Holly Johnson Leaves Rutgers

Former Amherst High School star pitcher Holly Johnson has left Rutgers after completing two seasons at the University with the intention of transferring to another school. Holly holds the Amherst record for strikeouts in a game (21), but she also once struck out 30 (!) in a game when she was pitching for the Culver Girls Academy in Indiana, which set that school's record. She also holds the Indiana State record for RBIs in a game with 11. She played on the 2006 PONY National Champion Amherst Lightning which included current Griffs Katie Lancellotti, Amanda Cannizzo and Kerry Ulmer. She has also played with LaNova.

The rumors are flying over where she may end up this next season (she has two years of eligibility left), but it appears she is coming home to Western New York to play.

2010 Aunt Rosie's Champions

Your 2010 Aunt Rosie's International Fastpitch Champions:

Women's Open
Western Empire Games Team

18U
Brampton Blazers

16U
WNY Sting (Cohen)

14U
Pittsburgh Power

12U
Diamond Girls (Swiatek)

10U
Pittsburgh Power

Congratulations to the champions and all the teams for putting on a great show! Once again, the organizers of the Aunt Rosie's Tournament did a fabulous job of showcasing some terrific youth softball. Photos of the event are available for purchase here:
http://rwphotowny.smugmug.com/ (Not affiliated with this site)

Jen Consaul, Rochester Lady Lions and Canisius College at the 2010 Aunt Rosie's

WESTERN CAPTURES SOFTBALL GOLD!

Western 3
Long Island 0


Western Softball wins its first Empire State Games Gold Medal since 2002. Former Griff Michelle Fridey knocks home all 3 Western runs to seal the championship.

Just as she did so often during her senior season at Canisius, when the game was on the line Michelle Fridey "stepped up to the plate".

The gold medal game was moved up to an earlier start, and it was a good thing it was because they just got it in before the rains came. And it was a classic---both teams fighting hard for the title with good pitching and fielding. Early on Corrin Genovese, one of two high schoolers playing for Western, made a fabulous snag of a line drive down the third base line. Pitcher Lindsay Morris made two great throws to get lead runners at second base and squash Long Island rallies. The middle infield of Ashley Bonetto (SS) and Caitlin Attfield (2B) were a wall at second base denying runners possession. Once again, former Griff Lindsay Morris pitched an outstanding game, allowing only three hits and if I recall correctly only one LI runner made it to third base.

Long Island didn't give an inch in this game, which was scoreless in the 5th inning when Michelle Fridey stepped up to plate with two outs. She hit a hot grounder which the third baseman could not handle; Breanna Fenski raced home in time to give Western what turned out to be the Gold Medal winning run. The game was still up for grabs however in the top of the 7th inning. Rosie Roessel reached first on a controversial play in which she was originally called out. But the Long Island first baseman had dropped the ball, and after a long conference amongst the umpires she was ruled safe. Crucial call in that Michelle Fridey would have never gotten up to the plate if it was an out. The other high schooler, Caitlin Attfield, then reached first base using her great speed after bunting. In her usual clutch style, Michelle drove them both home with with a solid single up the middle. Lindsay Morris retired Long Island in order in the bottom of the 7th, and the celebration was on! It was Western's first Gold in 8 years. Lindsay Morris was on that 2002 team, as was Jesse Rosenhahn who provided the video below.

Congratulations to a talented and dedicated Western team who showed a lot of heart in bringing home the Gold!

Michelle Fridey drives home two runs in the 7th inning to clinch Gold for the Western Softball team at the 2010 Empire State Games. Click lower right corner for full screen.

Video courtesy of:
http://buffalorecruit.com

Lindsay morris was fabulous again more later

Western wins gold! 3-0 michelle fridey drives home all 3

Michelle fridey just gave western a 1-0 lead 5th inning

Western Plays For Gold

The Western Softball team will play in the Gold Medal game against Long Island at the Empire State Games after hanging on to beat Adirondack 5-4 Saturday morning. Lindsay Morris earned her third victory of the tournament, with Chelsea Plimpton picking up the save in relief. Dana Carter and Rosemarie Roessel had two RBIs each.

