Based on recent calendar trends, the Cicero-North Syracuse softball team should expect to cede its Section III Class AA crown to Liverpool. After all, it’s 2011, an odd-numbered year, and the Warrriors took top honors in 2005, ’07 and ’09, while the Northstars prevailed in the even-numbered years. However, CNS isn’t in a sharing mood right now. A perfect 12-0 record put the Northstars atop the state AA rankings, and on Friday afternoon the Northstars made it 13 in a row by scoring a 4-1 victory over Liverpool. Ever since the original May 3 meeting got rained out, CNS has really hit its stride, from its victory in last weekend’s Morabito Tournament in Binghamton to a stretch this week where it beat Rome Free Academy, Auburn and Utica Proctor by a combined 36-2 margin. Now the Northstars took aim at Liverpool, who had not lost to a Section III opponent all season. Again, the winner here would assume the favorite’s role for the Section III playoffs, which are less than two weeks away. The Warriors’ Ashley Kovarik retired the Northstars 1-2-3 in the first inning, but so did CNS ace Sydney O’Hara. Then they traded runs in the second, as singles by O’Hara, Morgan Phillips and Kelly Corbin put the Northstars up 1-0, but Liverpool countered with three singles of its own by Carrie Stoddard, Nicole Ciricillo and Angela Charles. An inning later, CNS made its decisive move. With two outs and Sydney Harbaugh on first due to an infield hit, Amy Van Hoven directed a shot right into the vast unoccupied territory in right field, a triple that scored Harbaugh. Seconds later, Brittan Paul’s bunt led to a throwing error, and Van Hoven raced home to make it 3-1. O’Hara escaped danger in the bottom of the third, as Liverpool put two runners in scoring position, but Stoddard grounded out. It stayed that way until the sixth, when O’Hara doubled and Sam Cirillo brought her home with a double to center field. To her credit, Kovarik prevented any further damage, also shining on the defensive side by grabbing a pair of line shots in the fifth inning. O’Hara would get better in the pitcher’s circle as the game went along, retiring the last 10 batters she faced (with some nice defense thrown in there) as she finished with five strikeouts. Both teams left the game with something positive. CNS, obviously, had the win, but Liverpool left knowing that it had done a good job containing a potent Northstars lineup – and could do it again in a few weeks, where a rematch would carry much higher stakes.