Staring at a continual stretch of games caused by early-season weather postponements, the West Genesee baseball team would do its best to cope – and try to flourish, too.
The Wildcats returned to action last Wednesday, against Central Square, getting a tremendous all-around performance from Adam Reichel in a 7-0 shutout of the Red Hawks.
Not only did Reichel pitch a complete game where he held Central Square to seven hits and struck out seven without allowing a walk, he also had a single, double, two runs scored and three RBIs at the plate.
WG broke the game open with three-run rallies in the third and fifth innings. Wes Randall doubled, walked and scored three runs as Steve Payette earned a pair of RBIs. Colin Bevard had two hits and two runs scored.
A day later, the Wildcats were at Cicero-North Syracuse, cooling down a red-hot Northstars hitting attack, but still unable to hold a late lead as it lost by a 4-3 margin.
C-NS, in starting 3-0, had scored 64 runs in those games, but WG pitcher Seamus Barry did a superb job quieting them, going 4 1/3 innings and allowing just one hit.
Barry left in the fifth with WG holding on to a 3-1 lead as Randall, Bailey Gauthier and Jon Brittain had scored in the third and fourth innings.
But the Northstars would rally, scoring twice in the sixth to tie it, and poking across a run in the bottom of the seventh on Paul Ludden’s single to win it. Reichel took the loss in relief after stints from Shawn Castro and Sean McConnell.
While all this was going on, WG’s softball team broke out in an impressive showing against Auburn last Wednesday, where it beat the Maroons 9-4.
Trailing 2-0 early, the Wildcats went in front with three runs in the bottom of the third. After Auburn tied it, 3-3, WG got away when it scored twice in the fifth and added four insurance runs in the sixth inning.
Morgan Nichols, who pitched a complete game, also starred at the plate with three hits, two of them doubles, and three RBIs. Tess Andrews went three-for-four, scoring three times and also driving in three runs as Jenna Amidon managed two hits and two RBIs. Marisa Joyce also drove in a run.
Weather had a diverse effect on Saturday’s games. WG’s softball team saw games against South Jefferson and Sandy Creek wiped out, but the baseball Wildcats did play, at Skaneateles, and got most of its production early in a 9-1 victory over the Lakers.
Four second-inning runs pushed WG in front, followed by a three-run fourth as Randall hit a home run, scored twice and produced three RBIs. Gauthier, Brittain and Colin Bevard had one RBI apiece.
Reichel, who scored a pair of runs, started for the second time this week, pitching five innings and holding Skaneateles to three hits before Gauthier and Dan Macko took over in relief.