 win over Firelands Falcons Black in the Farm Major (ages 7-8) state final. Mila Kyle-Elliott, Harlow Garcia, Payton Garcia, Londyn Smith, Addie Roe and Payton Caldwell all reached base and scored for the 6-0 lead. Firelands tried bouncing back in the bottom of the second as Hailey Grills, Autumn Vanthoor and Ella Mae Trupo scored, but that was all the offense it could muster. Contact James Brady at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.