Now they’re even.
That, essentially, was the takeaway from the Liverpool baseball team’s 3-0 victory over Cicero-North Syracuse last Friday afternoon, which came just nine days after a 5-3, 10-inning epic that the Northstars claimed on that same Warriors diamond.
This one wasn’t going to extra frames. In fact, it didn’t even last 90 minutes thanks to the efficient pitching of Liverpool right-hander Nick Antonello, who threw a three-hit shutout, and C-NS left-hander Josh Ludden, who was nearly as good – with one exception.
Antonello coaxed Owen Dziados to fly out in the top of the first with two runners on base, the best threat C-NS would have all game. An inning later, with the Warriors in the same situation, it turned out a bit different.
With two out and nobody on the base in the bottom of the second, Nick Watson singled and Jonah Harder walked, one of just two walks Ludden allowed. Then Michael Wright hit a fly ball that fell, untouched, between three C-NS fielders, allowing Watson to race home, Harder reach third base and Wright get to second.
Jake Evans followed with a slow-hit grounder that he beat out for an infield hit. Not only did that score Harder, it also allowed Wright to fly around and cross the plate to give Liverpool its third run – two more than it needed.
Try as it could, none of the C-NS hitters could get good contact off Antonello, who kept finding the strike zone in the right spots and got solid defense behind him. Rocco Leone committed a pair of errors, but made up for it in the fourth by recording all three putouts.
Three innings later, Liverpool had leveled the series with the Northstars, with both sides knowing that one more showdown, on May 11 at the Gillette Road complex, loomed, plus a possible post-season encounter.
Before the rematch, though, C-NS and Liverpool both had full series to get through – the Northstars against Fayetteville-Manlius, the Warriors against West Genesee.
C-NS played the first two of its games against F-M on Monday, battling through rain and cold temperatures and producing a split with the Hornets.
In the first game, the Northstars prevailed 4-1, seeing Luke Dziados hold the Hornets to three hits while striking out eight. Connor Stanton hit a home run as he earned a pair of RBIs, while James Salamone doubled and drove in a run. Dziados, to help his own cause, doubled and scored twice.
F-M rebounded to beat C-NS 6-5 in eight innings the second game despite Salamone going 4 1/3 innings after relieving for Josh Ludden and giving up five runs.
The Northstars had 12 hits, three each by Stanton and Nick Spinella, who earned two RBIs as Stanton doubled twice. Dzaidos and Brendan Reilly had two hits apiece. Colin Sommers started for F-M, but Anthony Nucerino stood out for the Hornets on the mound throwing 2 2/3 scoreless innings.
The series got settled on Thursday, a strange game that C-NS won 9-6 by scoring all nine of its runs in the top of the first inning off Hornets starter Colin Green. Dziados had a two-run single, while Dylan Frawley, Brendan Reilly and Nick Spinella also had RBIs in that inning.
Now it was up to pitcher Chris Cramer to protect that 9-0 lead. F-M immediately cut into it with three runs in the bottom of the first, but Cramer held on until the sixth, when the Hornets, led by Sean Putnam (two hits, three RBIs), chased him and forced Christian to go the last two innings for the save.
Liverpool had an impressive start to its series with West Genesee, blanking the Wildcats 9-0 with a pitching gem from Joel Ciccarelli, who gave up just two hits and one walk while earning nine strikeouts in his complete-game effort.
WG also proved quite generous on the defensive side, committing six errors as the Warriors, by contrast, played error-free defense and turned many of WG’s mistake into runs, scoring twice in the second, fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
Leone was the only Liverpool batter to notch two hits. Despite all of the gift runs, Leone, Devan Mederios, Owen Valentine and Michael Wright gained one RBI apiece.
Two days later, the Warriors again beat West Genesee, this time by a 9-3 margin, in large measure due to the six-run rally it put together in the bottom of the fifth to overcome the Wildcats’ 2-1 advantage.
Evans, with three hits and three RBIs, led the attack, while Zach Schannell drove in two runs. Jacob Sisto and Tom Bianchi each had one RBI as Jeff DiStefano pitched 4 1/3 innings, striking out seven before Nick Antonello went the remaining 2 1/3 innings in relief.
The sweep was completed Thursday, and while it was far closer than the other two games, Liverpool still pulled it out, 4-3, by hanging on in the bottom of the seventh after the Wildcats, trailing 4-1, scored twice before Evans, pitching in relief of Dillan Wilkinson, got the final out.
Way back in the top of the first, Liverpool had tagged WG starter Kyle Korzeniewski for three runs, adding a run in the third that proved the difference-maker. Leone and Anthony Sgroi each got three hits, with Leone adding two RBIs as Sisto also drove in a run. Kyle Terzini added a pair of hits.
