Though it took two weeks, the West Genesee baseball team was able to claim its series against Baldwinsville, a big boost before heading into the Section III Class AA playoffs.
Back when the series started, darkness halted the first game when it was 4-4 in the 12th inning, with another game rained out and a third claimed by the Wildcats in nine innings.
Now, on May 19, the tie game was completed, and B’ville, with a run in the top of the 12th, defeated WG 5-4, the first time this season the Wildcats had lost an extra-inning decision.
But when the third game of the series took place right after, WG rallied to win, 4-2, and claim the series over a B’ville side that had risen to no. 3 in the state AA rankings.
After allowing a pair of first-inning runs, the Wildcats’ pitchers blanked the Bees the rest of the way, Jack Gordon going 3 1/3 innings and Sam Gallager the remaining 3 2/3 innings in relief, combining to limit B’ville to four hits.
A run in the first inning got WG on the board, but it waited until the bottom of the fifth to tag Bees pitcher Chris AuClair for three decisive runs, two of them driven in by Chris Bonacci as Jake DePalma and R.J. Murphy also got RBIs and Tyler Kensey had two hits.
Far from all this, Solvay and Marcellus picked up wins on Tuesday before the sectional playoff brackets were announced.
The Bearcats conquered Altmar-Parish-Williamstown 7-2, briefly falling behind 2-1 in the top of the third inning but answering with two runs of its own in the bottom of the third and then scoring three times an inning later.
Marcellus earned more than twice that total at the plate in a 17-5 victory over Chittenango, needing only five innings to evoke the mercy rule as it scored three times in the first inning and batted around in the top of the second, netting eight runs.
More would follow as Jack Flynn, with a triple, two singles, four runs scored and two RBIs, led the way. Aiden Shea, Brody Shanahan and Ryan Worden had two hits apiece, Shea and Jared Sammon driving in two runs as Jacob Walters scored a pair of runs.
