The untimely arrival of rain and thunderstorms last Monday pushed back the baseball showdown between Westhill and Solvay, which will get made up this Wednesday afternoon in the last week of the regular season.
But things cleared up in time for the Warriors to meet Bishop Ludden a day later, and it did enough to fight past the Gaelic Knights 4-2 just before the Bearcats beat them twice later in the week.
With the score still 0-0 in the bottom of the second inning, Westhill got to Ludden pitcher Jack Rauch for three decisive runs, two of them coming home on Brian O’Mara’s single and an error after Jeff Lobello singled home Joe Sweeny.
Fighting back, the Gaelic Knights notched single runs in the third and fourth innings off Lobello, scoring on Matt Hosek’s sacrifice fly and Robbie Wiegand’s solo home run.
By then, Zach Walser had replaced Rauch on the mound, and he kept Westhill quiet, and the margin at a single run, 3-2, until the sixth, when O’Mara’s two-out single scored Jesse Chester.
Lobello had exited the mound in the fifth inning, replaced by Sweeny, who pitched three scoreless frames of relief, only allowing one hit while striking out three.
Solvay’s games against Ludden had their own flavor. On Friday, the Bearcats won big, 15-5, setting the tone with a first inning that included six walks and Cimino’s bases-clearing triple that chased Gaelic Knights starter Jake Bianchi.
More big hits followed, the Bearcats landing runs in five of the first six innings as Jake Peterson, who pitched 5 2/3 innings to earn the win, doubled twice, scored three times and drove in five runs, with Brandon Franklin adding a double and three RBIs. Josh Rutkowski drove in two runs.
Less than 24 hours later, Solvay made Senior Day a memorable one, stunning Ludden 6-5 with a late comeback. The Gaelic Knights appeared to gain control with a five-run second inning, Robbie Weigand earning a pair of RBIs as Ian Quinn and Austin Hoyt also drove in runs.
Jack Rauch protected that 5-1 lead until the bottom of the sixth, when the Bearcats rose up for five runs, Sammy Kippen supplying the big blow with a bases-clearing double as Cimino and Mike Yiazzo also had RBIs. Jake Kyanka got the win, pitching 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief after taking over for Rutkowski in the fourth.
Back on Thursday, Westhill took out Skaneateles 7-2 largely on the basis of a four-run second inning. Mike Burton and Bobby Antonacci combined to hold the Lakers to six hits, with Burton, Lobello, Chester and Alex Kiley earning one RBI apiece. Chris Coates got two hits.
Ludden, meanwhile, stopped Cazenovia 6-1, getting 5 1/3 scoreless innings from Walser, who struck out eight. A two-run fourth inning and three-run fifth inning broke it open for as Hosek and Matt McGinn each got two RBIs, with Weigand and Rauch also driving in runs.
Solvay, prior to the Ludden sweep, struggled through most of last Wednesday’s non-league game against Fulton, but made two different comebacks to steal a 7-6 victory over the Red Raiders.
Down 2-0, the Bearcats first roared back with four runs in the bottom of the second. Fulton shook this off and kept Solvay off the board for the next four innings, giving the Red Raiders time to squeeze out a run in the fourth.
Going into the top of the seventh, the Bearcats still led 4-3, but led by Cody Green, who had a double and three RBIs, Fulton scored three runs in the top of the seventh off Blake Bagozzi, the fourth Solvay pitcher after stints from Rutkowski, Kyanka and Jake Dippold.
Somehow, the Bearcats, trailing 6-4, rose up and, in the bottom of the seventh, netted the three runs it needed to win the game, hinting at its Ludden heroics. Kippen finished with three RBIS, while Yiazzo got a pair of hits. Bagozzi, Dippold and Peterson also drove in runs.
On Friday, Westhill routed Phoenix 18-5, a stark contrast to their close 4-3 battle in their first meeting April 28 as a five-run second inning and eight-run fifth inning created a runaway. Brad Canavan hit a home run as Burton doubled and earned four RBIs. Jacob Puglisi drove in three runs as Galen Hayes, Sam Walsh and Joe Carello had two RBIs apiece.
