Though the Westhill baseball team still holds the crown in both Section III Class B and OHSL Liberty division ranks, Solvay is bent on taking it from them.
With 10 seniors on its roster, the Bearcats return plenty of experience from a side that, in 2015, went 16-4, and three of those losses were to the Warriors, who topped Solvay in the sectional semifinals on the way to a state final four appearance.
For Westhill, things began with a victory in Saturday’s Oneida Tournament, where it toppled host Oneida 7-4 in the opening round and then blanked Rome Free Academy 6-0 in the championship game, where John Geer pitched a complete-game shutout against the Black Knights.
Solvay got to open its season before Westhill did, though, and announced its intentions in a big way, taking apart visiting Jordan-Elbridge and not letting up until it had earned a 17-1 victory over the Eagles.
J-E actually got the first run in the top of the first inning, with Zach Fabrize driving home Zach Pangaro. But Solvay countered with five runs in the bottom of the first, and then ate up the Eagles’ pitchers in the late going with four runs in the fifth and seven runs in the sixth following a single four-inning tally.
Colin Lucio led the attack with three hits, scoring twice. Mike Yaizzo reached base four times with two hits and two walks and scored on all four occasions, while Dustin Harris got two hits and two RBIs. Mike Cimino and Joey Guadagnolo each drove in two runs.
The big late margin allowed the Bearcats to take out starting pitcher Jake Dippold, who still limited J-E to one hit in five innings pitched, striking out 10. Nate Vona worked the last two innings in relief. George Richardson, one of four J-E pitchers, took the loss.
On Saturday, the Bearcats, who routed Cazenovia on Friday, visited Bishop Grimes and rolled again, defeating the Cobras 14-1 by scoring all of its runs in the first four innings, capped by a seven-run fourth where the Cobras used three pitchers but kept issuing walks.
Thus, Solvay had those 14 runs on just seven hits, with Cimino and Josh Chrysler leading the way with two RBIs apiece. Yaizzo, Lucio, Sammy Kippen, Jake Kyanka and Blake Bagozzi also drove in runs as Kyanka pitched and held Grimes to three hits in six innings of work, striking out six.
Marcellus got a narrow victory in its season opener last Monday, edging Bishop Ludden 2-1 in a nine-inning classic. Robert Ruley drove Matt Hosek home to give the Gaelic Knights a 1-0 lead in the third, but the Mustangs tied it in the sixth and got the go-ahead run three innings later.
John Houser and Chris Torell scored for Marcellus, who saw starting pitcher Jake Schettine work 4 2/3 innings and strike out nine before Tyler Matheny took over in the fifth and held Ludden without a hit the rest of the way. Kevin Hawk took the loss in a long relief stint after Dan McGarvey started and went 5 1/3 innings.
On Saturday, Marcellus met unbeaten East Syracuse Minoa and lost, 5-1, to the Spartans. Here, it was the Mustangs leading early when Schettine’s single scored Torrell, but ESM pulled even in the fifth and won it with four runs in the top of the seventh off Torell and Matt Shoemaker.
After the loss to Marcellus, Ludden stayed quiet in last Wednesday’s game at Skaneateles, shut down in a 2-0 defeat to the Lakers.
Ian Quinn got the start for the Gaelic Knights, and kept Skaneateles off the board until surrendering a run in the bottom of the third. Quinn also surrendered a run in the sixth, but still limited the Lakers to four hits and two walks while striking out nine in a complete-game effort.
Still, it wasn’t enough. Skaneateles starter Tommy Scherrer worked five innings, striking out six, while Adam Lupo worked the last two innings in relief. Combined, they limited Ludden to five hits and didn’t let them cross the plate once. Quinn, E.J. Zawadzki, Matt McGinn, Austin Hoyt and Jason Hoffman had those hits for the Gaelic Knights.
Ludden visited Altmar-Parish-Williamstown on Friday afternoon and earned its first win of the season, 14-5, over the Rebels. A five-run first inning gave the Gaelic Knights a lead it continued to build on throughout the afternoon as Hoyt pitched four innings and Tom Westers tossed three scoreless innings of relief.
Amid a 17-hit attack, Hoffman managed three RBIs and doubled, while McGarvey Robert Ruley had two RBIs apiece. Hoyt scored four runs as he, along with Quinn, Ed Walser and Nick Reppi drove in one run apiece.
J-E’s struggles continued throughout the weekend against the Laker sides, starting Friday with a 14-1 loss to Skaneateles and including Saturday’s 8-1 defeat to Cazenovia. Against Skaneateles, the Eagles never recovered from a six-run first inning, though Zach Fabrize drove home George Richardson in the bottom of the first.
