Gowanda Small Town Times

Photo: The Gowanda Athletic Department put out this photo of Daniel Stang, of the Gowanda Trap team, who shot his first perfect 50 straight earlier in the week.

By Friday, May 5, the rainy conditions that had marked the first half of the week gave way to dry, but still cool, weather. The Gowanda Varsity softball team was at Silver Creek. Going into the game, Silver Creek had been the only CCAA East 1 team to beat Gowanda have won a 6-3 decision back in April.

On this day things would not be any easier. Gowanda started out fast as lead batter, Addison Kota tripled. Gao:Wisa:S “Wassy” Stevens singled to score Kota and would later also score. Holding Silver Creek scoreless in the bottom of the inning leaving Gowanda with a 2-0 lead. Two scoreless innings followed. Silver Creek continued to hold Gowanda off in the top of the 4th inning before exploding for 3 runs taking the lead by a 3-2 score. Silver Creek upped their lead to 4-2 in the 5th inning. In the final inning, it was again the Kota/Stevens combo that connected. Another Addison Kota triple. While Stevens again scored Kota, the Silver Creek defense tightened to avoid giving up a tying run. The 4-3 loss leaves Gowanda and Silver Creek tied at 5-2 at the top of CCAA East 1 as the week ends.

The Gowanda Track team was at the Falconer Invitational on the 5th in a group of 22 schools. As a team the Gowanda boys fell somewhere below 16th place, but the names of the last six schools were not reported. The Gowanda girls did somewhat better in the middle of the pack at 12th. The best individual results for the Gowanda boys were Chase Bolen 17th 800m (2:18.54) & 9th 1600m (5:08.23) and Mason Wilson 16th 400m hurdles (1:07.76). For the Gowanda girls the most noteworthy results were turned in by:
* Autumn Pupo 2nd 800m (2:14.93) and 13th 1500m (5:42.35)
* Calie Hudson 18th 800m (2:50.00)
* Rhianna Woods 21st 100m dash (14.21) and 11th 200m dash (29.24)
* Alexia Harvey 19th 400m dash (1:09.40)
* Elizabath Malek 16th 100m hurdles (19.63)
* Crissa Scanlan 9th Shot Put (29-2) & 4th Discus (89-5)

Finally, despite rainy weather in the 40s, Gowanda’s Daniel Stang scored his first 50 straight. Overall, for Week 3, the Gowanda trap team increased their lead in Conference 1A - 11 with a score of 878.50 taking their season total to 2,669.00. In 2nd Place, Hammond scored 827.50 on the week taking their season total to 2,546.00. Gowanda shooters also continue to top the conference with 4 boys and 1 girl in the Top 10. Daniel Stang currently is in 1st Place with a season average of 48.33. He also is ranked #7 in the state. Other Gowanda boys in the Top 10 are Zayne Laskey (2nd, 47.00, 25th in State), Daniel Humphrey (4th, 45.00) and David Dirienzo (8th, 44.33). In 1st Place in conference for girls is Gowanda’s Maddison Smith with a season average of 43.00.

Baseball 10-1, 8-1

Tuesday, May 2

Gowanda at Falconer
- moved to May 4 -

Wednesday, May 3

West Seneca East at Gowanda
- cancelled -

Thursday, May 4

Gowanda at Falconer
- played at Falconer -
Gowanda 25, Falconer 0

Falconer at Gowanda
Gowanda 19, Falconer 2

Saturday, May 6

Gowanda at Southwestern
Gowanda 13, Sothwestern 10

Softball 8-5, 5-2

Tuesday, May 2

Fredonia at Gowanda
- rain out -

Wednesday, May 3

Gowanda at Brocton
- played at Gowanda -
Gowanda 14, Brocton 1

Friday, May 5

Gowanda at Silver Creek
Gowanda 3, Silver Creek 4

Boys Lacrosse 4-6, 4-3

Monday, May 1

Gowanda at Fairview (PA)
Gowanda 14, Fairview 15

Wednesday, May 3

East Aurora at Gowanda
Gowanda 2, East Aurora 19

Girls Lacrosse 0-9, 0-4

Tuesday, May 2

Gowanda at Niagara-Wheatfield
Gowanda 2, Niagara-Wheatfield 18

Track

Tuesday, May 2

Salamanca at Gowanda
- postponed to May 8-

Friday, May 5

Gowanda at Falconer
Boys
1st Randolph 92

Girls
1st East Aurora 90.5
12th Gowanda 12
19th Silver Creek 2

Trap

Week 3 score & Season total
1st Gowanda 910.00 2,669.00
2nd Hammond 856.00 2,546.00
7th Potsdam 282.50 1,025.00

On May 4, the Gowanda Varsity baseball team played a doubleheader at Jamestown. The first game was a makeup of a rain cancelled game originally scheduled to be played at Gowanda two days earlier.

