Three runs, four errors, mistakes all over the infield – these were the kind of things that nearly sank the East Syracuse Minoa baseball team’s quest for a Section III Class A championship.
Yet when Monday night’s title game at Onondaga Community College was done, it was the Spartans celebrating a 4-3 victory over Whitesboro and basking in the glow of a first sectional title in 11 years.
Head coach John Herrington, who also led that 2007 squad, said this ESM team had a lot in common with that one in terms of their shared approach to the game.
“They’re a relaxed bunch of players,” said Herrington. “But they play as a team.”
There was no other way to go if the Spartans were to overcome its own self-inflicted wounds against a Whitesboro side out to repeat as sectional champions that had knocked out Jamesville-DeWitt and top seed Christian Brothers Academy to get this far.
A rough first inning began with ESM pitcher Ryan Seburn unleashing a wild pickoff throw to first base, allowing Joe Ruggiero to dash to third base and then score on a second error on Joey Crossley’s grounder.
Two batters later, Jake Montrose tripled home Crossley, and when Collin McAndrew’s grounder was botched, the Spartans had committed three errors and were down 3-0.
Seburn said that all of this did not shake his faith in his teammates, despite all they were doing to him.
“I knew our team would come back,” he said.
To do so, it would take Seburn having to settle down – which he did with a series of scoreless frames. He said that, by adjusting to off-speed pitches, he frustrated Whitesboro’s batters.
The help started to arrive in the bottom of the fourth. Jimmy Griffin drew a walk, stole second and scored on Colin Williams’ single. Then ESM loaded the bases and cut the deficit to 3-2 when Jacob Buell walked.
Only shortstop Joey Panuccio’s leaping grab of a Lucas Grabowski liner kept the Spartans from going in front, but it would do so an inning later, again with Griffin in the middle of it.
Nolan Penoyer drilled relief pitcher’s Dom Fasolo’s first offering to the wall for a double. Three pitches later, Griffin singled home Penoyer to tie it, 3-3.
Collin McAndrew relieved Fasolo, and Griffin stole second. He said he noticed something in McAndrew’s delivery and, with two strikes, took off for third, and though Sam Jenkins struck out, Griffin drew a throw that flew into left field, allowing Griffin to sprint home with the go-ahead run.
Now with a one-run lead, Seburn closed strong, including back-to-back strikeouts in the seventh inning on Panuccio and Ruggiero before Crossley lined out to end it. For the game, Seburn only allowed three hits and struck out eight.
On Thursday, ESM will face Section X’s Franklin Academy at Clarkson University in the Class A regional playoff opener. A win would bring them back to OCC for a regional final Saturday against the Section II champions, Queensbury or Amsterdam.
