The top-seed Golden Falcons more than passed the test as they shut out No. 9 Silver Creek 7-0 to advance to the semifinals against No. 4 Randolph on Tuesday.

“We watched them play Frewsburg yesterday and they played offensively very well,” said Falconer head coach Kayleigh Sieber. “They played a lot of small ball and moved a lot of runners around. Holding them and striking them out really helped our cause today.”

Falconer’s eighth-grade pitcher Hannah Melquist stifled the Silver Creek offense, striking out 11, giving up three hits and walking one for the win.

“Hannah Melquist had a fantastic outing,” stated Sieber. “Eleven strikeouts and one walk is fantastic as a pitcher. You can’t ask for much more. The battery — with Ashton Beckerink — is just very strong. It helps us stay in games and especially shutting down this Silver Creek lineup.”

Silver Creek’s Tess Braidich makes contact during Thursday’s game. OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms

Falconer did not have to wait long for run support as Tess Spangenburg got things started with some two-out magic in the bottom of the first inning. Spangenburg singled, then stole second before being driven in by Emily Melquist’s double, which was followed up by a Beckerink double that gave the Golden Falcons a 2-0 lead.

“I love the way this game started out with run support from the very beginning,” Sieber said. “The best part is that it was sustained through all seven innings. We didn’t have to wait for one big inning to cash in for seven runs. We just consistently put up one, two, three up every inning and that’s, as a coach, really how you want things to go. You don’t want to have to bank on getting that one big inning or not.”

Silver Creek’s Kaylee Hutchison matched Hannah Melquist with 11 strikeouts, but was unable to silence the top half of Falconer’s lineup.

“It’s always tough playing on the road,” stated Silver Creek head coach Neil Hilliker. “Pitching is everything. We had a little trouble with the slower pitch today and it kind of bit us in the butt.”

Falconer’s first four batters accounted for six of its seven runs, with Spangenburg and Emily Rhinehart both scoring twice. Meanwhile, Kayla Lynn and Spangenburg stole one base each and Rhinehart stole three.

“We love to be aggressive on the basepaths,” added Sieber. “One of the strengths of Falconer softball, going all the way back to our little league and feeder programs is that we really teach a lot of good baserunning.”

Benefitting most from the aggressive baserunning was Emily Melquist, who hit two doubles and an RBI in all three of her at-bats. Spangenburg also hit a two-run double in the fifth inning and advanced to third on an error in the outfield. Also in the fifth, Angelina Fiasco legged out a double and scored a run for the Golden Falcons.

“Emily Melquist played really well today,” said Sieber. “Not trying to do too much, just letting the pitcher supply the power and knowing that you’ve got to make contact when you’ve got runners in scoring position.”

After a day when it scored seven runs and chased Frewsburg’s starting pitcher, Silver Creek struggled to string together hits. The Black Knights just managed singles from Caitlyn Rice, Mikayla Kelly and Amber Lockwood.

“We had some good pitching this year. We just struggled a little bit at the plate at times,” stated Hilliker. “It was a joy to coach these girls this year. This is my last year. I’m retiring this year, so it was a good team to end on … just a great bunch of kids.”