The Gold medal game has been moved up to 1:30pm due to weather concerns.

More later...

LINDSAY MORRIS PITCHES PERFECT GAME AT ESG

Former Griff Lindsay Morris (pictured) is perfect; Western sweeps, goes for Gold Saturday at the Empire State Games.

Western 10
New York City 0

Western 7
Hudson Valley 3

...more shortly

Ashley Bonetto 5 for 8, homer, 6 RBIs...Corrin Genovese 5 for 8...Michelle Fridey 3 for 3, 2 RBIs, 4 runs...Lindsay Morris 2 wins, PERFECT GAME...Caitlin Attfield 4 for 4...Dana Carter triple, 2 RBIs...Brittany Bonetto 3 for 5, 2 runs... Rosemarie Roessel 2 for 4, 2 runs

Western will clinch a spot in the gold medal game by defeating Adirondack Saturday. The game is scheduled for 8am, we'll have to see what happens with the weather. Lindsay Morris is pitching out of her mind. Perfect in the first game against NYC, she came on in relief of Chelsea Plimpton in the 2nd inning against Hudson Valley and allowed only one hit the rest of that game. Ashley Bonetto had an incredible day, at the plate and in the field where she made a great diving catch in left field foul territory coming all the way out from her shortstop position. Her sister Brittany had 3 hits. Dana Carter hit a huge 2 run triple in the Hudson Valley game . Michelle Fridey, who holds the Canisius single season record for getting hit by pitches, got hit three times! Michelle was also 3 for 3 against NYC with 2 RBIs. Corrin Genovese got another 5 hits on the day; fellow high schooler Caitlin Attfield was a perfect 4 for 4.

Weather may be a problem Saturday; it wasn't so great today but they got the games in.

Western Softball Splits On Day One At ESG

Long Island 2
Western 1 (9)

Western 7
Central 2

Corrin Genovese had a great day at the Empire State Games as the Western Softball team ended day one with a split of their two games. Corrin was 5 for 9 on the day.

Western opened the tournament with a close 2-1 loss to Long Island in a game that was decided in 9 innings. Sara Columbo drove home Caitlin Attfield in the top of the 6th inning and tied the game for Western at 1-1. Ashley Corriss, who plays for Marist, scored the winning run for Long Island in the bottom of the 9th inning. It was a tough loss for Western---Former Griff Lindsay Morris pitched a great game, striking out 8 and allowing only 5 hits. Neither of Long Island's runs was earned. Western had lots of chances in this game, but couldn't produce the runs they needed.

Western bounced back in their second game of the day, against Central, scoring 5 runs in the 5th inning en route to a 7-2 victory. The game was scoreless in the 4th inning when Central threatened with a runner on third. Former Griff catcher Michelle Fridey gunned a throw to Corrin Genovese that picked off the runner and ended the threat. Western took over in the 5th inning when Niki Sabuda, who starred at Buffalo State, laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt that scored former Griff Ashley Bonetto who had reached third base after her sister Brittany, another former Griff, singled to left field. Corrin Genovese then blasted one to deep center field to drive home two runs; Michelle Fridey followed with a two run single. Fordham's Chelsea Plimpton went the distance for Western, giving up two runs in the 7th after her team had built a 6-0 lead.

It's very impressive to see how Corrin Genovese is fitting right in with the older players, most of whom are seasoned college performers. She is the real deal; we will be following her career at Missouri which doesn't begin until 2012.
Western gets right back at it Friday morning.

2010 Empire State Games Open

The 2010 Empire State Games officially opened Wednesday night with a great ceremony at the Buffalo North campus.

http://www.buffalonews.com/incoming/article79226.ece

The Softball competition begins Thursday morning at the Audubon Complex in Amherst. Click the ESG logo on the left hand side of this page for the schedule of all the events.

Go Western!

