ROCHESTER – Things can change quickly in the Section V high school softball finals.
Just ask Waterloo.
The Tigers trailed unbeaten Wayland-Cohocton after four innings of their Section V Class B1 final. Much changed in the top of the fifth.
Ava Panek’s two-run home run headlined a chaotic inning in which Waterloo sent 12 batters to the plate and scored eight runs. By frame’s end, the Tigers held an advantage which stood the rest of the way.
No. 2 Waterloo (20-2) defeated No. 1 Wayland-Cohocton (21-1), 10-7, at Gates Chili High School on Friday, May 29. That clinched the Tigers’ first Section V title since 2022.
Wayland-Cohocton will run back much of the same team for another run next season, with just three seniors listed on the roster in Heidi Hally, Natalie Williamson and Jaylin Rawleigh.
Here is how the game unfolded.
Waterloo strikes first
Waterloo scored the game’s first run in the top of the second inning when Alexis Godley singled to score Gwen Dilorio.
Dilorio led off the inning with a single before Henley Guy reached on an error. Way-Coh pitcher Ava Senka retired three consecutive batters after Godley’s single to avoid further damage.
Way-Co returns favor in 2nd inning
Wayland-Cohocton answered Waterloo’s second-inning run with a pair of its own.
Natalie Williamson led off the inning with a single. Haven Parker laid down a sacrifice bunt which was thrown into right field, placing runners at second and third with no outs.
Riley Burke laid down a bunt which scored Williamson. Parker then scored on a wild pitch.
Waterloo pulls even in 4th
Henley Guy’s leadoff double sparked a fourth inning rally for Waterloo.
Alexis Godley singled. Two batters later, Guy scored on a groundout by Olivia James. Way-Coh and Waterloo were tied at two after 3.5 innings.
Senka’s grand slam returns the lead to Way-Co
Ava Senka drilled a home run over the center field fence, bringing four runners home in the Way-Coh 4th.
Two walks and a hit by pitch loaded the bases with one out. Senka’s no-doubt homer then gave the Eagles a 6-2 lead after four innings.
8-run 5th inning puts Waterloo on top
Waterloo sent 12 batters to the plate in its half of the fifth inning. Six hits, two errors and a walk yielded eight runs for the Tigers.
Ava Panek plated the first two runs when she clubbed a home run. Olivia James, Alexis Godley and Tangel Williams delivered RBI hits before Panek singled home another.
Waterloo took a 10-6 lead after five innings.
Waterloo leads after six innings
Wayland-Cohocton scored one run its half of the sixth inning on a Sasha Abramowski RBI single, but Waterloo’s eight-run fifth still stands. The Tigers lead, 10-7, entering the seventh inning.
Waterloo hangs on to defeat Way-Co
Gwen Dilorio struck out the game’s final batter to seal a 10-7 Waterloo win. It’s the Tigers’ third Section V title in program history.
Section V softball: The latest
Jeff Uveino joined the USA Today Network in 2023 and began covering Rochester-area high school sports in 2026. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University’s Jandoli School of Communication and native of Perry. Contact him at juveino@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @realjuveino and on Instagram @jeffusports.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Wayland-Cohocton suffers 1st loss in Section V Class B1 softball final