Aside from all the off-the-field turmoil that included the resignation of head coach Pete Birmingham and his entire staff, the Marcellus baseball team had to endure a week of inactivity due to bad late-April weather.
And when things did resume Saturday at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill, the Mustangs found itself on the wrong end of a pitching gem by the Red Devils’ Jesse Whitmeyer, who had a no-hitter to beat Marcellus 6-0.
Nothing the Mustangs tried at the plate worked against Whitmeyer, who struck out the first 10 batters he faced. Later, Marcellus did coax four walks, but never got a clean hit as Whitmeyer raised his K total to 18 by the time it was done.
On that same day, though, Marcellus beat South Jefferson 7-3 with a stunning rally. Down 3-0 going to the bottom of the sixth inning, the Mustangs exploded for all seven of its runs.
Nick Sinay and Taylor Vile both had two-run doubles to cap the rally, which also saw Brendon Sammon, Jon Cavaretta and Bryan Carroll also earn RBIs. Colin Smith pitched five innings, striking out eight to earn the win.
Solvay resumed action last Wednesday, edging Cazenovia 2-1 behind the bat of Forrest Gilbert and the pitching of Carmen Gacek.
Gilbert’s single in the top of the first inning scored Brandon Pelose and Nate Antonacci, putting the Bearcats ahead 2-0. Solvay didn’t score again, leaving the rest to Gacek.
Aside from a fourth-inning run, Gacek kept the Lakers off the board, holding them to three hits and three walks and striking out seven.
Just as big for the Bearcats was Saturday’s 6-4 win over Skaneateles, sparked by a four-run first inning. Though the Lakers closed within 4-3, the Bearcats used single tallies in the fourth and sixth innings to build the eventual winning margin.
Again, Gilbert starred at the plate, with a double and two RBIs. John Savo and Davis Kippen also drove in runs, with Savo picking up three hits and scoring twice. Not only that, but Savo pitched 2 2/3 innings of relief for the save after Dan Fantacone’s solid four-inning starting stint.
Bishop Ludden saw games at Fulton and Phoenix postponed by weather before it returned to action last Wednesday, against Mexico, earning a 5-3 victory over the Tigers.
Mexico got to Ludden pitcher Tyler Dunsmoore for all of its runs in the first two innings and took a 3-2 lead. Steadily, the Gaelic Knights worked its way back, using single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to get back in front.
Ryan O’Kane, easing back into the lineup after an early-season illness, managed two hits and two RBIs. He also pitched a scoreless seventh inning of relief after Dunsmoor, who struck out nine, finished his six-inning stint. Dunsmoor and Cory Poplawski drove in runs as Mike Works earned a pair of hits.
West Genesee was off the field until Saturday, when it blanked Utica Proctor 4-0 to improve its record to 7-2.
Jordan-Elbridge endured back-to-back defeats, falling to Homer 18-0 and Jordan-Elbridge 9-1, but hit a low point Saturday when, in a 13-0 defeat to Onondaga, it did not even see a runner each base.
Tigers pitcher Eric Hertel threw a perfect game that included eight strikeouts and fine defense behind him, including great catches by outfielders Joel Park and Tyler Wilson.
