Just before their respective regular seasons ended, the Cazenovia and Chittenango baseball teams would square off with local bragging rights at stake – not to mention the Bears’ hopes of reaching the Section III playoffs.
The game took place last Thursday afternoon, a last-minute addition to both teams’ schedules. As it turned out, Chittenango was glad that took place, for it put together one of its best all-around efforts of the season and won, 15-5, over the Lakers to get that playoff-clinching eighth win.
Despite three runs by the Bears in the top of the third, Cazenovia kept it close and only trailed, 4-2, until the top of the fifth. There, Chittenango batted around and plated seven runs, putting the game out of the Lakers’ reach.
Wyatt Myers and Zane Garvey paced the Bears with three RBIs apiece. Zane Cowburn accounted for two hits and scored four runs, with Seamus St. Leger adding two hits and two RBIs. Tom Valentine, Tom Rooney and Mike Culkin joined Cowburn in getting one RBI apiece.
No Cazenovia batter could earn more than one hit off Chittenango’s pitching tandem of Myers, who went five innings and struck out 11, and Cowburn, who worked the other two frames. Five different Lakers pitchers saw action, with Evan Begley taking the loss.
Prior to facing Chittenango, each side was busy, Cazenovia hosting Madison last Monday afternoon and, mostly benefiting from one big rally, pulling away for a 12-2 victory over the Blue Devils that gave the Lakers its eighth win and officially clinched a Section III playoff berth.
Other than surrendering a run in the top of the first, Cazenovia never trailed, gaining a 3-1 advantage through two innings, but then getting away from Madison in the bottom of the fifth by going around its order and plating eight runs.
Of Cazenovia’s 11 hits, only one went for extra bases – Eric Ketcham’s double. Matt Regan’s pair of hits led to three RBIs, while Graham Demo scored twice and drove in a pair of runs. Begley and Anders Hansen added two hits apiece as Paul McLaughlin, Judson Spaulding and Josh Bauder joined Hansen and Begley with one RBI apiece.
Perhaps of even more benefit to the Lakers was seeing Begley pitch a complete game, relieving the team of any bullpen duties as Begley struck out seven to overcome eight hits and three walks allowed.
Two days later, Cazenovia hosted Hamilton, who has spent the entire season in the state Class D rankings. This didn’t faze the Lakers, who defeated the Emerald Knights 8-4 by overcoming a 2-0 deficit, scoring five runs in the bottom of the third to move ahead for good.
‘Race, with two hits and three RBIs, paced the Lakers’ attack. McLaughlin scored a pair of runs as Demo, Begley, Ketcham and Spaulding drove in one run apiece. Cazenovia spilt pitching duties six ways, with Regan going three innings for the longest stint as Spaulding, Ketcham, Alex Marshall, Dan Hammond and Alex Roy also pitched.
Chittenango, who would miss the Section III Class A playoffs, began its last week of the season with a close battle against Mexico that only turned lopsided in the sixth inning of a 7-0 defeat.
For the first four innings, Rooney shut down the Tigers, only to give up a run in the fifth and then see things get away in the bottom of the sixth when the Tigers batted around and got six runs off Rooney and Myers.
Meanwhile, Chittenango had just three hits off Mexico ace Tyler Stever, who only had one strikeout, but kept getting great defense behind him. Myers, Rooney and Cowburn earned those hits as Brian Dufrane led the Tigers at the plate with two hits and two RBIs.
Hosting East Syracuse Minoa a day later, the Bears completely turned things around, hitting at will and stunning the playoff-bound Spartans 15-9 as it scored four times in the first inning, then fell behind 6-4 before erupting for nine runs in the fifth inning – mirroring what it would do to put away Cazenovia a day later.
St. Leger hit a home run, part of a three-hit, four-RBI performance as Garvey and Cowburn also had three-hit outings. Justin Makowski drove in two runs as Rooney and Matt Milliman each drove in one run.
Then the win over Cazenovia only added to Chittenango’s confidence, and it went from there to defeating Onondaga 6-4 on Saturday afternoon to improve its record to 9-11.
The Bears up a 6-0 lead through five innings and then held off the Tigers’ late rally. Garvey and Culkin both drove in two runs, with Valentine adding an RBI and also pitching a complete game, striking out six.
On Tuesday, the sectional Class A playoffs start with no. 14 seed Chittenango visiting no. 3 seed Fulton, while in Class B Cazenovia, holding the no. 11 seed, goes to no. 6 seed Holland Patent, with the winner getting into Thursday’s quarterfinal against no. 3 seed Adirondack in Boonville.
