When faced with its first real crisis of the season, the Baldwinsville boys lacrosse team bore down and delivered.
The undefeated Bees trailed Fayetteville-Manlius by two in Wednesday night’s league opener at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium, but proceeded to blank the Hornets in the fourth quarter and pull out an 8-7 victory.
Peter Fiorini sparked the comeback with an end-to-end run and goal early in the final period. Then, with the score 7-7 and both sides squandering opportunities to go in front, Fiorini picked up a ground ball at midfield, charged in from the left side and converted with 2:01 left with what proved to be the game-winner.
In doing so, Fiorini bailed out a B’ville side that, perched at no. 6 in the first state Class A rankings of the season, had done everything possible to lose this game, from a rash of turnovers to penalties that helped a 5-2 third-quarter lead disappear.
F-M, under new head coach Doug Madden after Chris Kenneally’s retirement last June, had only played once this season, beating Auburn on April 7. But returning Hornets players remembered that B’ville had knocked them out in last year’s Section III Class A semifinal en route to the sectional title.
So there was plenty of intensity throughout the game, even though the form was off. Somehow, the Bees fought through it and, with goals by Brandon Mimas, Mike Tangredi and Spencer Wirtheim, led 3-2 at halftime.
But after Mimas and Cole Peters stretched the lead early in the third quarter, Nick Papa’s back-to-back goals pulled F-M within one, and Chris Lubrino. Frustrated, the Bees committed a series of penalties and, in the last minute of the period, Lubrino and Jack Shanley converted, and the Hornets were up 7-5.
All of that changed in the fourth quarter. Ben Dwyer, David Steria and the rest of B’ville’s back line picked up pressure and limited the Hornets’ shots after Fiorini made his run and Adam Davis tied it with 7:11 left.
Yet even after Fiorini put the Bees in front, F-M had a couple of chances to tie it. But J.J. Johnson made his 13th save of the night on Papa’s shot in the final minute, and a last-second chance flew wide.
Little drama was needed on Friday at Corcoran High School, where B’ville, not looking ahead to the West Genesee clash, handled the Syracuse Cougars 15-4, again going on a 5-0 fourth-quarter run to assure the outcome.
Fiorini amassed six assists as Mimas and Wirtheim each had three goals and two assists, with Peters also getting a three-goal hat trick. Austin Bolton had two goals and two assists, while Davis, Mike Tangredi and Connor Steria notched single goals.
Counting the Bees’ April 7 win over Pittsford, B’ville had outscored its last three opponents 13-0 in the fourth quarter of those games, something that B’ville hoped would matter when it meets West Genesee Tuesday for the first time since last year’s dramatic sectional title game.
