Here was the big challenge for the Fayetteville-Manlius baseball team as reigning Section III Class AA champion Baldwinsville challenged them in a three-game series.
The first game was a close one as the Hornets got to Bees starter Jake Marshall for three runs in the bottom of the first inning, two of them driven home by Sean Arthur’s single, answering a B’ville run in the top of the first.
Up 3-1, Tom Coleman protected that lead until the Bees scored twice in the fourth. Then, with the game still tied in the top of the eighth, the Bees went in front when reliever John Egnaczyk’s wild pitch allowed Mike Carni to score.
B’ville held on to win, 4-3, as relief pitcher Chris AuClair went 4 1/3 shutout innings in relief of Marshall. The Hornets only managed four total hits off Marshall and AuClair.
The second game of the F-M series with B’ville took place last Wednesday at Onondaga Community College and was part of the 12th annual Strike Out Lou Gehrig’s Disease Classic.
In a poignant pregame ceremony, Ray Middle School teacher Mike Pauldine, who is battling Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, threw out the ceremonial first pitch, to the applause of both teams and a large group of Ray Middle teachers who were present at the game.
F-M lost 12-2 to B’ville, who had ace Jason Savacool pitch five innings, only allowing one hit while striking out 10.
The Bees built a 12-0 lead in the first four innings, with both of the Hornets’ runs coming in the sixth as Mike Vaccaro had an RBI triple and was driven home by Sean O’Connor. Wet weather then postponed the third game until later this month.
In its only game last week, Christian Brothers Academy lit it up last Tuesday against Hannibal, only requiring five innings to put up a season-best total for runs in a 24-2 destruction of the Warriors.
Already up 12-0, the Brothers peaked with 12 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning as Kent Wilson pounded a pair of home runs and didn’t stop until he had amassed seven RBIs and scored four times.
Jason Boule scored five runs as he, along with Leo Genecco and Joey Marsallo, got three RBIs. Matt Doane, Anthony Marsallo, Tommy Marzullo, Cade Bacon and Derek Jann had one RBI apiece.
Bishop Grimes took part in the Strike Out Lou Gehrig’s Disease Classic at NBT Bank Stadium last Monday afternoon and earned a wild 11-8 victory over Jordan-Elbridge.
The Cobras steadily build a 9-0 lead before the Eagles nearly made it all up, scoring a run in the fifth and striking for eight runs off reliever Joe Fisher in the bottom of the sixth.
But Fisher got the final three outs after Grimes netted a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh, rewarding starter Joe Wike for his four scoreless frames that included five strikeouts.
Seth Murphy, with two hits and three RBIs, led the Cobras as David Cifonelli had three hits and three runs scored. Wike, Matt Tarby and Dalton Damuth had two RBIs apiece.
Grimes was able to play on Thursday and, like CBA did earlier in the week, bashed Hannibal, this one a 19-6 decision where, down 1-0 early, the Cobras scored three times in the third inning and then erupted for 12 runs in the top of the fourth.
Patient at the plate, Grimes drew 14 walks and took advantage of eight Warriors errors. Damuth had three of those walks as he and Ben Rivett had three RBIs apiece, with Wike and Murphy both driving in two runs. Cifonelli scored four times as 10 different Grimes players had at least one RBI.
