What was a Cazenovia baseball season mostly filled with bliss and capped by a landmark accomplishment came to an abrupt and stormy ending.
At home, and against an opponent it beat twice during the regular season, Cazenovia lost the third and most important Laker clash with Skaneateles, taking a 14-3 defeat in Tuesday’s opening round of the Section III Class B playoffs.
Given the no. 5 seed for the 15-team Class B sectional tournament, Cazenovia appeared, at first, to be handling Skaneateles again, leading 2-1 through two innings.
But things started to turn bad in the top of the third, as the visiting Lakers struck for three runs against Cazenovia ace Liam Rogers to take the lead for good.
Thanks to Rogers, Cazenovia stayed within range, 5-3, until a top of the fifth when it all fell apart. Skaneateles batted around against Rogers and relief replacement Will Fellows, getting numerous extra-base hits and some benefit from the home team’s errors.
It added up to nine runs, a double-digit deficit, and no real chance to recover because, in the sixth inning, a rainstorm arrived, forcing them to call the contest.
Drew Devendorf led Cazenovia at the plate, going three-for-three with an RBI and run scored. Rogers and Cullen Franz also drove in runs as Jeff Stowell earned a triple and scored a run. Luke Drancsak, the winning pitcher, also starred at the plate, joining John Texeira and Kieran Daley as they got three hits apiece.
So Cazenovia’s season ends at 12-8, having still earned its first-ever league title, a share of the OHSL Liberty National division crown with Solvay, but not quite matching the glorious run to the sectional Class B-2 title it enjoyed a season ago.