Even with weather interruptions and other obstacles, the Liverpool and Cicero-North Syracuse baseball teams would flourish and reach a Section III Class AA championship showdown against each other Wednesday at Alliance Bank Stadium.
With the top seed, the Warriors appeared to be cruising through Thursday’s quarterfinal against no. 8 seed Oswego. But a late comeback by the Buccaneers made things tense before Liverpool held on to win 10-8.
Down 2-0 early, the Warriors went ahead with three runs in the first, added three more runs in the second and got four runs in the third to gain a 10-2 lead. Mike Parsons earned three RBIs, while Nick Pilotti, Tyler Bliss and Alex Caruso each drove in two runs.
Andrew Schreyack, who also had an RBI, pitched and was in control until the fourth, when Oswego got four runs to cut the margin in half, to 10-6. Two more runs followed in the sixth, forcing Parsons to relieve Schreyack.
The seventh inning turned out to be a long one as lightning caused a one-hour delay. Despite the wait, Parsons returned to the mound and got the final three outs to help Liverpool hang on.
This led to Saturday’s semifinal against no. 4 seed West Genesee, who had eliminated Watertown 5-1 to get this far. Just as in the regular season, though, Liverpool proved too good for the Wildcats, winning by a 9-3 margin.
Twice in the early innings, Parsons escaped trouble, stranding five runners and setting things up for what happened in the bottom of the third.
In that frame, Liverpool chased WG starter John Fredette and picked up five runs. Parsons drove in the first with an RBI single, after which Schreyack hit a sacrifice fly. Then Tyler Lamb hit a bases-loaded double that plated two more runs and Corbin Gapski also notched a sacrifice fly.
More offense followed, as Parsons hit an RBI double in the fourth and Pat Wright smashed a solo home run in the fifth. By the seventh, Liverpool enjoyed a 9-1 cushion and were ready to move on to the finals.
Only then did WG stir with its bats as, with two outs, it scored a pair of runs and loaded the bases, forcing Caruso to relieve Parsons. Caruso got Eric Spencer to pop out to end the game.
CNS, as the no. 3 seed, started its playoff run by getting past no. 6 seed Utica Proctor 5-2 in last Thursday’s quarterfinal at Gillette Field.
The Northstars scored three times off Wendell Wright in the bottom of the first and tacked on single runs in the second and fifth innings. Brian and Eric Hamilton led the way, as Eric hit a home run and earned two RBIs, while Brian delivered two doubles and also drove in two runs.
Joe Pokrentowski needed nothing more, as the left-hander overcame eight hits and three walks to strike out seven and constantly escape trouble before rain and lightning cut the game short, to six innings.
Two days later, the Northstars were quite eager to play the AA semifinal at no. 2 seed Fayetteville-Manlius, who had taken out Baldwinsville by that same 5-2 margin to get this far. This was, of course, the same Hornets team that had beaten CNS 6-4 in 10 innings in the John Ilacqua Jr. Tournament on May 14.
When it counted the most, the Northstars got full payback, ripping F-M 9-1 as it jumped all over pitcher Brooks Weigl, chasing him by the third inning. It was 9-0 by the fourth, the game essentially put out of reach.
Again, the Hamilton brothers hit it hard as Brian and Eric both had two hits and two RBIs. Just behind them, Jack Hotaling drove in three runs as he, Matt Dykeman and Jake Farabee each had their own two-hit efforts.
Kyano Cummings, still undefeated in 2011, had beaten F-M back in April, but was more impressive now, the left-hander holding the Hornets to a scant three hits, striking out six while allowing a single walk.
All this leads to the final, CNS against Liverpool. Their only regular-season meeting, on May 9, ended 4-3 in Liverpool’s favor, and the pitching match-up should be the same here – Schreyack going for the Warriors, Pokrentowski for the Northstars.