Griffs Back In Norfolk In 2011

The Golden Griffins will once again travel to Norfolk, Virginia as part of their 2011 softball schedule, this time for the Norfolk State Invitational. Bucknell will also be in the tournament; other teams participating are not known at this time. The tournament will take place March 5 & 6.

Griffs To Play In 2011 College Of Charleston Invitational

Here's another piece of the 2011 Canisius Softball schedule for you...
the Griffs will play at the College Of Charleston Invitational on the weekend of February 18. No word yet on the other teams involved aside from the host. Charleston plays in the Southern Conference; the Griffs were scheduled to play them in the 2009 North Carolina State tournament, but were rained out.

Western Softball Empire State Games Schedule

The torch is in Buffalo and the Empire State Games begin this week. All the softball will be played at the Audubon Complex (formerly the Pepsi Center) in Amherst across the street from the UB North campus. You may purchase tickets online or at the gate. I saw our Western team play at the Aunt Rosie's Open Tournament last week as they trained for the Games. Former Griff Lindsay Morris still has what it takes. It was great seeing the Bonetto twins, and of course Michelle Fridey is in top form. Saw her hit a line drive triple.
The full lineup can be viewed here:
http://www.goldengriffinssoftball.com/2010/07/2010-empire-state-games-western.html

Western schedule:

July 22
Long Island (11:30am)
Central (2:00pm)

July 23
New York City (9:00am)
Hudson Valley (11:30am)

July 24
Adirondack (8:00am)
Playoffs (12:00pm-3:00pm)

Brittany Bonetto (left) Ashley Bonetto (right) with Coach Kim Griffin

Photo from Canisius Softball facebook page

Aunt Rosie's 14U Seedings

Playoff round will take place all day Sunday.

Aunt Rosie's Tournament Concludes This Weekend

The Aunt Rosie's International Fastpitch Tournament concludes this weekend with the very competitive 14U event. See link below for schedule:
http://www.eteamz.com/AUNTROSIES/news/index.cfm?cat=495280

Griffs Will Return To Miami Tournament In 2011

Another piece of the 2011 Canisius Softball schedule---the Griffs will travel to Oxford, OH on the weekend of March 11 to take part in the Miami Tournament for the second consecutive season. Aside from host Miami, other schools scheduled to participate are Wright State and Cleveland State. Maybe one or two more will be added.

The Changing MAAC

Siena and St. Peter's have their new head coaches, but with today's stunning news that Jaime Wohlbach has suddenly left MAAC champion Iona, the Gaels will have to scramble to find a new coach. The Griffs have been fortunate to have the steady guiding hand of Mike Rappl for 30 years---you better believe he's had offers. How this new development will impact the conference remains to be seen.

http://maacsoftball.blogspot.com/2010/07/jaime-wohlbach-leaves-iona.html


Photo courtesy of the Buffalo News

Griffs To Play In Loyola Marymount Tournament In 2011

The first look at the 2011 Canisius Softball schedule shows the Golden Griffins traveling to southern California to take part in the Loyola Marymount tournament March 18-20. LMU is located in the Los Angeles area. Aside from the host team, the Griffs will also play Utah Valley, Northern Colorado and North Dakota. I'm guessing the Griffs may pay a visit to Amanda Baun's hometown of Riverside to play the UCR Highlanders.

Meghan Cuda

Another young player to watch in the next two years is Lew-Port's Meghan "Barra" Cuda. OK I made up her nickname, but it fits. Meghan is a sneaky hitter who has a knack for striking quickly and hitting the gaps. Her high school coach Justalene Olson trusts her enough to just set her loose on unwary pitchers. She has been on the varsity team since she was in the 7th grade, and in 2010 was an All-WNY Large Schools First Teamer. Meghan also plays for the Diamond Girls, and looked to me to be athletic and quick .

(Click lower right corner for full screen)
Hitting a triple to the gap


Skills Video



Videos courtesy of:
http://www.buffalorecruit.com/

Caroline Main 2008

The following article (courtesy of the Stevenson High School website) about Caroline Main being named 2008 Monterey County Athlete Of The Year is interesting in that it tells of how she lifted her high school softball program to elite status. It could be argued that Caroline was the Griffs' most valuable player in 2010, with her 8-0 record in MAAC regular season play. Certainly a lot fell on her shoulders as the season began for a team that lost two senior pitchers. Without her quick progression and dominant conference play, the Griffs would have been hard pressed to qualify for the tournament.

