SKANEATELES – Even if it was half of what it earned two years ago, the Skaneateles baseball team had an opportunity to repeat the Section III championship it earned so dramatically in 2019.
Playing at home Saturday afternoon, the Lakers faced Holland Patent and, paced by the pitching of James Musso along with some clutch hitting from Emil Sander and Mike Blowers, fought past the Golden Knights 3-1 to again claim a sectional banner.
HP had just staged a comeback to knock out top seed Cazenovia in the semifinal round, and had pitcher Michael Benedetto on the mound to oppose Musso.
For four innings, Musso and Bendetto kept it 0-0 before the Golden Knights broke through with a run in the top of the fifth, Caden Briggs getting one of his three hits and racing home when Maddox Williams grounded out.
Immediately, the Lakers answered, tying it 1-1 on Sander’s RBI double that plated Cody Nesbitt. Then, in the bottom of the sixth, Nate Shattuck doubled, bringing up Blowers, who delivered the season’s biggest blow when he sent a Benedetto pitch over the fence for a go-ahead two-run home run.
Musso did the rest, recording the final three outs as he held HP to six hits overall while striking out six.
To start with, Skaneateles first had to face no. 6 seed Solvay in last Tuesday’s quarterfinal round, and it didn’t take long for the Lakers to take control on the way to eliminating the Bearcats 11-1.
Two first-inning runs off Solvay pitcher Carter Lee put Skaneateles in front, but it was a six-run third inning that did most of the damage as the Lakers batted around.
Sander’s home run provided a highlight as he finished the day with three RBIs. Patrick Herr doubled, singled twice and scored three runs as Blowers got two RBIs, with Travis Loy, Nate Shattuck and Bryce Lincoln also driving in runs.
Musso pitched 5 2/3 innings, holding Solvay to two hits. The Bearcats’ lone run came in the top of the fifth, when Lee drove in Christian Salamino.
Up against Little Falls (who had upset no. 2 seed Clinton) in Thursday’s B-2 semifinal, the Lakers brought out the bats and brought an end to the Mounties’ season with a 13-6 victory.
Falling behind 3-0 in the top of the first, Skanetaeles tied it with three runs in the bottom of the first and then notched 10 more runs over the next three innings to give Lincoln plenty of support as he pitched six innings to earn the win.
Herr went three-for-four with two singles, a double, three runs scored and two RBIs. Shattuck drove in a trio of runs as Blowers, Musso and Cooper Purdy also got two RBIs.
At the same time, Marcellus had a chance to earn glory, too, making a spirited run for the sectional Class B-1 title.
As the no. 3 seed in B-1, Marcellus met no. 6 seed Vernon-Verona-Sherrill in last Wednesday’s quarterfinal, where it won its seventh straight game by outscoring the Red Devils 11-8.
All but one Mustang batter got at least one hit, with 11 hits overall as Ryan Worden and Adam Sullivan led the way with two hits apiece. Ethan Snyder doubled and scored three runs, with Colin Johnson scoring twice. Sullivan pitched 4 1/3 innings, with John Francesconi tossing 2 1/3 no-hit innings.
With no time to rest, Marcellus had to turn around and challenge no. 2 seed Camden in Thursday’s B-1 semifinal, and it got close to reaching the title game, only to take a painful 3-2 defeat to the Blue Devils.
Single runs in each of the first two innings got Camden in front 2-0, but Marcellus would catch up, scoring once in the third and again in the top of the sixth to pull even at 2-2.
The Blue Devils pushed across a run in the bottom of the sixth. Then, with the Mustangs threatening in the seventh as it put the tying run on base, Camden’s Dillan Melchiore made a diving catch that led to a game-ending double play.
Camden went from there to defeating Homer 11-9 for the sectional B-1 title, the Trojans having knocked out Westhill and top seed South Jefferson earlier in the tournament.
