Cazenovia’s baseball team is getting used to the idea of doubleheaders.
At the very least, the Lakers’ performance against Bishop Ludden last Thursday was a far cry from the twin beatings the team took at Westhill on April 21.
More importantly, Cazenovia won one of these showdowns with the defending Section III Class B champion Gaelic Knights, a 6-3 decision that was the team’s first win against an OHSL Liberty division foe this spring.
The Lakers trailed, 3-1, when it pounded Ludden pitcher John Rooney for five runs in the fourth inning, all that pitcher William Moore needed as he went the distance on the mound, giving up just five hits.
For its part, Cazenovia had seven hits, as Tom Eschen, Anthony Potter and Mike Blanchard all drove in runs to help out.
The other game was close, too, as the Lakers made a ferocious late comeback in a 9-6 loss to the Gaelic Knights.
Ludden seemed to ice things with an eight-run third inning, keyed by Guy DeMascole’s three-run home run.
Blanchard replaced Garrison Ramsdell on the mound, and things settled down. The Lakers, down 9-0, pushed back with two runs in the fourth inning and four runs in the fifth inning before the Gaelic Knights could hang on.
Ludden was not the only team to get surprised on Thursday. Westhill, the state’s no. 1-ranked Class B squad that had just beat Ludden on Tuesday, took a 10-7 loss to Hannibal.
Westhill led 2-1 when chaos broke out in the bottom of the fifth inning. Hannibal used four runs to get in front, 5-2, only to see Westhill answer with five runs in the top of the sixth to reclaim a 7-5 advantage.
Most teams would reel — but Hannibal did not. It gained five runs of its own in the bottom of the sixth, as hits by Shane Crandell and Chad Burridge put Hannibal ahead for good.
In defeat, Rich Hevier had a double and two RBIs. Three different Hannibal players – Crandell, Burridge and Ben Shortslef – had two RBIs apiece as relief pitcher Dave Tatamus took the loss.
