Baseball

Head Coach: Frank Jagoda

Record: (5-15 overall, 3-9 league)

Seniors: (1) — Jaziah Rivera

Key Wins: Silver Creek, Olean, Frewsburg

Review: The weather impacted many games early on in the season as Dunkirk traveled to North Collins to begin its season. North Collins scheduled a double header, so after the conclusion of the Silver Creek game, they played Dunkirk.

The game was tied at 1 until Dunkirk scored in the top of the seventh. But after two walks in the bottom half of the inning, North Collins’ Brandon Zielinski’s singled up the middle to score the runners to send the Marauders home with a loss.

After they started the season 0-2, the Marauders finally found life as they played host to Falconer. Dunkirk stacked up 12 runs en route to a 12-2 victory. Dunkirk senior Devaun Farnham-DeJesus struck out 13 batters and Peyton Ahlstrom smacked a two run double in the fourth inning to give Dunkirk an advantage. Farnham-DeJesus would leave the team later in the season.

Dunkirk also had impressive performances by Philip Messina, Koty Leeper and Jaziah Rivera. Messina had three hits, four runs and two runs batted in, while Leeper and Rivera both had two RBI of their own.

Dunkirk moved on to play Silver Creek a few days later. One guy that stood out on the mound all year was sophomore Peyton Ahlstrom, and he delivered eight strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings pitched to help give Dunkirk a 9-1 victory.

The very next day they faced Olean — who went on to win the Sectional Championship — and defeated them by a score of 7-6.

Dunkirk recovered from an early 3-0 deficit with a six-run second inning, highlighted by a Jared Glowniak squeeze bunt and three bases-loaded walks. Dunkirk batted around the order in the inning, as Koty Leeper led off with a single and walked to drive in a run in his second at-bat.

After Olean tied the game up at 6-6 in the top of the fifth inning, Dunkirk took the lead right back on a two-out RBI single from Glowniak on the first pitch of the at-bat, up the middle to score Leeper. The hit was Glowniak’s second RBI of the game.

“Jared Glowniak had a big game at the plate,” said Dunkirk coach Frank Jagoda after that game. “He also played stellar defense at third base for us.”

Dunkirk displayed timely hitting and drew 11 walks in the contest, pushing their win streak to three games in a row.

“Walks are as good as hits,” said Jagoda.

Ahlstrom led Dunkirk to two more wins on mound, defeating Maple Grove 5-1 and Frewsburg 1-0.

Despite a bit of a struggle for Dunkirk this season, punctuated by a loss in the first round of the playoffs, Dunkirk had moments where the Marauders looked like a solid team. With such a young squad, Dunkirk is poised to make some noise in the Division I West next season.

Softball

Head Coach: Michelle Gilmour

Record: (13-6 overall, 9-3 league)

Seniors: (2) — Emilee Hanlon, Alexis Tofil

Key wins: Chautauqua Lake, Fredonia, Maple Grove (x2), Silver Creek (x2)

Review: The Lady Marauders began the year with a trip to Myrtle Beach to escape the Western New York weather and get on the diamond before many other teams were able to. When the team returned to face its regular season competition, it became obvious that the Lady Marauders were in mid-season form. Dunkirk won seven straight games to close out the month of April, including wins over rival Fredonia and eventual state champion Chautauqua Lake.

After splitting a doubleheader with Southwestern on May 2, Dunkirk still had a shot at the division title in the final week of the regular season. However, title hopes slipped away after losses to Chautauqua Lake and Fredonia.

In the playoffs, the Lady Marauders defeated City Honors to set up another matchup with Fredonia, this time in the sectional semifinals, played at SUNY Fredonia on May 21.

After Emilee Hanlon’s leadoff home run to center field, the Lady Marauders had the momentum in their favor early on. The game went back and forth all evening long, before Fredonia broke a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning with a pair of runs to take a 7-5 lead into the final inning. The Lady Marauders were unable to answer in the seventh, giving the Lady ‘Billies the win and a spot in the sectional final.

“It was a great rivalry game,” said Dunkirk coach Michelle Gilmour after the game. “Obviously I wanted to come out on top, but I felt like the girls really stepped up and it was two really good teams playing softball. I couldn’t have asked for a better game or opportunity for the girls.”

Dunkirk finished the season with a sour taste in its mouth with the loss to Fredonia, but the Lady Marauders have a great shot at another playoff run next year. Dunkirk only loses two seniors from the 2018 team, and is set to bring back both primary pitchers — Monica Pokoj and Ashley Gotowka. Dunkirk also returns catcher Jessica Beehler and many significant offensive threats for the Lady Marauders, highlighted by Kaitlyn Davis, who enjoyed a solid offensive year for the Lady Marauders.

Despite the way the season ended for Dunkirk, with so much talent and experience set to return, the Lady Marauders’ story is far from finished.

Twitter: @bradencarmen