ONONDAGA COUNTY – When the Jamesville-DeWitt and East Syracuse Minoa baseball teams met up for their weekend series, both sides were eager to both gain neighborhood bragging rights and find some sort of winning form.
In the opening game last Friday afternoon, one single inning made all the difference for the Red Rams, who earned just it second win of the season by defeating the Spartans 9-3.
They traded runs in the first inning and did so again in the third, but from there J-D pticher Corey Kretsch kept ESM from crossing the plate, striking out six despite allowing eight hits and a walk
Then, in the top of the fifth, the Rams sent Spartans starter Bryce Hall from the game and, batting around, did not let up until it had scored seven times.
Carter King led the way, his single and double producing three RBIs, while Dante Santos also got two hits. Matt Sweeney, Samson Myshrall and Nolen Brann each drove in a run. On ESM’s side, Brad Herrington and Nate Pullano had two hits apiece as RBIs were credited to Jordan Sanson and Jimmy Ferns.
They met again on Saturday, this time at J-D, but the different venue brought the same result by the same six-run margin as J-D this time got a 7-1 victory over the Spartans.
Single runs in the second, fourth and fifth innings were enough, but J-D still added four runs in the sixth to put it away, Myshrall and Matt Alexander each getting two hits as Sweeney, Brann, Santos and Carter King had one RBI apiece.
On the mound, David Stewart and Jake Ogata combined to limit ESM to three hits, with Keven Stewart driving in Ferns with the Spartans’ lone run in the fifth inning.
ESM’s struggles had continued early in the week when it ran into Westhill and lost, 10-3, to the Warriors.
Run-scoring hits by Herrington and Dan Gilkey gave the Spartans a 3-1 lead in the top of the third, but Westhill countered with five runs in the bottom of the third and never got caught.
Four pitchers – Hall, Joe Federico, Dylan Clark and Garret Hockey – worked for ESM, none longer than 2 2/3 innings. Aiden Kerr paced the Warriors with two hits and two RBIs.
Bishop Grimes had played last Sunday against Chittenango, overcoming a 4-1 deficit with three runs in both the fourth and fifth innings.
Then, after the Bears tied it in the sixth, a run in the bottom of the seventh allowed the Cobras to prevail 8-7. Seth Murphy had three hits, with Ryan Kinane getting two hits and scoring three runs as Bruno Kinsey scored twice. Single RBIs went to Jack Gutchess, Dominic Rossi and Devin Desiro-Camber.
Then Grimes fell to 2-7 last Monday in a 2-1 defeat to Marcellus despite terrific pitching from Kinsey, who only allowed two hits in his complete-game effort.
The Mustangs struck for both of its runs in the bottom of the fourth, and though Hunter Byrne drove home Jared Walters in the sixth, the Cobras could not tie it against Mustangs pitcher John Francesconi.
Grimes was successful on Friday, putting away Altmar-Parish-Williamstown 13-5 as it scored in every inning except the fifth, including eight total runs in the sixth and seventh innings to pull away from the Rebels.
Rossi and Rick Benedetto each finished with three RBIs, Benedetto also pitched 5 1/3 innings, striking out nine APW batters.
