ONONDAGA COUNTY – One odd thing about the Liverpool baseball team sweeping two early-season games against Cicero-North Syracuse was the fact that, after those games, the two rivals both saw their fortunes turn in the other direction.
Nothing symbolized this trend more than the Northstars going to Baldwinsville last Wednesday afternoon and putting together an impressive 10-2 victory over the previously undefeated Bees.
When C-NS got to B’ville starter Luke Arvantides for four runs in the top of the second inning, it was as many runs as the entire Bees pitching staff had allowed in its first five games.
The Northstars added a run in the fifth and then put the game away with five more runs in the top of the seventh as Corey Cartier led the way with three hits, all singles, and a pair of RBIs.
Jake Lukasiewicz also drove in a pair of runs. Matt Klamm and Bryce Zicaro each scored twice as they joined Brian Bonin and Ty King in getting one RBI apiece.
Given all that early run support, Jacob Crystal pitched 4 2/3 innings and, despite allowing five hits and four walks, constantly escaped trouble before Zicaro worked the last 2 1/3 innings in scoreless relief and struck out six.
The Northstars earned its first win May 6 against East Syracuse Minoa and followed up last Monday by going to West Genesee and taking charge early in a 9-1 victory over the Wildcats.
A four-run first inning was all that C-NS needed, but it tacked on three runs in the third for further cushion. Bonin got three RBIs, with Cartier, Lukasiewicz and Logan Karkowski each scoring twice as Cartier picked up a pair of hits.
Meanwhile, Noah Wieczorek was solid on the mound, going six innings and, against four hits and two walks, recording seven strikeouts before Austin Alberici worked the last inning in relief.
Then, after it defeated B’ville, the Northstars welcomed Fayetteville-Manlius for a Saturday doubleheader and proceeded to score 33 runs in a sweep of the Hornets.
The opener was an 18-0 romp that included a five-run fourth inning and eight-run fifth inning. Eight different players had least one RBI, with Cartier, Karkowski, Bonin and Mike Rockwell each driving in a pair of runs. Wieczorek and Alberici combined to pitch the shutout.
C-NS unloaded in the second game, too, topping F-M 13-5 with runs in each of the first six innings. Karkowski’s pair of doubles led to four RBIs, with Rockwell getting two RBIs and Lukasiewicz going three-for-three with three runs scored.
By contrast, Liverpool, in last Monday’s battle with Baldwinsville, was three outs from victory before the Bees rallied late to stop the Warriors 4-2.
Single runs in the first and fourth innings had Liverpool in front 2-1. Adam Marsh and Anthony Lapine drove in those runs as Marsh pitched five solid innings, striking out five and only allowing four hits.
It remained that way until the top of the seventh, when B’ville got to Liverpool relievers Noah Klasen and Jack Hoppe for three runs, all driven in by Perry Chetney and Kenny Svitak. Overall, Bees pitcher Chris AuClair held the Warriors to just three hits.
Rebounding from this, Liverpool took on F-M Thursday and made quite the late-game comeback of its own to pull out a 7-5, eight-inning victory over the Hornets.
All looked bad when F-M built a 5-0 lead through five innings, but in the top of the sixth the Warriors erased all of it, scoring five times to ultimately send the game to extra innings.
Then Liverpool plated a pair of runs in the top of the eighth as Klasen, pitching in relief of Anthony Lapine, earned the final three outs. Combined, the pair struck out 13 Hornets hitters.
Andrew Contos singled, doubled and drove in two runs to lead the Liverpool comeback. Nick Stevens added two hits as he and Dillon Crook both drove in single runs.
