ONONDAGA COUNTY – Two games, barely 48 hours apart, between the same rivals carried the same result – namely, hard-fought wins by Liverpool over Cicero-North Syracuse.
In the rematch of the May 1 season opener, this time played at North Syracuse Junior High School, the battle spilled into extra innings, but again the Warriors prevailed, edging the Northstars 5-4.
Having won that initial encounter 2-0 at the Gillette Road complex, Liverpool gave the ball to Adam Marsh, who only surrendered one hit in five innings.
Helped by single runs in the third and fifth innings, Liverpool led again, 2-0, but after 12 innings of getting shut out, C-NS got to Marsh by scoring twice in the bottom of the fifth to tie it, 2-2.
They traded runs again, the Warriors going up 3-2 in the top of the sixth, the Northstars responding with a run in the bottom of the seventh to get the game to extra frames.
But the 3-3 tie was quickly broken as Liverpool plated two runs in the top of the eighth, just enough as C-NS moved within one in the bottom of the eighth but could not pull back even.
Alex House’s pair of hits for the Warriors led to two RBIs. Anthony Lapine, who pitched the shutout in the first meeting, scored twice, as did Dillon Crook, while Alejandro Vergara, Sam Michalak and Andrew Contos had one RBI apiece.
Logan Karwowski was responsible for two of C-NS’s four hits and scored two runs. Matt Klamm, Mike Rockwell and Ty King each drove in single runs.
To this point, Liverpool had not yet lost a game, but that changed in last Thursday’s home opener as it fell 5-3 to the West Genesee Wildcats.
Lapine was on the mound and up 1-0 early when WG struck for three runs in the top of the second. After the Warriors scored in the fourth to cut it to 3-2, the Wildcats answered with two runs in the fifth that proved decisive.
Liverpool managed just three hits off WG pitchers Nick Jessen and Eric Korzeniewski, two of them by Lapine, who joined Mike Howell in the RBI column.
Conversely, C-NS put itself in the win column that night against East Syracuse Minoa, shutting down the Spartans in a 7-1 decision.
The Northstars got on the board in each of the first three innings and added three runs in the sixth for extra cushion. Jacob Crystal pitched five innings, striking out seven and giving up just two hits before Chris D’Agostino took over in relief.
Klamm singled, doubled and drove in two runs. Corey Cartier and Bryce Zicaro had two hits apiece as they joined Rockwell in the RBI column.
This week’s games would see Liverpool and C-NS both face Baldwinsville and Fayetteville-Manlius, with the Northstars getting its own shot at West Genesee on Monday if the weather held.
