As it returned from its week of work at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex near Orlando, the Baldwinsville baseball team found itself in the unusual position of having a scheduled home-and-home series against Fayetteville-Manlius.
They would play the first of those games on Friday afternoon. With ace Scott Blewett unable to dominate in his normal manner, the Bees were pushed into extra frames, but still managed to escape with an exciting 8-7 victory over the Hornets.
B’ville appeared to have total control when it staked Blewett to a 5-1 lead by the fourth inning. But the right-hander surrendered two runs, six hits and four walks in his five innings of work, which seven strikeouts could not overcome.
When Blewett left, B’ville still had a 6-3 lead, but F-M erupted for three runs in the bottom of the sixth, all from home runs by Andrew Nucerino and Mitch Hoalcraft, to pull even, 6-6, and it stayed that way until the end of regulation.
Then, in the top of the eighth, Blewett and Kevin Carson came through with big hits as the Bees scored twice off Sean Brown, who had taken over in the fourth inning for starter Zach Rhea. The Hornets countered with a run in the bottom of the eighth, but Ben Webb, who had taken over in relief after Tom Scarfino struggled in the sixth, managed to get the final out.
Carson, with five RBIs, and Blewett, with three RBIs, drove in all of the team’s runs, while Pat Dubiel had four hits and scored four times. David Marsell scored two runs.
Rain fell again on Saturday, postponing the rematch with F-M, and also threatening another full week of action this week as the calendar turns to May. If all goes well, B’ville and F-M would play Wednesday, after the Bees faced Oswego and Auburn and before home games later in the week against Syracuse East and Liverpool.
B’ville’s softball team took a different trip – to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for the Grand Strand Tournament, where it won two of three games to finish second in its division. It beat Manning (S.C.) 3-2 and The Catholics 13-3, but lost to St. Mary’s Ryken (Md.) by a 12-3 margin.
