With three impressive victories, the Solvay baseball team rose above the .500 mark in the OHSL Liberty division and also improved its overall record to 8-8.
The Bearcats began this push by exploding on the offensive side in last Monday’s 16-1 romp over Phoenix.
Though Solvay didn’t score until the third inning, it quickly found the groove and earned five runs in the fourth, then put things away with a nine-run outburst in the bottom of the fifth.
In all, Solvay got 20 hits, featuring Matt Fantacone, who doubled, tripled and finished with four RBIs. Taylor Delperuto and Ryan Bidwell both doubled and drove in three runs, while Ronn Bidwell got a triple and two RBIs. Jake Kippen, R.J. Lostumbo and Kyle Groth each drove in one runs as John Savo got the win on the mound.
Then it was Groth’s turn to dazzle on the mound, as he worked over Marcellus last Tuesday afternoon and produced a 5-0 shutout. Allowing just three hits and one walk, Groth picked up nine strikeouts as he baffled the Mustang hitters.
Adam Breuer countered that work until the fifth inning, when Solvay scored twice, Groth and Delperuto producing the RBIs. The cushion came in the seventh when, against reliever Zach Amidon, Jack DeGonzaque belted a bases-clearing double that yielded three RBIs.
Solvay’s bats took over again Wednesday, at Cazenovia, as Fantacone, in particular, had a blast in a wild 15-13 win over the Lakers that moved the team’s overall mark to 8-8.
Steadily, the Bearcats gained a 5-0 lead until the bottom of the fourth, when Cazenovia tied it. In quick response, Solvay torched the Lakers for seven runs in the top of the fifth to build a 12-5 lead, but watched the Lakers rally again, closing it to 12-11 going into the seventh.
As it turned out, Solvay needed those three runs in the seventh as Cazenovia made one more comeback, closing within two before Lostumbo, in relief of Ryan Bidwell and Brenin Matticio, got the final out.
Fantacone drummed Cazenovia pitching for two home runs and a double, finishing with four hits, three runs scored and a career-best seven RBIs. Not far behind, DeGonzaque produced three hits, including a round-tripper, and drove in four runs while scoring twice. Delperuto drove in two runs as Ronn Bidwell added an RBI and Ryan Bidwell crossed the plate three times.
