Before the snows hit, the Cicero-North Syracuse baseball team had racked up a pair of victories, but was unable to do more because of the bad weather.
When that snow melted, the Northstars were ready — and went out and built that win streak to six.
That sixth win came Monday afternoon, at Gillette Field, where the Northstars took on Baldwinsville and, boosted by an eight-run second inning, beat the Bees 12-9.
Jeff Benz started on the mound and got lit up for three runs in the top of the second. At just that moment, though, rain and wind picked up, making conditions a bit tougher.
And CNS took full advantage, forcing Pat Hall out of the game with a long series of walks and errors that tied the game, 3-3.
David St. John replaced Hall, but had to face Joe Ilacqua. Finding a pitch he liked, Ilacqua crushed it, and it rode the wind far over the left-field fence for a grand slam, putting CNS in front for good.
Before the inning was done, Patrick O’Brien would go deep, too, and Ilacqua returned in the bottom of the fourth to hit his second homer, a solo shot.
Anthony Brauchle replaced Benz in the fourth inning, and though he struggled, Brauchle managed to pick up the win.
This hot run started last Thursday, at Gillette, where the Northstars pounded Nottingham in a 24-1 romp.
Two different times, CNS put together seven-run rallies, in the second and fifth innings, which was plenty for Pat Corbin, who combined with Jeff Benz on a four-hitter.
Dave Kernan banged a home run and double, finishing with a career-best five RBIs. Nick Virag, Patrick O’Brien, Anthony Dolson, D.J. Pastuf and Ryan Mahoney drove in two runs apiece, as Greg Larioni, Mike Sherlock and Steve Furlong also had RBIs to their credit.
CNS played twice on Saturday. Early in the day, it scored in each of the first five innings at Oswego and sailed past the Buccaneers 11-1.
O’Brien led the 14-hit attack with a double and two RBIs. Sherlock, Pastuf, Kernan, Furlong, Mahoney, Ilacqua and Shawn Moonan drove in one run apiece, all in support of Anthony Brauchle, who combined with Grant Nadeua for a three-hitter. Ilacqua had three hits.
In a non-league game later that day, CNS made it five in a row, holding off Seton Catholic 7-6.
CNS built a 5-0 lead, absorbed a four-run Seton Catholic response in the bottom of the third, then built the lead back up on Kernan’s two-run homer in the fourth inning, runs that proved to be enough.
Nadeau needed to pitch a scoreless seventh inning to get the save as Jim Rinella was credited with the win. Nadeau put two men on base, and with two out, Larioni, at second base, made a great catch on a line drive to end the game and keep Seton Catholic from tying it.
Kernan and Shepard both drove in two runs. Pastuf, Ilacqua and Matt Visconti had single RBIs.
On Tuesday, CNS goes to Utica Proctor, its first meeting with the Raiders since the bitter defeat in last year’s Class AA semifinal. Games against Fowler and Union-Endicott would follow.