I look forward to watching Caroline play the next two seasons because she's likely to progress to a higher level of performance. In her senior season at Stevenson, she led Monterey County in every pitching category, excepting saves. She pitched 7 no hitters and 20 shutouts, including 2 perfect games, while striking out 350 batters in 33 games.

This article is from June 16, 2008:

There is a trait that separates great athletes from the rest. Some call it desire. Some call it competitiveness. Some even call it stubbornness. Which ever it is, there comes a point when it becomes the driving force in the athlete's life, an almost all-consuming motivation to be better than those they face. Caroline Main began exhibiting such tell-tale signs at an early age. A recent Stevenson graduate, who was named The Herald's Athlete of the Year, Main remembers when playing sports took over. "I played T-ball and Pinto baseball with all the boys as a kid," said Main. "Then when I was 8, my parents wouldn't let me move up to Mustang. They wanted me to play softball instead. I was so mad that I quit." Her self-imposed exile didn't last long. The following year, Main took up softball for the first time, joining the Monterey Rookies. Her team went 0-12, and in her words, Main "stunk it up really bad." That hardly mattered. For a variety of reasons, Main was hooked. Softball became a way of life. In the offseason, she took lessons, and at just about every opportunity, she was outside playing catch with her dad. Main was all of 9 years old. "I grew up watching my dad play fast-pitch softball or adult-league basketball," said Main. "I was just always around sports, but I didn't want to just watch anymore. I wanted to play." Main concluded her stellar high school career at Stevenson in May as perhaps one of the school's greatest all-around athletes ever. She played varsity all four years on three teams — volleyball, basketball and softball. Yet it was softball where she made her biggest mark, becoming the most dominant pitcher and player in Monterey County this year. "I enjoyed playing volleyball and basketball," said Main. "But nothing compares to softball, especially when I'm on the mound. I like that control." Few athletes ever have a lasting impact on a high school sports program, but Main certainly has one with Stevenson. Before coming to the school in 2004, the Pirates were not often thought highly of in most girls sports outside of golf and tennis. Like most schools, Stevenson has had periodic years of success. A decade ago, Katie Denney transformed the Pirates basketball team into a powerhouse (Denney later played at Stanford). But two different programs? That's what Main has helped do. "I think that's what I'm most proud of," said Main. "Before I came, the softball program was an afterthought. That's not the case anymore." A case could also be made for basketball, a sport that Main wasn't the star but nonetheless contributed heavily. Though she averaged a tad under six points per game, Main had a major impact defensively, where she often guarded the opponent's best player. It helped that she stands 5 feet, 11 inches — "doctor said I was going to be 6-1" — but it also was more of a mentality than anything else. "I like scoring, who doesn't?" said Main. "But I've always prided myself on playing defense. I think you can have a greater impact on the outcome of the game by what you defensively." In part, that type of outlook helped the Pirates to a 25-3 record and their third straight Mission Trail Athletic League basketball title — their first outright title since 2005. The only disappointment came in the playoffs, where Stevenson was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Harbor-Santa Cruz "We all thought we were good enough to get to the championship game," said Main. "But it was an awesome year. We had a lot of fun." Yet nothing compares to softball for Main. Already considered an elite pitcher through middle school, Main's mom wanted her to go to Notre Dame, which was in the midst of a Central Coast Section record-run of nine straight titles. Main's dad was pushing her to go to Santa Catalina, which balances academics and athletics. Main chose to go to Stevenson because of what it didn't have — a softball league title. "I wanted to be part of the first team to do that," said Main. "And I was." Actually, Main was a part of three teams to win an MTAL softball title. The first came her sophomore year, and Stevenson won the next two after that. Last year, the Pirates earned a trip to their first CCS title appearance but were knocked off by Notre Dame-Belmont. Determined to get Stevenson back to the title game, Main dominated the regular season, winning 28 games with 20 shutouts. Main went 48 innings without giving up a run and threw seven no-hitters and two perfect games. Making good on her promise, Main guided Stevenson back to the CCS title game only to be foiled by another Notre Dame team, this one from Salinas. Despite another disappointment, Main is more than proud of her accomplishments. She leaves Stevenson owning all of the school's softball pitching records. Next year, Main will pitch for Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. It's a long way from Monterey County but Main is comforted by the notion that she joins a team that features four other former Monterey County players, including former Santa Catalina standouts Cameron Norton and Emily Helbig. "I'm a little bit more nervous the closer it gets," said Main. "It's a big change but I'm ready for it."

