When it was time to hit the heart of its schedule, the Westhill baseball team was ready – even if it had to travel hundreds of miles to get in the work.
The Warriors’ annual venture to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina included a slate of OHSL Liberty division games that started on April 22 with John Geer and Andrew O’Connor leading the way in a 7-1 victory over Cazenovia.
Geer pitched and, despite allowing a second-inning run, held the Lakers to just two hits, striking out 10. Meanwhile, Westhill stayed patient against Cazenovia pitcher Dan Hammond, tying it in the fourth and then scoring three runs in the fifth inning to go in front for good.
O’Connor led that charge, earning three of Westhill’s six hits to go with a walk and two RBIs. Ryan Bennett added two hits, two runs scored and an RBI as Corey Frassica also drove in a run.
A day later, Westhill took on Altmar-Parish-Williamstown, and pulled off a five-inning no-hitter, O’Connor and Nate King combining on the gem in an 11-0 shutout of the Rebels.
Though O’Connor and King gave up four walks, they did not surrender a hit and recorded nine strikeouts between them. O’Connor also dazzled at the plate, earning four RBIs as King, Bennett (who scored three times) and Kevin Dwyer drove in two runs apiece. Adam Herne scored two runs.
Only at the end of the trip did Westhill stumble, taking a 2-0 loss to Liverpool, whose pitching tandem of Ryan Syrko and Kobe Stenson managed to shut the Westhill lineup down in this Warrior clash.
Marcellus met Utica-Notre Dame just days after the Jugglers’ head coach, Dan Bougourd, stepped down. The Mustangs beat the Jugglers in a 9-7, nine-inning thriller, blowing a 4-2 lead before tying it, 5-5, in the seventh.
It stayed that way until Marcellus netted four runs in the top of the ninth, and withstood UND’s comeback attempt in the bottom of the ninth, where it scored twice before the final out was recorded.
Max McAullif had a double, two singles and an RBI as Ryan Pierce drove in two runs. Brendan Shanahan, Ben Beratta and Ben McFall each had one RBI.
Now the Mustangs looked to avenge its 4-1 defeat to rival Skaneateles on April 14. Ten days later, the only thing that changed was the margin as the Lakers handled Marcellus again, this time by a score of 11-1.
Against Skaneateles pitching ace Cregg Scherrer, the Mustangs were patient at the plate, getting eight walks, two each by McFall, Beratta and Matt Spicer, but still only managing one hit as Scherrer struck out.
Marcellus got its lone run in the sixth, scored by McAullif, but by then the Lakers had a 6-0 lead and it added five runs in the sixth, McFall giving up home runs to Michael Murphy and Jack Carlisle.
On Thursday, Marcellus lost, 10-2, to East Syracuse Minoa, held to single runs in the second and third innings as Spicer got two hits and scored twice, with Pierce adding an RBI.
Solvay pummeled Pulaski 22-1 last Monday, scoring at least three runs in every inning except the fourth and piling up 25 hits to support pitcher Antonio Gonzalez, who went 5 2/3 innings and struck out five Blue Devils batters.
Alex Gallardo went four-for-five, scoring three times and earning three RBIs. Gonzalez had three hits and drove in three runs as Jordan Goldman and Connor Lee had two RBIs apiece. Owen Lansing had three hits and scored four runs as he, along with Blaine Franklin, Josh Florczyk and Zac Mashaw each got one RBI.
Still at home to meet Phoenix on Tuesday, the Bearcats pulled off a doubleheader sweep, scoring 29 runs against the Firebirds.
In the first game, Solvay won 13-4, breaking out of a 3-3 tie with Phoenix by getting four runs in the fourth inning and five more runs in the top of the fifth.
McKyle Sands tripled and drove in two runs, with Goldman, Gallardo and Mason Sands (who pitched a complete game) getting two RBIs apiece. Franklin and Mashaw also drove in runs.
The second game saw Solvay rip Phoenix 16-6, using five runs in the bottom of the first to go in front and scoring in every inning except the fifth, picking up 13 hits overall.
Lee and Florczyk set the pace, each finishing with two hits and three RBIs. Gallardo, Mashaw and Lansing were close behind, the trio each driving in a pair of runs, while Goldman, Martinez and Gonzalez had single-RBI efforts.
On Friday, Solvay lost, 11-6, to CBA, unable to hold an early 4-0 lead and then seeing a 6-4 advantage disappear when the Brothers scored seven runs in the top of the seventh inning. Blaine Franklin had two hits and two runs scored as Gallardo earned a pair of RBIs.
That same day, Marcellus handled Hannibal 12-1, improving its record to 4-3 as it will face those same Warriors again this week after taking on Homer Monday.
