When a very early dose of summer arrived Thursday afternoon, so did the East Syracuse-Minoa baseball and softball teams, both of which would find the win column against Mexico.
In the case of the baseball Spartans, it meant a 4-2 victory over the defending Section III Class A champion Tigers, while ESM’s softball side won in lopsided 16-1 fashion.
ESM’s baseball team is out to improve upon last year’s first-round Class A playoff exit. A good place to start would be Mexico, a team that lost standouts like Kody O’Connor from its 2009 title run and was far more vulnerable.
Down 1-0 early, the Spartans went in front with two runs in the bottom of the second inning, then tacked on single runs in the fifth and sixth to expand its margin to 4-1.
Mike Para pitched and went most of the way to get the win, with Jake Fletcher offering late relief help. Fletcher also starred at the plate with two hits, including a double, and two RBIs as C.J. Meech also drove in a run on his way to a two-hit outing. Mat Placito had a double as Ben Loder scored a run. Mexico’s Tyler Dunsmoor took the loss.
ESM’s softball team, beaten by Whitesboro in last spring’s Class A quarterfinals, wasted little time getting away from Mexico, with eight unanswered runs in the first three innings and a five-run outburst in the top of the fourth to make it 13-0.
On its way to 15 hits (and taking advantage of 10 Mexico errors), the Spartans turned often to Laura Adams, who had five of those hits, including a double, plus three RBIs. Mallorie Stone and Kelly Smith each drove in two runs, while Lauren Peterson and Haley Wodarczyk earned single RBIs. Mallory Martino pitched most of the way to get the win.
In a busy first full week of April, both ESM teams will face a trio of game (weather permitting) against Homer, Fulton and Chittenango.