2011 Canisius Softball Schedule

(Incomplete)

February 18-20
College Of Charleston Invitational
College Of Charleston, TBA

March 5-6
Norfolk State Invitational
Norfolk State, Bucknell, TBA

March 11-13
Miami Tournament
Wright State, Cleveland State, Miami (OH), TBA

March 18-20
Loyola Marymount Tournament
LMU, Utah Valley, North Dakota, Northern Colorado

Corrin Genovese Invited To Play In ESPN All-America Game

Williamsville North's Corrin Genovese has been invited again by ESPN to play in its annual All-America softball game to be held July 18-21. The game is part of the ESPN Rise Games; the top 30 high school players in the nation are invited. Corrin then will play in the Empire State Games beginning July 22. The North senior has verbally committed to the University of Missouri.

Photo courtesy of The Buffalo News

Jen Consaul Named To All-Greater Rochester Team

Incoming Canisius freshman Jen Consaul was for the second consecutive year named to the All-Greater Rochester team. Jen ended her high school career at Churchville-Chili by setting nearly every pitching record at the school. In 2010 she posted a 0.66 ERA with 246 strikeouts in 20 games. She also hit for a .460 average.

Congratulations Jen!

Article Here

Jen Sansano Named To NFCA All-East Region First Team

Recent Clarence High School grad Jen Sansano has been chosen by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association as an All-East Region First Teamer.

Jen is the only local player to be honored by the NFCA which selected 162 players from across the nation. Two teams are named for each of the five regions.

The honor caps off a brilliant high school career which saw Jen set many Clarence records including most strikeouts and shutouts. She is playing this summer for LaNova (including this weekend at the Aunt Rosie's Open Tournament) and will begin her college career this fall at St. Bonaventure.

Congratulations Jen for a well deserved honor!

http://www.nfca.org/pagebank/?id=1633

Diamond Girls Qualify For 16U ASA Eastern National Championship

This past weekend in West Seneca, the 16U Diamond Girls won the ASA National Qualifier by thrice defeating the San Diego Legacy.

From the Diamond Girls web site:

The Diamond Girls finished first at the ASA National Qualifier held at West Seneca's Sunshine Park.

The team went 2-0 in pool play and then had an outstanding Saturday beating it's opponents to earn the top seed in the winners bracket. The girls carried that momentum into Sunday with the goal to come out of the winners bracket and be in the driver seat. They played tough teams from West Seneca, Amherst Lightning and the San Diego Legacy team, all the way from California.

The first game on Sunday determined the winner bracket champion and they were determined to come out on top. They had the much awaited rematch vs. the San Diego team they had beat in pool play 7-3. Strong pitching by Kyle Plimpton (pictured) & Nikki Attea gave the Legacy different looks they couldn't keep up with. Game one the Diamond Girls won in a tight battle 3-2. Game two however went to the ITB and New Era came out on top on a bases loaded Sacrifice fly by Yanava Hawkins to score Robin Kennery and the Game winner 5-4.

New Era won a berth to ASA Nationals with their win on Sunday and brought their season record to 29-3.

The team will be competing in York, PA the first week of August:
http://www.paasa.org/enc/2010/2010%2016A%20ENC%20INFO%20PAK%206-28.pdf


Congratulations Diamond Girls!