With an 0-2 start and all the time it spent waiting out wet weather, the Skaneateles baseball team was desperate for any kind of good news.
It arrived in last Monday’s visit to Chittenango, where Luke Drancsak’s pitching and a deep, diverse lineup produced an 11-0 shutout over the Bears.
In his complete-game effort, Drancsak gave up just three hits and three walks, amassing 13 strikeouts. But the Lakers didn’t get away until, up 2-0, it scored five runs in the fifth inning and four runs in the sixth off Chittenango pitchers Josh Cretaro and Sean Cliff.
Conor Herr and Sepp Martin both hit home runs for the Lakers as Herr and John Texeira earned two RBIs apiece. Collin Jones, Calvin Bohrer, Ryan Cunningham, Kieran Daley and Max Weiss drove in one run apiece.
That momentum carried over into last Wednesday’s home game against Jordan-Elbridge, where the Lakers again hit at will and rolled past the Eagles 14-5.
Down 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning, Skaneateles scored four times in that frame to go ahead for good, and added four more runs in the third for an early cushion.
Martin led the way, going three-for-four with three runs scored and two RBIs. Herr and Paul Musso matched Martin, driving in two runs apiece, while Texeira, Jones, Daley and Connor Hurley each got one RBI. Cunningham pitched four innings and earned the win, with Will Hyland and John Dougherty seeing long relief stints.
But the Lakers’ brief win streak ended on a frigid, windy Saturday against visiting West Genesee, who jumped ahead early and never got caught as it beat Skaneateles by a 9-1 margin.
The Wildcats got to Herr for four runs in the second inning, a run in the third and three runs in the fourth, with Wes Randall leading the way as he got a home run and three RBIs.
Meanwhile, Skaneateles had difficult with WG pitcher Evan Reichel, who gave up just three hits in five innings of work. Texeira drove home Jones with the Lakers’ lone run in the bottom of the third.
Skaneateles would play four road games in six days this week (weather permitting), getting tested at defending Class B champion Westhill and Hannibal early in the week before back-to-back weekend trips to Phoenix and Hannibal.
