When the Skaneateles baseball team got a glimpse of the Section III Class B playoff bracket, it saw that, in order to make a deep run, it would need to beat the two sides responsible for winning five of the last six championships, and do so on the road.
Clinton, the no. 8 seed and two-time defending champions, was the first hurdle, but the no. 9 seed Lakers cleared it, putting together a 6-4 victory over the Warriors.
And that set up a Class B quarterfinal Thursday against top seed Westhill, the state champions from 2009 and ’10 who also won the sectional title in 2012. They had met twice in the regular season, the Warriors prevailing by equal five-run margins – 8-3 on April 27 and 7-2 on May 14.
Two weeks after that second encounter, Skaneateles and Westhill clashed again, and played on even terms except for one inning that proved costly to the Lakers as its season ended with a 4-1 defeat to the Warriors.
Early on, neither side was able to get on the board, Skaneateles pitcher Max Goldman matching Westhill’s Corey DeMauro through three scoreless innings.
The Lakers had two chances to move in front. In the top of the first, Josh McCabe and Jim Drancsak singled, putting two on with two out, and Kyler Viggiano hit a line drive – right at Westhill second baseman Brian O’Mara for the third out.
Two innings later, McCabe and John Texeira hit one-out singles, again putting two on. This time, Marc Pietropaoli struck out and Drancsak grounded out to keep it 0-0.
Then, in the bottom of the fourth, Goldman had his lone struggle, walking Sam Walsh and Chris Coates to start the inning.
Jeff Lobello advanced them with a sacrifice bunt and Mike Burton’s fly ball scored Walsh. Jesse Chester doubled home Coates and, after Ryan Roland was walked, an error scored Chester.
Protecting that 3-0 lead, DeMauro maintained the shutout until the sixth, when a walk and error led to Kyle Viggliano’s single that scored Josh McCabe.
But Westhill restored the margin when Roland drove home Chester in the bottom of the sixth, and Bobby Antonacci tossed a scoreless seventh inning for the save.
