Just at the right time, the Skaneateles baseball team was showing its best form of the spring, winning nine in a row, securing the OHSL Liberty National division regular-season title and making itself a major contender for the Section III Class B playoffs that started late last week.
The Lakers were playing its fourth game in as many days when it visited Chittenango on May 19, but like the previous three, Skaneateles won, in this case teeing off on Bears pitching in a 23-1 romp.
It only lasted five innings, but that was enough time as Skaneateles batted around twice in the top of the second inning and scored 12 runs, adding six runs an inning later.
Jimmy Liberatore set a career mark with seven RBIs, aided by a triple and two doubles. Jack Canty’s three hits led to four RBIs as Tommy Reed drove in three runs.
Everyone in the Skaneateles lineup scored at least one run, with Emil Sander and Joe Bruna crossing the plate three times. Bruna and George Ross had two RBIs apiece, Ross getting three hits.
A day later, facing Mexico, it proved a lot closer, but Skaneateles did enough, getting a rare cycle from Scherrer to pull out an 11-9 victory over the Tigers.
The Lakers led 6-2 when Mexico struck for five runs in the top of the fourth to go in front. An exchange of runs followed before Skaneateles went ahead for good by scoring four times in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Through it all, Cregg Scherrer was unstoppable at the plate. He managed to record a single, double, triple and home run before it was all over and finished the day with six RBIs. Nate Wellington added two hits and an RBI, with Liberatore and Luke Viggiano also driving in runs.
More runs were put up by the Lakers in Tuesday’s 15-4 romp over Homer, where seven runs in the first two innings and an eight-run fourth meant an early ending due to the mercy rule.
Scherrer’s tear continued with a home run, double and five RBIs. Liberatore added three hits, while Jack Whirtley scored three runs as he, along with Viggiano, Wellington, James Musso and Emil Sander had two hits apiece.
Westhill could still finish second to Christian Brothers Academy (who beat Solvay 12-0 last Sunday) in the OHSL Liberty American division if the Warriors could defeat Bishop Grimes last Tuesday afternoon.
And that didn’t prove too difficult as the Warriors beat the Cobras 15-5, breaking out of a 3-3 tie with a five-run rally in the top of the fourth and then adding five more runs in the sixth inning to get away.
Ryan Bennett went five-for-five, scoring three runs and earning three RBIs to lead Westhill’s 15-hit attack. Nick Bistrovich, who pitched three innings in relief of Philip Zollo, and Walker Blossey each had two hits and two RBIs, with Nate King also driving in two runs.
A day earlier, Westhill handled Phoenix 10-2, using six runs in the bottom of the third inning to break the game open after taking an early 2-0 advantage.
Nate King pitched five innings, allowing just five hits. At the plate, Zollo, Blossy, Ben Coates and Nick Bistrovich each got three hits, Coates doubling twice as he, along with Zollo and Bennett, had two RBIs apiece. Jake Zawadzki also drove in a run.
