If the Baldwinsville baseball team felt a newfound confidence about itself in the wake of its 3-1 start and April 15 win over defending Class AA champion Cicero-North Syracuse, then that confidence would be shaken a bit by events during the spring break.
Going to DeLutis Field on Monday, the Bees were favored to handle Rome Free Academy, but instead saw its bats go silent in a 5-2 loss to the Black Knights.
RFA got the jump, tagging B’ville pitcher Mike St. John for three runs in the bottom of the first inning, all that it would need as Jeremy Seaton doubled and earned two RBIs.
B’ville could not counter, getting just one run in the first six innings off Black Knights ace Brandon Bertrand and a seventh-inning tally before falling short. Brett Charbonneau and Bo Watson earned one RBI apiece as Gabe Levanti doubled, but the Bees had just five hits for the day.
Back home 24 hours later, the Bees were facing Utica Proctor, a team it lost to six days earlier at Murnane Field. But even being at home could not protect B’ville all that much as it lost again in the rematch by a score of 3-1.
All the anticipation surrounded the pitching match-up — Watson going for the Bees, Steve Sarcone taking the mound for Proctor. And neither would disappoint.
Watson surrendered a first-inning run, then settled down to blank the Raiders over the next four frames. Meanwhile, B’ville got to Sarcone in the bottom of the third, tying it as Charbonneau drove home the run.
That would be it, though, as the Bees just got three total hits against Sarcone (two of them doubles from Kyle Lattanzio), who accumulated nine strikeouts against just two walks.
It was 1-1 until the top of the sixth, when Proctor put two runners on base, then got them home when Mike Obernesser doubled — the game-winning hit, as it turned out. Watson, in defeat, registered eight strkeouts, just one less than Sarcone.
