When the Liverpool baseball team handed Baldwinsville its first defeat in that 5-4, eight-inning thriller on April 25, it was only a hint at a better performance ahead.
The Warriors knocked off another unbeaten side last Monday night at NBT Bank Stadium when it routed West Genesee 9-1 in the Strike Out Lou Gehrig’s Disease Classic.
This was mostly the product of great pitching by Luke Harder, who, helped by error-free defense behind him, limited the Wildcats to two hits and shut them out until Tyler Kensey’s RBI double in the bottom of the sixth.
By then, Liverpool was well out in front, having built a 4-0 lead on WG starter Ryan Paige and then, after he left, putting the game away with four runs in the top of the sixth, plus a run in the seventh.
Kobe Stenson doubled, singled, scored two runs and got two RBIs, with Mike DeStefano also driving in a pair of runs. Adam Marsh earned three RBIs as the Warriors took full advantage of the Wildcats’ five errors.
Back home for the second game of the series, Liverpool again produced runs early against West Genesee and, helped by pitchers Nyhmin Green and Matt Pare, made it stick as it got a 5-3 victory over the Wildcats.
Early deficits of 1-0 and 3-2 didn’t last because Liverpool scored twice in the first and second innings off WG pitcher Jack Gordon. Marsh, with two RBIs, led the charge as Harder got three hits and drove in a run. Shane Hazelmyer added an RBI.
Staked to that lead, and helped by a fourth-inning insurance run, Green went six innings, holding the Wildcats to six hits and only walking two, before Pare entered in the seventh and got the save.
Weather then got in the way, not only postponing the third game between Liverpool and WG (they’ll make it up this Thursday), but keeping the Wildcats on Wednesday from finishing the 2-2 game with Cicero-North Syracuse from the week before.
This followed last Tuesday’s night 6-0 shutout by the Northstars over New Hartford at NBT Bank Stadium in the same Strike Out Lou Gehrig’s Disease event Liverpool took part in first.
Justin DelVecchio not only blanked the Spartans and limited them to two hits, he set a new career mark with 16 strikeouts, though the big run support didn’t arrive until late.
Single runs in the first and fourth innings were enough, but C-NS added four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Tim Taladay had a pair of RBIs, with Mike Wieczorek scoring twice as he and Drew Bristow both had an RBI. Connor Gonzalski and Jacob Parker each had two hits.
