With its win streak and shutout streak broken up by Jordan-Elbridge on May 11, the Skaneateles baseball team resolved to regain its top form just before the Section III Class B playoffs start this week.
Traveling to Pulaski last Tuesday afternoon, the Lakers got another strong start from left-hander Cregg Scherrer in an 11-3 victory over the Blue Devils. Over six innings, Scherrer allowed just one hit and a first-inning run, striking out 11.
Skaneateles also was encouraged by what it saw at the plate, with runs in each of the first five innings and 17 hits overall. Adam Lupo twice connected for home runs and finished with four RBIs, while Michael Murphy went four-for-four and drove in three runs.
It didn’t stop there, either, as Josh McCabe tripled, scored three times and earned two RBIs. Jake Reed, who pitched the seventh inning after Scherrer departed, notched three hits, including a double, and had an RBI as Jacob Nesbitt scored a pair of runs.
Tommy Scherrer, who had no-hit Altmar-Parish-Williamstown in his previous start, could not do the same against rival Marcellus on Wednesday, and it took until the late stages for the Lakers to put away the Mustangs 6-3.
For five innings, all looked comfortable with Skaneateles up 4-1, but Marcellus struck for two runs in the bottom of the sixth to cut the margin to one, requiring the Lakers to answer with two runs in the top of the seventh to restore its eventual winning margin.
In 6 2/3 innings before Lupo recorded the final out, Scherrer gave up eight hits and earned eight strikeouts. He also had two hits at the plate to match McCabe as Murphy and Cregg Scherrer had two RBIs apiece. McCabe scored three runs as Reed picked up an RBI.
The Skaneateles softball team dropped a tough 6-5 decision to Pulaski last Tuesday afternoon. Ryley Pascal and Maeve Canty each had two hits and one RBI, while Elizabeth Williams also drove in a run. Kathryn Lindgren, Sarah Blowers and Leah King scored runs as, for the Blue Devils, Kailtyn Birmingham and Julianna Finnerty had three RBIs apiece.
An 8-4 defeat to Marcellus followed on Wednesday afternoon, with the Lakers taking a 2-0 first-inning lead before the Mustangs tied it in the bottom of the first. By the time Skaneateles scored again in the seventh, it trailed 8-2 due to Marcellus notching six total runs in the previous three innings.
Still, Maddy Williams managed a pair of RBIs, with Elizabeth Williams getting three hits, including a triple. Kayla Ramsden and Hannah Stone had one RBI apiece as Alyssa Cook (three hits) and Sydney Lewis (three-for-three, three RBIs) led the Marcellus effort.
Following a 10-0 defeat to state no. 2-ranked Solvay on Saturday, Skaneateles found out that it could play the Bearcats again if, as the no. 17 seed in the Class B sectional tournament, it beat no. 16 seed Vernon-Verona-Sherrill in the opening round.
By contrast, the Skaneateles baseball side found itself with the no. 6 seed, and with 23 teams qualifying for this open tournament, the Lakers had to wait to see who it would face first, either no. 11 seed Canastota or no. 22 seed Hannibal.
If the seeds hold, the Lakers could meet no. 3 seed Westhill (a team it already beat this season) in the quarterfinals.
