What, exactly, is the conclusion to draw from the Liverpool softball team’s 12-4 victory over Cicero-North Syracuse in Monday afternoon’s welcome spring sunshine? Either it is the strong, loud statement of the Warriors using its bats to silence and dominate its long-time rival and part-time nemesis, or it’s the Northstars conceding one small battle at this late point in the regular season in order to concentrate on the larger prize. The whole truth won’t be known until the spring is done, of course, but on this day Liverpool frolicked, scoring nine runs in the first two innings to drain all the suspense out of the outcome. In many ways, the top of the first inning proved vital. Dana Nicoletti, pitching for the Warriors, got the first two outs, and then, after Morgan Phililps walked, struck out Dana Scott, C-NS’s clean-up hitter. Fired up by that, Liverpool took charge in the bottom of the first, glad not to face the Northstars’ top pitcher, Megan Tully, who rested as Gabriella Corasaniti got the start. With one out, Ericka Sadowski beat out a bunt single. Alicia Hansen and Peyton Bellrose followed with singles to load the bases, and after Jenna Wike popped out, a wild pitch scored Sadowski, putting the Warriors on the board. Seconds later, Katie Yudin delivered a two-run triple, and Taylor Charles followed with a single that brought home Yudin and made it 4-0. And that was just the start of it. In the bottom of the second, singles by Nicoletti, Sadowski and Hansen again loaded the bases, and Bellrose belted a two-run single that extended Liverpool’s lead to 6-0 and knocked out Corasaniti. Alyssa Neuser took over in the pitcher’s circle for C-NS, but Wike greeted her with a run-scoring single, and Yudin’s long sacrifice fly, plus Nicole Cerrone’s single, put the Northstars in a rare 9-0 deficit. From there, Nicoletti calmly cast C-NS aside, only allowing a Khaliyah Flournory solo home run until the seventh, when the Northstars tacked on three runs. That was after Liverpool made it 12-1 on run-scoring hits from Yudin in the fourth inning, and Hansen and Bellrose an inning later.