In Game 1, Gowanda blew by Falconer 25-0 with Alex Pachucinski and Brayden Smith pitching. Cole Herman led the Gowanda offense in the game with two hits, including a double, and four RBIs.

Gowanda went with Tyler Smith and Logan Ruff on the mound in Game 2. John Ondus led the Gowanda offense with a bases-clearing triple for a Game 2 win by a 19-2 score.

The Gowanda Athletic department reported the following about the Falconer trip on their Facebook page: “The Panthers have had hot bats with a team batting average of .403 and 7 hitting .375 or better.

A Saturday, May 6, morning game was played by the baseball team at Southwestern. While a 13-10 Gowanda win was reported, no other details were available.

Jamestown Community College students, including one from Gowanda, were inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society during ceremonies recently on the Cattaraugus County and Jamestown campuses.

A student must achieve at least a 3.50-grade point average to be considered for the national two-year college honor fraternity.

Thirty-one students were inducted into the Jamestown Campus Alpha Kappa Beta chapter, and seven into the Cattaraugus County Campus Alpha Psi Omega chapter.

Joana Leamon, a 2020 JCC graduate and promotions post-production editor and producer for Buffalo Toronto Public Media, was the guest speaker. The ceremonies were attended by friends and family members of the inductees.

The inductees from Gowanda is:

Gowanda: Preston Niemeyer

Photo: The Gowanda softball team greets Addison Kota (#2) at home plate after her 4th homerun of the season. Kota additionally pitched a one hitter in the game as Gowanda rolled over Brocton 14-1. Also scoring on the play was Emily Pound (#20).

May 3 continued to cold and damp weather that has marked the early days of the month. Again several sports had game called off on the day. For the Gowanda Varsity teams only Softball and boys lacrosse got in their scheduled games.

What had originally been scheduled as an away game at Brocton was moved to the artificial surface of Gowanda’s Lady Panther Park due to field conditions at Brocton. As the designated away team, Gowanda batted first and started out hot. Addison Kota led off with a single just off the glove of the Brocton left fielder. Gao:Wisa:S “Wassy” Stevens followed with an RBI double scoring Kota. Next up was Jada Geiger with a single courtesy of a errant throw to first base that also allowed Stevens to score. Geiger later scored on a Holland Browning single. Brocton went down in order in the bottom of the inning including two strikeouts.

Gowanda had a huge 2nd inning. Kota, Stevens and Geiger all scored again in the inning along with teammates Kailyn Farner, Corrina John, Emily Pound, Ella Luther, Holland Browning and Lily Bobseine, all on a single out. Stevens tripled in the inning as did Farner. Farner’s triple came on her second at bat in the inning going over the Brocton right fielder scoring for 2 RBIs. Again, Brocton was retired in order in the bottom of the inning including another pair of strikeouts.

With Gowanda leading 11-0 to start the 3rd inning, Emily Pound was walked to start things out. That brought up Addison Kota for the third time at bat. For the fourth time this season, Kota pounded the ball over the fence. As she completed her romp around the bases all of her teammates poured on to the field (pictured above) to greet her at home plate. Brocton finally got on base in the bottom of the inning. Their lead batter hit a ball that went just barely off the Gowanda center fielder’s glove. The Gowanda defense closed out the inning not allowing Brocton to score.

Both teams scored single runs in the 4th inning. That took the score from 13-0 to 14-1. There would be no more runs scored and the 10-run rule ended the game after the 5th inning as the sky was darkening as rain approached.

Gowanda pitcher, Addison Kota stuck out nine and walked one in a one hitter. Powering the Gowanda attack were Addison Kota (2 runs, 3 RBIs), Holland Browning (2 runs, 2 RBIs), Emily Pound (2 runs, 2 RBIs) and Gao:Wisa:S Stevens (2 runs, 1 RBI). With a run and 2 RBIs each were Kailyn Farner and Lily Bobseine. Corrina John and Hailey Christopher each contributed single runs.

Over at Gowanda’s Hillis Field the Gowanda boys lacrosse team had their hands full with East Aurora. The game went scoreless for nearly three minute before East Aurora surged into a 5-0 lead by the middle of the first period. Gowanda finally got on the board with 4:40 left in the quarter as Ethan Steeprock scored. By the end of the opening period the score was 7-1. It grew to 12-1 before Winter Rivera scored with 4:45 left in the half. The halftime Gowanda deficit was 14-2. Gowanda never scored in the second half as East Aurora added 3 goals and 2 goals, respectively, in the 3rd and 4th quarters. Also figuring in the 19-2 Gowanda loss was the East Aurora goal tender. He stopped of 12 of the 14 Gowanda shots that he faced.