Much of the Baldwinsville boys lacrosse team’s remaining regular-season slate would play out on the grass at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium, the last time this would happen before a Field Turf is put in place during the next school year.
That would include some big games at the end of April, commencing with last Monday’s visit from Auburn, who just entered the state Class A rankings at the no. 24 spot and proceeded to win its sixth game in a row, pushing past the Bees 14-10.
Auburn’s attack hurt B’ville’s defense during the first quarter, gaining a 5-3 edge, and even when the Bees did slow things down, it could not catch up, trailing by a 6-5 margin at the break.
The third quarter saw another 5-3 Auburn push, and this time B’ville had no response, seeing Jack Burgmaster score four times and Danny Entenmann pile up three goals and three assists to lead the potent Maroons attack.
On its side, B’ville saw Charlie Bertrand notch three goals and one assist, with Matt Dickman and Jacob Anderson each scoring twice. Connor Smith added one goal and one assist as Evan Stolicker and Pete Fiorini III also found the net. Ryan Gebhardt got an assist and Ryan Smith, playing in goal, recorded 15 saves, the same total as Auburn counterpart Max Hogan.
Two nights later, B’ville made up the postponed April 21 game against West Genesee, who was undefeated until it had lost to Cazenovia 9-5 the same night as the Bees fell to Auburn.
To put it mildly, the Wildcats did not like that result, and B’ville felt the wrath in a 16-5 defeat, one that was more lopsided than the 14-8 decision WG claimed at Nottingham High School a month earlier.
Unlike that first meeting, WG didn’t have a massive early scoring surge. Instead, it gradually gained control, leading 4-2 after one period and extending that margin to 6-3 by halftime. Then it tore up the Bees in the second half, with Tyler Shoults getting four goals and one assist and Mike Fletcher adding three goals and four assists.
Nothing the Bees tried would work, and other than Dickman’s three-goal hat trick and Bertrand’s goal and three assists, the attack was particularly quiet. Anderson had the other goal as Smith finished with nine saves, two less than WG counterpart Nick O’Neill, whose 11 saves were remarkable given that he only replaced Ryan Mavretish in the lineup a week earlier.
B’ville looked to break the skid against defending Section III Class A champion Fayetteville-Manlius on Friday night. Having lost, 10-7, to the Hornets on April 10, the Bees again sought to get even – and this time, it did so, getting a massive effort from Riley Smith to prevail 11-9.
All game long, it proved close. The Bees led, 2-1, after one period, and from there an exchange of goals took place, neither side sustaining a long run, but B’ville still managed to double its margin and was up, 9-7, going to the fourth quarter.
What helped the Bees hang on was seeing Riley Smith make 16 saves, double the total of his F-M counterpart, Brian Charlamb, and the energy spread to, among others, Ryan Smith, who produced two goals and two assists.
Bertrand still led the attack, getting four goals and adding an assist. Stolicker joined Ryan Smith by scoring twice as Dickman, Anderson and Dillon Darcangelo had the other goals. Only one F-M player, Donovan Welsh, had more than one goal, ending up with four goals and one assist.
Following Tuesday’s trip to Liverpool, the Bees are home for the rest of the regular season – games this week against Central Square Thursday and Cazenovia on Saturday afternoon, plus next Monday against Cicero-North Syracuse.
