CAZENOVIA – Having won 13 in a row and soared to a league championship, the Cazenovia baseball team now sought an even bigger prize.
The Section III Class B playoffs were split in two due to a 17-team field. Thus, the Lakers were awarded the top seed in Class B-2 and then set out to earn a banner – but fell two wins short.
Against no. 8 seed Sherburne-Earlville in last Tuesday’s quarterfinal round, Cazenovia jumped out early and never let the Marauders catch up to them on the way to a 9-3 victory.
Four runs in the first inning were followed by two more in the second, a quick 6-0 advantage that took the pressure of starting pitcher Jack Byrnes, whose complete game featured limiting S-E to four hits while striking out nine.
At the plate, A.J. Rothfeld got two hits, both doubles, walked once and scored three runs. Byrnes also had two hits as he and Rothfeld both got a pair of RBIs, with single runs driven in by Jack Donlin, Peter McCole, Sean Smithers and Tavin Reilley. Aiden Berson scored twice.
Holland Patent would provide the opposition in the Class B-2 semifinal after the no. 5 seed Golden Knights went on the road and knocked off no. 4 seed Lowville 7-2 to get this far.
And at first, all went quite well, the Lakers scoring three times in the first inning and twice in the second to erase an early HP advantage and take a 5-1 lead. Byrnes scored twice, Donlin got a pair of RBIs and Smithers also drove in a run.
But Noah DeMarco relieved Golden Knights starter Adam Jones and, over the next 5 1/3 innings, would keep Cazenovia off the board, only allowing one hit.
Meanwhile, Donlin pitched for the Lakers and lasted until the sixth, HP cutting into its deficit with a pair of runs in the fourth and another run in the fifth.
Patrick Linck took over in the seventh, needing three outs to put Cazenovia in the sectional final against Skaneateles – only to have the Golden Knights strike for three runs and then see DeMarco close it out.
The 6-5 defeat put an end to the win streak as Cazenovia finished 15-2 overall. But even this loss could not take away from what the Lakers accomplished in head coach Tim Mascari’s first season.
Berson, Smithers and Linck will graduate, but having Byrnes, Donlin, Rothfeld, McCole, Reilley and Max DiGiacomo back for 2022 (with only McCole and Rothfeld as seniors) means Cazenovia can have championship aspirations again.
