Consistency, or lack of it, has plagued the Baldwinsville baseball team throughout this 2010 season, and it keeps springing up, even in the regular-season homestretch.
The Bees had a shot at a marquee win Thursday against long-time Class AA power Liverpool, but could not hit much in a 6-0 loss to the Warriors.
It marked the second time in seven days that Liverpool ace Pat Brown had shut down a local rival, having done the same in a 4-2 win over Cicero-North Syracuse six days earlier.
Helping Brown out, the Warriors tagged B’ville’s Bo Watson for a pair of first-inning runs. Watson then shut the door for a while, but wore down as Liverpool tacked on a run in the fifth, then pulled away with a three-run sixth.
Watson, along with relievers Kyle Cushman and Nick Riley, allowed just seven total hits. That wasn’t enough, though, as the Warriors’ Alex Caruso banged out a home run and three RBIs.
Brown, meanwhile, limited B’ville to three hits (one each from Connor Martin, Danny Wright and Kyle Lattanzio as Gabe Levanti went hitless in three appearances and Brown recorded eight strikeouts.
The Bees would recover on Saturday by surviving Rochester McQuaid’s comeback bid and, in eight innings, beating the Knights 7-6.
Through four innings, B’ville led 6-2, as Wright’s two doubles and three RBIs propelled that early charge. But McQuaid stormed back, scoring twice in both the sixth and seventh innings to tie it, 6-6, and force extra frames.
After Scott Redmond pitched a scoreless eighth, the Bees put the winning run on base in the bottom of that frame — and Levanti brought Torre Holtman home with a single to end it.
Just before meeting Liverpool, the Bees went to Nottingham last Wednesday afternoon and had one of its best offensive efforts of the season, pounding the Bulldogs 13-1.
B’ville batted around in the first inning, plating seven runs. Six more would follow, plenty of support for pitchers Mike St. John and Nick Riley, who combined on a three-hitter.
Dan Dubiel doubled and finished with three RBIs. Levanti, Martin, Wright and Brett Earle each drove in two runs as Brett Charbonneau and Theo Kaminski also drove in runs.
With an 11-7 mark, B’ville visits Fayetetville-Manlius Tuesday to finish the regular season, with the Class AA playoff brackets to be announced on Sunday.
