Mired in a four-game skid, the Chittenango softball team finally broke it last Tuesday afternoon, going to Cortland and shutting out the Purple Tigers 2-0. All told, the Bears picked up 10 hits, four of them from Kaley Landers, but only managed single runs in the third and fifth innings. Still, that was enough as pitcher Kaleigh Koegel limited Cortland to three hits in her complete-game effort. Landers and Alyssa Mroczek got credited with one RBI apiece as Koegel got two hits and Brandy McDermott joined Koegel in the run-scoring column. As if that wasn’t enough, the Bears pulled off another shutout on Wednesday, dominating Mexico in an 8-0 decision where Koegel threw a one-hitter that included a career-best 17 strikeouts. It stayed close for a while, but Chittenango used three-run rallies in the fourth and fifth innings to account for most of its winning margin. Among the 11 hits, Mroczek produced three RBIs, while Mackenzie Perry drove in two runs. Koegel, Landers and Alanna Haynes each had one RBI. To complete this 3-0 run through the week, the Bears rolled past Fowler 9-1 on Thursday, using three-run rallies in the second and fifth innings to break it open. Koegel allowed five hits and also socked a triple. Landers and Jennifer Sternberg each drove in two runs, while Koegel joined Haynes, Mroczek and Samantha Weeks with single RBIs. Chittenango’s baseball team started its week with its own win over Cortland, this one a 4-3 decision that was in doubt until the end. Taking a 2-1 lead in the first inning, the Bears twice had to answer when the Purple Tigers tied it up, getting single tallies in the fourth and sixth innings to move back ahead. Still, it wasn’t secure until Jeff Pierce, pitching in relief of Kevin Streeter, earned the final out. Greg Jasek led Chittenango with two RBIs as Brendan Galek doubled and drove in a run, and Mike Moon added an RBI. In Wednesday’s game against defending Class A champion Mexico, the Bears led big, only to see it get away in a 7-6 loss to the Tigers. Chittenango got to Mexico pitcher Josh Hutchinson for four runs in the top of the first. With solid pitching over the first five innings, Pierce and Steve Mesmer maintained a 4-1 edge. However, in the bottom of the sixth Mexico struck back, getting six runs as Mesmer and Moon got hit hard and the defense, which had five errors for the day, didn’t help. Now down 7-4, the Bears nearly caught up in the seventh, scoring twice — but Mexico reliever James Loomis got the final out. In defeat, Moon had two RBIs, with Galek and Andrew Lampman also driving in runs.