Only once in the bottom of the third inning of Saturday’s Class B regional final did the Solvay baseball team put a ball out of the infield against Binghamton Seton Catholic – and it scored five runs.
That remarkable sequence all but decided the game as Jake Dippold held the Section IV champions to one hit in 6 1/3 innings of work and the Bearcats shut out the Saints 7-0, clinching a trip to this weekend’s state final four in the Binghamton area.
Perhaps the best thing for Solvay, in the wake of conquering Westhill for the Section III Class B title on May 30, was to have five days to get past that historic win, regroup and prepare for Seton Catholic, who was in its third state tournament in four years, though the last two were in Class C.
The break also allowed the Bearcats to bring back the left-handed Dippold on full rest, and he was sharp from the outset. Only a third-inning Saints single prevented him from another no-hit bid, and it didn’t take that long for Solvay to reward him some runs – though the way it got them was unusual.
Colin Lucio began the uprising in the bottom of the third with an infield hit. One out later, Dippold got hit by Saints starting pitcher Matt Ogozaly, and Sammy Kippen promptly followed with an RBI single to left that scored Lucio.
Mike Cimino reached on a throwing error that loaded the bases. Brett Peterson then hit a grounder that was mishandled, an error bringing home Solvay’s second run, and Blake Bagozzi expertly delivered a squeeze bunt that made it 3-0.
Still, it wasn’t over. Zach Chrysler ripped a line shot off Ogozaly’s glove and reached base for another RBI, and Jake Kyanka struck out – but the third strike went to the backstop, and Kyanka raced to first, the fifth run coming home.
From that, Seton Catholic could not recover, and Solvay tacked on two more runs in the fourth on hits from Kippen and Bagozzi. Dippold nearly made it to the end, but was replaced by Peterson on the mound with one out in the seventh as Peterson got the final two outs.
The entire state final four will take place Saturday at Maine-Endwell High School, weather permitting. At 10 a.m., Solvay meets Section IX champion Marlboro in one state semifinal, with Fredonia (Section VI) to face Schalmont (Section II) in the other semifinal at 1 p.m. The title game immediately follows.
