Westfield snaps 12-year sectional drought

The Westfield Wolverines stepped onto the field at Allegany-Limestone High School Tuesday night looking for their first sectional title since 2010. They walked off the field as champions – in quite a convincing fashion.

Junior Haleigh Dellow pitched a complete game for the Wolverines – striking out 15 while only giving up two hits and four walks en route to a 6-2 victory over the Ellicottville Eagles in the Section VI Class D Championship game.

Dellow also had a strong outing in the batter’s box, picking up three hits and a stolen base as well as one of her team’s six runs.

Dellow started the game off hot, striking out eight of her first nine batters faced in the opening three innings.

Westfield jumped out to an early lead, as both Dellow and Tanleigh Bestine both crossed home plate. Dellow led off the inning with a single into left and then stole second immediately after. A throwing error on a groundball to the infield allowed Dellow to score the game’s opening run. Bestine later singled, stole second and then scored an unearned run to give the No. 2 ranked team in the state a 2-0 lead after one inning.

Westfield added on to its 3-0 lead in the fourth inning as Drew Ernewein belted a fastball down the left field line that kept rolling towards the corner resulting in a two-run inside-the-park home run to extend the Wolverine lead to five.

Westfield tacked on another run in their last shot at the plate to give them a comfortable 6-0 lead going into the seventh inning.

Ellicottville did not go away quietly. Both Allison Rowland and Jocelyn Wyatt were able to connect on hits and score to cut the deficit to four, but that was as close as the Eagles would be able to get.

It’s a landmark win for Westfield – a program that didn’t have enough players to field a team for the 2018 season – which has seen a revival under coach Shawn Gnadzinski. His squad will now advance to the Class D Far West Regional which is Friday night at Fillmore High School at 7 p.m. against the Section V champion.

Westfield Stats:

Dellow: 7 IP, 15K, 2 H, 2 R (0 ER), 4 BB; 3-4, R, SB

Bestine: 2-3, 2 R, 2 SB

Black: 2-3, R

Ernewein: 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, R

Ellicottville Stats:

Northrup: 6 IP, 3 K, 8 H, 6 R (3 ER)

Rowland: 1-2, BB, R

Wyatt: 1-3, R

Mendell, Carls, Nrothrup: 1 BB each