Returning to Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 2 action at rival Westfield, the Eagles wasted no time showing why they are the reigning division and sectional champion. Chautauqua Lake hit throughout the lineup and plated five runs in the first inning, cruising to a 19-0 victory.

“I’m really proud of our girls all the way around,” Chautauqua Lake head coach Katie Yudin said about the win. “We jumped on them early, the bats were hot today. Defensively, Lexi threw strikes and pitched outs, the defense held up for her and overall it was a great job.”

Going from reigning Post-Journal/OBSERVER Player of the Year Cayzlee Johnson in the circle to sophomore Alexis Szumigala, the Eagles thought to give her plenty of support on the scoreboard as they amassed 17 hits in the contest.

“It’s definitely a positive,” Yudin said about her offense. “We were seeing the ball well, getting deep into counts and finding our pitch to hit. We talk a lot about finding your pitch and knowing when you’re ahead in the count. I just think we did a really good job of seeing the ball and making good contact today.”

Chautauqua Lake’s Makenna Ryberg connects with a two-run triple during the Eagles’ 19-0 win over Westfield on Tuesday in Westfield. OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms

However, Szumigala showed she did not need much support at all as she took over the reins as the ace at Chautauqua Lake, giving up just two hits in her five innings of scoreless softball.

“Lexi did a good job,” Yudin said about her new pitcher. “She threw strikes, pitched outs and that’s all we can really ask of her, she did an awesome job. We’ve got two really young pitchers on our team this year that we’re looking to expect big things out of.”

Westfield tested Szumigala in the first two innings with a leadoff single by Mackenzie Schumaker and then another hit from Annabelle Thies in the second, but it was quiet from there.

“This was only our third time outside,” Westfield head coach Jack Burgess said. “It’s the first time we’ve seen live pitching. It’s kind of a tough start to the season, but we’ll get better as time goes on.”

Chautauqua Lake’s strong start in the first was emphasized by consecutive at-bats from freshmen Kinslee Motter and Makenna Ryberg. Motter first knocked in a pair of runs with a big double and Ryberg followed with a two-run triple. Cam Mackey later knocked her home with a single to make it 5-0.

Alexis Szumigala delivers a pitch for Chautauqua Lake. OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms

Motter kept it coming in the following inning when she hit her first varsity home run over the fence and scored Lucy Ulsh to go up 8-0. Motter finished the day 3 for 3 with five RBIs and three runs scored; Macy Ulsh went 3 for 5 with a double and two runs scored; Mackey went 3 for 4 with an RBI double and two runs scored; Jill Miller hit a double and scored; Lucy Gates went 2 for 3 with an RBI; and Karagan Fairbank had two RBIs and a double.

“It’s amazing that the past three years I’ve had pretty much the same team,” Yudin said about her roster. “Every year we’re still young, we still only have two seniors again this year. I think that is what is going to take us a long way is having experienced players where they have been in a lot of tough situations and they know how to handle them.”

While Chautauqua Lake (1-0, 1-0) had plenty of firepower up and down the lineup, Westfield (0-1, 0-1) had just the two hits and even finished the game with just eight players due to an injury.

“We’ve got a young team,” Burgess added. “Right now I’ve only got nine girls on the roster. We’ve got a lot of new position players, it’s going to be a little rough in the beginning, but as long as we are progressing and getting better each and every game that’s what we’re looking for.”

Avery Smith winds up for Westfield. OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms