The terrific start put together by West Genesee’s baseball team has garnered some notice – including a no. 7 spot in the first state Class AA rankings of the spring.
Now, in a series of high-profile games squeezed in between the wet weather that has caused a rash of postponements, the Wildcats would attempt to justify those early accolades.
It all started last Wednesday afternoon, when WG, fighting wind and cold temperatures, hosted defending Section III Class AA champion Auburn, making up an April 17 rainout. Once again, it was close – and once again, the Wildcats prevailed, edging the Maroons 3-2.
They were scoreless until the top of the third inning, when Auburn scored twice off WG starter Marshall Winn. Casey Komanecky’s double brought home Kevin DiCola, and then Komnecky crossed the plate on a hit from Pat LaDouce.
Quickly answering, the Wildcats tied it, 2-2, in the bottom of the third to get to Maroons pitcher Hunter Charles. It stayed that way until the sixth, when WG broke the tie after Mike Charles had taken over in relief of his brother. Will Randall and Matt Frazee had one RBI apiece.
Meanwhile, Winn worked quickly and pitched a complete game, holding Auburn to four hits and one walk, while recording seven strikeouts.
On Saturday, as part of the Strike Out Lou Gehrig’s Disease Classic at NBT Bank Stadium, WG met up with the combined Syracuse city squad and its left-handed junior ace, Jeff Belge.
And while it couldn’t beat Belge, the Wildcats did outlast him, and that proved the difference in a 7-3 victory that was the team’s seventh in a row.
WG got to Belge for two runs in the top of the second. Syracuse countered with three runs off Evan Reichel in the third, aided by a pair of Wildcat erriors, before Reichel settled down and worked three scoreless frames, waiting for some help.
Belge only lasted through the fifth, striking out seven but surrendering four walks, which drove up the pitch count and forced Belge to exit in favor of Syracuse reliever Brian Nolan in the top of the sixth. It didn’t take long for the Wildcats to take full advantage, tying it in the sixth on Colin BeVard’s single that scored Joey Vetter.
Then, in the top of the seventh, Ryan Greco and Brian VanBeveren singled, setting up Anthony Carrodegaus for a deep double that scored both runners, and then Vetter notched his own two-run single for further insurance. Following that, Vince Mills worked a scoreless seventh inning to clinch the victory.
And this leads to Monday’s showdown with Cicero-North Syracuse, where the Wildcats are likely to face Northstars ace Steven Theetge, who is 2-0 thanks to a pair of 1-0 shutouts over Syracuse and Baldwinsville to open the spring.
Games against Central Square and Baldwinsville would quickly follow the C-NS clash, part of a week where, if the weather held, WG will play five times, concluding with contests against Liverpool and CBA.
