Three more outs, and the Cazenovia baseball team would have a monumental win over Watertown IHC in the May 26 Section III Class B-1 quarterfinals.
But the Lakers never got those last three outs, stunned by a seventh-inning comeback by the Cavaliers as it lost, 6-5, and saw its season come to an end.
IHC had a memorable 2010 season, going all the way to the state Class C championship game. Moved up to Class B this spring, it had already claimed the Frontier League ‘A’ division tournament when it took on Cazenovia.
Yet this glittering resume did not impress the Lakers one bit. Trailing 1-0, it scored twice in the top of the third inning against IHC ace Anthony Magovney before the Cavaliers tied it up, 2-2, in the bottom of the third.
Cazenovia took full advantage of IHC’s mistakes in the fifth, getting two runs off just one hit as a pair of walks, a wild pitch and passed ball allowed the Lakers to go back in front 4-2. Darian Smith’s run-scoring single in the sixth added to the margin.
So as they went to the bottom of the seventh, the Lakers led 5-2 and had ace Brian Gara ready to close things out. But Gara walked Corey Ward and Tyler Grable, forcing Cazenovia to go to Smith to relieve Gara.
Yet Smith walked Santero Alteri, loading the bases, and Dustin Exford promptly cleared them with a double that brought home all three runners and tied it, 5-5. A sacrifice bunt and walk followed before Connor Caldwell’s single scored Exford with the winning run.
So began a three-day period where all the remaining local baseball teams found themselves exiting the sectional playoff stage.
In Class B-2, Canastota, as the no. 7 seed, was putting a big scare into no. 2 seed Holland Patent before one big inning led to a 9-2 loss to the Golden Knights.
Having lost twice to HP in the regular season, the Raiders wanted payback, and trailing 2-0 in a game moved back a day by bad weather, Canastota tied it in the bottom of the sixth as Zach LaFlair’s hit scored Jeff Merrell and Alex Foster.
However, in the top of the seventh the Golden Knights loaded the bases, and Alex Foster, replacing Merrill, could not escape more trouble as a sinking single, a botched rundown and other hits led to seven runs and the end of Canastota’s season.
On that same day, Chittenango, the no. 6 seed in Class A, battled hard in its Class A quarterfinal, only to get eliminated in a 5-2 loss to the Trojans.
Greg Jasek pitched for the Bears, but could not shut down the potent Homer bats as stars Zephan Cash and Zach Blanden both hit home runs, helping the Trojans take a 5-0 lead.
Chittenango tried to rally with two runs in the sixth as Jasek and Wes Burghardt earned RBIs, but it would get no closer. The Bears finished with a 13-7 record.
Vernon-Verona-Sherrill, from its no.4 seed in Class A, nearly got ousted in the quarterfinals before rallying past no. 5 seed East Syracuse-Minoa 5-3.
With two out in the bottom of the sixth, VVS trailed, 3-0, and had only managed one hit. But Collin Laguzza singled. Travis Eaton reached base. Josh Webb notched an RBI single. Jesse
Whitmeyer’s hit drove in another run, making it 3-2. Suddenly alive, VVS saw James Flagler reach base on another error, bringing home the tying run, and Matt Silker’s two-run single put the Red Devils in front.
Still, it wasn’t over. ESM loaded the bases on Mautner with nobody out, but the VVS pitcher coaxed a 1-2-3 double play from Andrew Fletcher and got Casey Sullivan to ground out and clinch the win.
It only provided a temporary reprieve, though, as on May 28 the Red Devils lost 5-1 to top seed Bishop Ludden in the Class A semifinal at Geddes. Again, VVS did not get on the board until the late stages – namely, Whitmeyer’s solo home run.
That would be the only time the Red Devils would solve Gaelic Knights ace Ryan O’Kane, who allowed seven hits, but struck out 10 without a walk. Webb took the loss as VVS saw its season end with a record of 12-6.
