As it took the field to begin its 2012 season, the Skaneateles baseball team knew that early success was crucial if it wanted to challenge powers like Marcellus and Westhill within the OHSL Liberty division.
And after claiming a pair of league wins, the Lakers made an even bigger statement on Saturday, knocking off long-time power Bishop Ludden by a score of 5-3.
Better yet, Skaneateles did so after spotting the Gaelic Knights a 2-0 lead thanks to single runs in the first and second innings earned off pitcher Ryan Prochna.
The Lakers got on the board with a run in the bottom of the second. Then, in the third, it got to Ludden pitcher Ryan Poplawski, scoring four times to take the lead.
Ryan Sherman sparked the attack, belting a home run and single, scoring twice and finishing with three RBIs. Brandon Barron doubled and drove in a run, while Tyler Saunders also had an RBI. Luke Drancsak scored a run.
Settling down, Prochna would allow just one more run in his last five innings of work. Prochna’s complete game included 11 strikeouts against three walks and six hits allowed.
Before all this, it proved to be a wild season opener against Cazenovia, as the hosts twice squandered the lead, but still made the last surge to win the battle of Laker teams by a 10-8 margin.
All went fine in the early going as Skaneateles steadily worked its way to a 6-2 lead through three innings, but Cazenovia tied it, 6-6, with four runs in the top of the fourth.
They continued to go back and forth, Skaneateles inching ahead 7-6, but the visitors scoring twice in the top of the sixth to go in front 8-7.
By this point, Skaneateles had four errors, but it shook them off and, with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, finally took the lead for good.
Drancsak, Sherman and Barron each scored two runs. Sherman added two hits and an RBI, while Connor Herr also picked up a pair of hits. Martin drove in a run, too.
So began a season-opening homestand that continued Wednesday, against Jordan-Elbridge, with a much more satisfying result as the Lakers shut out the Eagles 11-0.
Three pitchers – Herr, Drancsak and Paul Musso – combined on a five-hitter, the trio racking up eight strikeouts. It was made easier by the Lakers exploding for seven runs in the bottom of the second inning to take command.
B.J. Kerr drove in two runs, while Herr tripled and scored twice and Drancsak crossed the plate three times. Musso, Martin, Austin Amory and Kieran Daley had one RBI apiece.
