Another week meant yet another switch in the fortunes of the Vernon Verona Sherrill and Oneida baseball teams in advance of Monday’s rematch of the Red Devils’ 30-11 win back on April 29.
VVS would go 2-1 for the week, starting on a tear but slowing up at the end. The Red Devils put everything together in last Monday’s 15-1 romp at Camden, scoring in five of the first six innings, including a four-run second and six runs in the top of the fifth.
The Red Devils accumulated 16 hits, with Kevin Sayles and Tyler Mautner each going three-for-four. Mitch Iseneker, who pitched 5 2/3 innings and got the win, put together a four-RBI effort that included a triple and double.
Staying hot 24 hours later, VVS smashed Clinton 8-1, getting a superb pitching effort from Jason Dalton as he gave up six hits, but only a single run in the sixth.
By that point, the Red Devils had a comfortable lead, thanks to two runs in the third and fifth innings, plus a three-run outburst in the sixth. Mautner went deep for a home run, adding two singles and finishing with three RBIs. Iseneker doubled and tripled, scoring twice, while Collin Laguzza drove in two runs and Kevin Sayles also got a pair of hits.
If the Red Devils could beat Utica-Notre Dame Thursday, it would regain a tie for first in the Tri-Valley West — but the Jugglers nipped them 3-2 at the end.
From the start, VVS squandered chances, loading the bases in the first inning without bringing a run home and only managing single tallies in the second and fifth innings. The Red Devils finished with seven hits, two each from Sayles and Jamie Cielinski.
With Jesse Whitmeyer pitching well, though (both runs he gave up were unearned), the Red Devils were still tied, 2-2, going to the bottom of the seventh, but could not force extra frames. Mike Gaglianese tripled, then raced home with the winning run on a bad VVS throw.
Meanwhile, Oneida(who sneaked into the no. 19 spot in the state Class A rankings) entered last week’s action leading the Tri-Valley’s East division, yet saw that position threatened in the wake of last Monday’s 11-10 loss to New Hartford.
Trailing 4-2 early, the Indians went in front with five runs in the third inning and, with a three-run fifth, expanded its margin to 10-6.
Yet it could not hold on. New Hartford got a run in the fifth, then tied it 10-10 in the sixth on Anthony Acevedo’s bases-clearing, three-run double. Acevedo then returned in the seventh and, with the winning run on third, beat out an infield hit to give the Spartans the victory.
This negated Oneida’s 12 hits, three of them from Nate Mallinder (including two doubles) and two from Andrew Hornyak, who had a home run and double. Brian Chevier also doubled.
A day later, the Indians had more excitement at Holland Patent, going to eight innings — only this time, it came out on top, beating the Golden Knights 11-9.
Trailing 9-4 through four innings, Oneida roared back with two runs in the fifth and three runs in the sixth, tying the game 9-9 on Bryan Sheridan’s two-out, two-run single.
It remained that way until the eighth, when Tyler Cavanagh’s two-out single broke a tie, and an error allowed Cavanagh to plate an insurance run.
Meanwhile, Ryan Shene rescued the Indians on the mound, replacing an ineffective Dylan VanDresar and, in 4 1/3 innings of relief, not allowing a run and earning four strikeouts without a single walk. Chevier had four hits, four runs scored and three RBIs as Sheridan put together three hits and three RBIs.
Still vulnerable, though, the Indians never led once in Thursday’s 12-5 loss to Camden. The game turned when Camden got six straight singles in the top of the sixth inning on its way to six runs to pull clear after Hornyak’s home run made it 6-5.
Dubois pitched and got the loss, not helped by Oneida making four errors, a contrast to Camden’s error-free defense. Hornyak had two hits and VanDresar doubled in the losing effort.
So Oneida enters the rematch with VVS leading the Tri-Valley East at 8-3, one game ahead of the Red Devils. This would kick off a last week of the regular season that also featured the Indians having its own encounter with Utica-Notre Dame, plus a visit from Clinton, as the Red Devils close with Whitesboro and Holland Patent.
