Through a wildly varying set of games, both in and out of league play, the Fayetteville-Manlius baseball team ended up with a 2-2 mark.
The Hornets actually did a good job getting to Liverpool pitching ace Aaron Schuldt in last Monday’s game, but still took its second loss to the undefeated Warriors in a span of 12 days, a 9-6 decision.
Three different times, F-M took the lead, going up 2-0 in the first inning, then 4-2 in the fourth inning and 5-4 in the top of the fifth inning, solving Schuldt better than anyone had so far this season.
But in the bottom of the fifth inning, Liverpool made its move, scoring five times and chasing Will Porter from the mound. Dan Maloney and Ethan Braddock did stints in relief, but the Warriors stayed in front as Matt Wessinger, in relief of Schuldt, got the save.
Austin Straub hit the game’s only home run, finishing with two RBIs. Buddy Leathley, T.J. Wilson and Billy Donlon each drove in one run. Schuldt, in addition to his mound work, had three hits and three RBIs to lead the Liverpool attack.
At home to face Nottingham two days later, the Hornets unloaded in a 16-0 victory over the Bulldogs, a game shortened to five innings by rain and lightning.
Donlon tripled and drove in three runs, part of an 11-hit effort. Dan Maloney drove in two runs, while Porter, Leathley, Alex Mueller, Zack Pettit, T.J. Wilson and Elliot Graziano each had one RBI. Straub, Colin Schick, Joe Sinopoli and Ryan Brown combined to pitch a one-hitter.
On Friday afternoon, the Hornets visited West Genesee and clicked on many different fronts, especially in the late stages of a 7-1 victory over the Wildcats.
Neither side scored in the first five innings of play, as Straub and WG pitcher Pete Woytowich dueled. With a pickoff and two double plays, Straub escaped some early trouble to keep the game 0-0.
In the top of the sixth, Matt Cowie reached on an error, then moved to second base. With two out, Woytowich intentionally walked Leathley — but the move backfired when Donlon ripped a double down the line, scoring the game’s first two runs.
F-M added a run in that frame, then four more in the top of the seventh. Straub didn’t need that much help, as he allowed just five hits in his complete-game effort. Donlon finished with three RBIs as Cowie, Rosenbaum, Leathley and Dan Loeffler also drove in runs.
Going for three in a row Saturday in a non-league game at CBA, the Hornets nearly attained it, only to fall to the Brothers 5-3.
Donlon’s two-run single in the top of the first got F-M in front, and the margin grew to 3-0 by the third inning on another Donlin RBI.
CBA inched back, though, and with the score 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth, Dan Sisto’s three-run, two-out double cleared the bases and put the Brothers in front for good. Porter, pitching in relief after Scott Miller’s solid starting effort, took the loss.
F-M hopes the rain stops long enough for a Wednesday home game against Cicero-North Syracuse and a Friday trip to Falcon Park to take on Auburn.
