Though they had to wait until Thursday afternoon, the Liverpool and Cicero-North Syracuse baseball teams finally got to clash, and as usual, the rivalry made it worth all the waiting.
The Warriors put up nine runs in the second inning – and nearly got beat as the Northstars made a stirring comeback that fell just short, Liverpool hanging on to win 9-8.
It was C-NS that got the jump against Warriors starter Jake Wheeler, pushing across three runs in the top of the first inning, which Northstars pitcher Justin Persse.
But in the bottom of the second, Liverpool broke out, first by loading the bases and seeing Tyler Jennings belt one over the left-field fence for a grand slam, the team’s second of the season.
Keeping it going, the Warriors tacked on three more runs with hits from Mike DeStefano and Shane Hazelmyer, and after Noah Wieczorek relieved Persse, Anthony Lapine delivered a two-run double.
Now trailing 9-3, it was up to Wieczorek to keep it from getting out of hand – and not only did he do so, but Wieczorek and Carter Wisely combined for four scoreless innings of relief.
Meanwhile, C-NS chipped away, with single runs in the fourth and sixth inning that made it 9-5. Then, in the seventh, Tim Taladay and Anthony DelVecchio singled before Jared Stanton delivered a two-run double.
Matt Pare relieved Wheeler, but Cole Rockwell singled, and a passed ball allowed another run to score. With the margin down to one, Rockwell got to third base with two out, but Pare struck out Carmen Chirco to end it.
The second game was played Saturday at North Syracuse Junior High School, and didn’t have the wild extremes of their first encounter, but it turned out better for C-NS as it beat Liverpool 6-4 to even the series.
Earlier that day, the Warriors had lost, 4-1, to CBA when the Brothers scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to break a 1-1 tie. Now the Northstars again got the jump on them with a run in the first inning and three runs in the third off Nyhmin Green.
After giving up a run in the top of the fourth, C-NS added two runs in the bottom of the fourth, stretching its margin to 6-1 as Stanton and Taladay both had two RBIs by that point, Taladay getting three hits and Jacob Parker two hits.
DelVecchio pitched for the Northstars and was in control until Liverpool struck for three runs in the top of the sixth, and it threatened again an inning later before Wieczorek was able to earn the final out.
They entered this series in far different moods, Liverpool feeling quite good in the wake of last Wednesday’s 7-0 shutout of Fayetteville-Manlius as C-NS had dropped a 3-2 decision to West Genesee.
This game between the Northstars and Wildcats had started April 23, but was halted by rain with the score 2-2. Numerous attempts were made to finish the game, but it rained those days, too.
Finally, on Wednesday it ended with WG putting across a run in the top of the eighth inning off DelVecchio, with Sam Gallager able to earn the final three outs.
As for Liverpool, it gave pitching ace Luke Harder five runs in the top of the first inning against F-M pitcher Tom Coleman, adding single runs in the fifth and seventh, though they weren’t needed.
Not only did Harder hold the Hornets to four hits and three walks while striking out five, he got three hits at the plate and scored a run. Hazelmeyer had two doubles and a single, getting a pair of RBIs as Lapine and Samy Saba also drove in runs. Wheeler added two hits and walked twice.
