Determined to climb back to the top of the Section III Class AA ranks, the Liverpool baseball team found immediate success once games finally got underway.
The Warriors started out by hosting West Genesee last Wednesday afternoon, and got a tremendous pitching performance from Nick Claver as it beat the Wildcats 5-1.
Immediately, the Warriors took pressure off Claver by scoring twice in the bottom of the first. And it stayed 2-0 for a while as Claver shut down WG’s lineup, waiting for more support until the sixth, when Liverpool added a trio of insurance runs.
Only in the seventh did Claver tire, giving up the Wildcats’ lone run, and Don Pauldine had to work in relief to get the last two outs. Pauldine also earned a pair of RBIs at the plate as Jason Schulz managed three hits, including a double, and an RBI. Claver also drove in a run.
A day later, the Warriors faced Central Square, and it turned into a wild contest where Liverpool gave up 11 runs in the second inning – and still beat the Red Hawks 17-15.
Liverpool was up 4-2 when, in the second, it all seemed to fall apart, Central Square tearing in front 13-4. But when the Warriors answered with seven runs of its own in the third, cutting the gap to 13-11, it was competitive again.
In the top of the fourth, Liverpool tied it, 14-14, and though the Red Hawks went back in front 15-14 in the bottom of that frame, the Warriors staged one more comeback, tying it 15-15 in the sixth and using a pair of runs in the top of the seventh to go ahead for good.
Rick Sisto led the Liverpool rally, hitting a pair of home runs and adding a triple on his way to collecting six RBIs. Schulz, Luke Gilbert and Michael Wright each drove in two runs, with Dan Vanherp adding an RBI. Central Square lost despite Nate Budge going deep twice and Gage Lanning adding a home run as Ryan Strott, pitching in relief, earned the win and Schulz got the save.
On Saturday afternoon, Liverpool made it three wins in a row in a much calmer game against Oswego, overcoming an early deficit to claim a 6-4 decision over the Buccaneers.
Trailing 3-2 after Oswego got three runs in the top of the second, the Warriors zoomed back in front with a three-run rally in the bottom of the third. The Bucs closed the deficit to 5-4, but Liverpool added an insurance run in the sixth.
Pauldine pitched a complete game, striking out eight without a walk while allowing seven hits. At the plate, Sisto had two hits, scored twice and added an RBI, while Gilbert and Dalton Horton also managed two hits. Pauldine, Wright and Kyle Watson also drove in runs.
